Theatre

Professor Nancy Taylor Porter
Associate Professor Craig Steenerson
Assistant Professor Aasne Daniels
Visiting Instructor Richard McCoy

The Theatre Program at Illinois College is dedicated to teaching students skills to prepare them for work and participation in the theatre world after graduation and to excel in the 21st- century workforce at large: leadership, creative problem-solving, collaboration, critical thinking, professionalism, and integrity. In addition to developing students’ analytical and communication skills as part of a liberal arts institution, the program also encourages students to develop their theatrical abilities through a program of coursework and guided experience in acting, directing, management, design, and the use of technologies most common in theatre. Practical, hands-on experience in TheatreWorks productions allows students to put their knowledge into practice and to showcase their work for the larger community.

The Theatre Program currently offers a minor, but students may also pursue a Theatre Arts interdisciplinary major, designed by the student and a theatre faculty advisor. As part of the Communication Arts Department, the Theatre Program encourages explorations of connections with Art and Communication and Rhetorical Studies as well as English. If you are interested in this option, please see the Individualized Studies Major and contact Dr. Nancy Taylor Porter.

Majors & Programs

Courses

TH 150: Theatre Practice

A theatre practicum consists of significant participation in some facet of an Illinois College TheatreWorks production or an outside production, approved by the program chair. ❖ 1 credit hour awarded for backstage crew, or light and sound board operators ❖ 1.5 credit hours awarded for assistant stage managers 2-2.5 credit hours awarded for stage

TH 151: Theatre Practice

❖ .5 credit hour awarded for backstage crew or light and sound board operators ❖ .5-1 credit hour awarded for actors

TH 160: Long-form Improv Troupe

This ensemble rehearses 1.5-2 hours weekly and performs monthly in the ICEBOX during the year. Interested students take a six-week workshop that culminates in an audition. Each year, the troupe competes in the College Improv Tournament and sometimes also attends guest artist or offsite workshops.

TH 190: From Comic Books to Blockbusters

This course looks at superheroes as they appear in comic books and films dating from the 1940s to the present day. Special attention will be paid to the evolution of heroes' and heroines' identities across time. The final project is the creation of a short superhero film/comic.

TH 222: Acting

An introductory workshop experience for actors, designed to foster a basic competence in the uses of the voice, body, and imagination for dramatic performance.

TH 226: Scriptwriting

This class is designed to teach students about the nuts and bolts of play and screenwriting. It covers topics such as action/plot, structure, character development, dialogue, and setting in the abstract and in plays written by both professionals and college students. It encourages writers to choose workable ideas, draft them, and improve them through exploration and peer review. The final project is a one-act script for stage or film.

TH 231: Stagecrafts

Students will acquire a hands-on knowledge of the methods, principles, and conventions of scenic production by way of both lab and lecture periods. As this is a prerequisite for advanced classes in technical theatre, basic skills as well as a working vocabulary in scenery and property construction, scene painting, lighting, and sound will be stressed.

TH 250: Shakespeare on Stage and Screen

A study of some of Shakespeare's greatest hits and how these plays have been transformed into movies, from filmed stage productions to contemporary riffs on the characters and storylines. The course will also include analysis of relevant cultural artifacts connected to the play's content as well as filmic techniques and principles of adaptation.

TH 351: Intermediate Acting

A studio class utilizing the specific methodology of theorist Sanford Meisner. Additionally, this course will focus on the mastery of audition technique relevant to prepare students for professional competition.

TH 352: Theatre on the Edge

A studio class exploring various non-realistic approaches to theatre-making, including the body as object, masks, commedia dell'arte, clown, physical comedy, soundscapes, and translations of film, art, and music into theatrical performance. The course culminates in a piece of devised theatre on a topic chosen by the students and performed for the Celebration of Excellence.

TH 353: Advanced Acting

A studio class focusing on physical characterizations, especially for monologues; period style movement; voice work; understanding and speaking classical texts; and stage combat: unarmed, broadsword, and single rapier.

TH 361: Elements of Design

This course will immerse students in a study of all aspects of theatre design, from general design theory to practical execution of designs in the theatre, with a focus on scenic design.

TH 362: Light and Sound

In this course students will examine the visual and aural world and how that is imitated and manipulated in theatrical lighting and sound. Students will acquire a thorough understanding of lighting and sound technology through a study of history, theory, and hands-on experience.

TH 363: Stage Management and Theatre Operations

This course combines stage management and production management, exploring the relationship between the artistry and execution of theatre from conception to final performance. Topics include stage management, production management, delegation, scheduling, professional unions, time and personnel management, touring, publicity/marketing, box office, and house management. Students will be placed in a problem-solving environment, so they can acquire knowledge and skills necessary for becoming a leader in a theatre organization.

TH 463: Internship in Theatre

Internship with a theatre company or company utilizing theatre, usually during the summer. Areas of emphasis include acting, playwriting, stage management, lighting, sound, and box office/ house management.

TH 464: Internship in Theatre

Internship with a theatre company or company utilizing theatre, usually during the summer. Areas of emphasis include acting, playwriting, stage management, lighting, sound, and box office/ house management.

TH 465: Independent Research in Theatre

When a faculty-directed production is entered in the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, an outside evaluator and the director choose two students to participate in the regional Irene Ryan Scholarship Audition. In conjunction with their director, they research and prepare scenes to present at the festival.

TH 466: Independent Research in Theatre

When a faculty-directed production is entered in the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, an outside evaluator and the director choose two students to participate in the regional Irene Ryan Scholarship Audition. In conjunction with their director, they research and prepare scenes to present at the festival.

TH 480: Honors Project

Completed in either the junior or senior year, this course represents a milestone in the student's development and is intended to prepare him or her for professional work in the field. Typically, this will be a significant role or design for a faculty-directed show. For students not strictly in the acting or tech tracks, alternative possibilities will be considered, such as writing and/or directing a play, stage managing a challenging faculty-directed show, or working as the program's business manager in an arts administration capacity.

TH 485: Senior Capstone: Theatre Directing

This course examines the role of the director and how he or she translates technique and theory into the world of the stage with a focus on exploration and collaboration with actors and designers. Additionally, students will gain project management and leadership experience, practicing the organizational and communication skills required to helm a production. The final outcome of the course for each student will be a fully realized production of a one-act play in the ICEBOX.