Theatre Appreciation

Course Number:
TA 101
Transcript Title:
Theatre Appreciation
Created:
Aug 16, 2022
Updated:
Jul 17, 2023
Total Credits:
4
Lecture Hours:
40
Lecture / Lab Hours:
0
Lab Hours:
0
Satisfies Cultural Literacy requirement:
No
Satisfies General Education requirement:
No
Grading Options
A-F, P/NP, Audit
Default Grading Options
A-F
Repeats available for credit:
0
Prerequisites

Prerequisite/Concurrent

WR 121 or WR 121Z

Course Description

Explores live theatre productions, enriching the understanding and appreciation of the theatrical event. Includes reading, researching and evaluating a play to collaboratively create a unified design. Prerequisite/concurrent: WR 121 or WR 121Z. Audit available.

Course Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

  1. Appreciate the experience of attending live theatre, and use it to enrich life experiences as well as further exposure to differing cultures and philosophies.
  2. Relate historical themes and cultural ideas presented in production to real life problems and situations.
  3. Participate in the shared experience of a live theatrical production and recognize the uniqueness of it as distinguished from other art forms.

Suggested Outcome Assessment Strategies

At the beginning of the course, the instructor will detail the methods used to evaluate student progress and the criteria for assigning a course grade. The methods may include one of more of the following tools: small group problem solving, oral presentations, written play critiques and evaluations, and/or homework assignments. Students are expected to complete several papers, detailing their evaluation of the productions following a format provided by the instructor. Class discussions will review the information and students will be asked to contribute to the discussions with their ideas based on the criteria given.

Course Activities and Design

The determination of teaching strategies used in the delivery of outcomes is generally left to the discretion of the instructor. Here are some strategies that you might consider when designing your course: lecture, small group/forum discussion, flipped classroom, dyads, oral presentation, role play, simulation scenarios, group projects, service learning projects, hands-on lab, peer review/workshops, cooperative learning (jigsaw, fishbowl), inquiry based instruction, differentiated instruction (learning centers), graphic organizers, etc.

Course Content

Theatre as a social and cultural event:

  • The concept of otherness
  • The other world of the theatre

The styles of drama and their reflection in life:

  • Tragedy as it celebrates man's capacity to persevere
  • Comedy as the absence of pain
  • Tragicomedy as it reflects the most closely to life

Theatre as a collaborative art:

  • Playwright as the original artist
  • Directors/Actors as interpreters
  • Designers and the concept
  • Technicians
  • Audience as the final contributor

COMPETENCIES/SKILLS

  • Identify and describe basic theatrical terminology.
  • Identify the various artists who contribute to the theatrical event.
  • Apply understanding of live performance to live productions attended by written critiques and verbal discussion.
  • Illustrate and demonstrate the job of the actor, playwright, director, technical designers.
  • Apply understanding of the playwright's language by examining and explaining such language.
  • Identify and explain the uses of various theatrical spaces.
  • Illustrate the difference between comedy, tragedy, tragi-comedy and farce.
  • Describe and identify the role of the audience in theatre.

Department Notes

Theatre Appreciation is a course which includes attendance at live theatre presentations as well as in-class discussions of such productions. It may include the reading of plays as well as guest speakers, slides and video to supplement such discussions.