Theatre Classes offered at Xavier:                

THTR 100: Introduction to the Theatre (offered fall '08)          Analysis of the role of the theatre within the community, models of professional theatre practice within Cincinnati. Focus on the artistic, administrative, and technical infrastructures of theatre organizations, through a series of on-site visits. Students will attend a number of local theatres during the semester.

THTR 133: Musical Theatre   (offered Fall '08 and Spring '09)        This class is to help students become better singers through emphasis on technique development, singing the repertoire of musical theatre, and doing lots of singing. We will work on selling a song and audition techniques. We will also work on some basic sight singing as a class and discuss some elementary music theory, as needed.

THTR 210: Acting I   (offered fall '08)                                              Not only provides students with a valuable practical insight into the art of acting, but enables them to develop essential "transferable" skills in communication, time-management, and teamwork. Exposure to acting empowers students to develop personal confidence through exercises in role-play and improvisation, and explore important issues from a multiplicity of perspectives.

THTR 220: Improvisation for the Actor    (offered fall '08)          This class will familiarize the students with various forms of improvisation and help develop skills in the art form.

THTR 230: Stagecraft   (offered fall '08)                                       Focus on the fundamentals of technical production: stagecraft, lighting, sound, costume, and make-up. Students will develop skills in basic operations and safety procedures. Projects may involve production work for the Xavier Players.

THTR 232: Advanced Musical Theater  (offered spring '09)      This course is designed to give students practical experience in the execution and performance of musical theater scenes. Each class sessions will be divided into two parts one of which focuses on the learning and execution of the musical elements while the second will concentrate on the performance elements. The course term will be divided into three chronological periods: Musical Theater before 1960, 1961-1980, and 1981-the present.

THTR 233: Stage Combat   (offered Fall '08)                                Stage Combat is the study of safe choreographed stage violence. Under the auspices of movement training, this is also considered an acting class. We are simply "actors with large props." The techniques by which we will work are all founded through the research and training of The Society of American Fight Directors. Our main goal is to create the ILLUSION of violence and the REALITY of the acted movement, culminating in the performance of a Skills Proficiency Test adjudicated by a visiting Fight Master.

THTR 253: Creating Comedy: Process & Performance  (offered Spring '09)                                                                                This class will be interactive and high-energy, integrating improvisation, writing, and brainstorming and performance all through a comedic lens. We will be learning to create consistently funny scenes and how to use improvisation as a starting point for more substantial humorous work.

THTR 295: Theatre of Conscience   (offered Spring '09)             This course will explore the history and movement of Theatre of Conscience. Students will create theatrical pieces that will be performed in this year’s Voices for Change, which demonstrates how theatre becomes the expression and interpretation of positive, social change for societies.
South African playwright, activist, and Nobel Peace Prize recipient, Athol Fugard and his writings, as well as lesser-known and new South African plays, will form the basis of the literature studied. Theory and Practice unite in this unique and thought-provoking course!
 

THTR 310: Acting II    (offered Spring '09)                                  Building on the skills developed in Acting I, this class focuses on specific acting techniques associated with creating a Theatre of Conscience that seeks to engage with socio-political issues that directly affect a given community. Pre-requisite: THTR 210

THTR 340: Acting for the Camera   (offered Spring '09)             This course is designed to teach students how to become more motivated, create emotions based on circumstances, communicate behaviors with inner dialogue, build character relationships, learn the use of comedic timing, learn the importance of good listening, the preparation of monologues, the business of acting, and industry terminology. The dedication and best of their ability performance will result in the students strong understanding of the requirements needed to be a professional on-camera actor.                                                  

THTR 350: Directing   (offered Spring '09)                                  Enables students to stage scenes and create original work. The resulting pieces of theatre should be presented to the Xavier community. Pre-requisite: THTR 310

MGMT 335 - Social Entrepreneurship   (offered fall '08)         Introduces students to entrepreneurial processes and practices with visual arts, theatre, dance, and music. Class involves encounters with the arts entrepreneurs, investigation of core studies, and analysis of the creative application of entrepreneurial practices in the arts. Open to business and non-business majors.