Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) Major in Theatre (Dramatic Writing Concentration)

TH 5199B. Thesis.

This course represents a student’s continuing thesis enrollments. The student continues to enroll in this course until the thesis is submitted for binding.

TH 5299B. Thesis.

This course represents a student’s continuing thesis enrollments. The student continues to enroll in this course until the thesis is submitted for binding.

TH 5301. Drama Research.

An examination of problems and research techniques in drama. Historical, critical, descriptive, and experimental research approaches will be surveyed and basic procedures in research report writing will be considered.

TH 5302. Text Analysis, Research and Interpretation.

This course reviews various methods of analysis of a dramatic text. This includes inductive, deductive, structural, and methodical approaches. It also examines techniques for production research and explores issues of interpretation that affect the development of a play's translation into a production on stage.

TH 5303. Devising Theatre.

This interdisciplinary course will focus on the creation of original work that incorporates a strong visual component. Individual artistic development is addressed along with the particular challenges of devising theatrical work through non-traditional methods.

TH 5304. Web Series Creation.

This course focuses on the techniques of creating a web series, script writing and development. It explores the fundamentals of film production and web publication, including marketing and identifying a target audience.

TH 5305. Web Series Creation II.

This course is a continuation of the Web Series course and specifically focuses on production of a web series. Students will write, direct, and produce their own web series for publication on the internet. Prerequisite: TH 5304 with a grade of "C" or better.

TH 5306. Fundamentals of Environment for the Stage.

This course is a practical exploration of the processes and techniques for the development of the stage environment by scenic and lighting designers within the context of live production. Theoretical projects provide focus on establishing a common vernacular and emphasize analysis, research, and problem-solving. In-class studio sessions develop efficient presentation techniques and effective graphic skills.

TH 5307. Fundamentals of Character for the Stage.

This course is a practical exploration of the processes and techniques for character development from the perspective of a director and costume designer within the context of live production. Theoretical projects provide focus on the development of a common vernacular and emphasize problem-solving skills. In-class studio sessions will develop analysis, research, clear and efficient presentation skills, as well as graphic skill development.

TH 5308. Musical Theatre Choreography.

This course examines the role of choreography in musical theatre and explores the choreographic process. Students study the history and theoretical principles of musical theatre choreography as well as obtain the practical skills needed to create staging and choreography for a musical theatre production.

TH 5310. Graduate Assistant Development.

This course is required as a condition of employment for graduate teaching and instructional assistants. This course covers topics related to employment responsibilities. This course does not earn graduate degree credit.

TH 5312. Collaborative Theory.

This course examines the nature of collaboration within the context of the live entertainment production processes. Particular attention is focused on understanding psychological/sociological viewpoints in effective collaborative work environments.

TH 5313. History of Directing and Scenography.

This course is a historical survey of the work of directors and designers. Particular emphasis will be on seminal production plans for notable directors and designers of the 20th and 21st centuries.

TH 5314. History of Material Culture - Pre 20th Century.

This course is an historical survey of material culture and its influence on theatrical production pre-twentieth century. Attention is placed on research of the architecture, interiors, fashion, theatre literature, and technical innovations of seminal periods from Greco-Roman through 19th century.

TH 5315. History of Material Culture - 20th and 21st Centuries.

This course is a historical survey of material culture and its influence on theatrical production in the twentieth- and twenty-first centuries. Along with anthropological research, attention is placed on the influences that shaped seminal practitioners of theatrical production.

TH 5316. Artist Brand Development & Management.

This course focuses on the creation of a professional brand and marketing toolkit for practitioners in the live entertainment industry. Basic principles of business practices including accounting, tax law, networking, and unions are also explored.

TH 5323. Shakespeare Through Performance.

This intensive summer study abroad program immerses students in the language and culture of Shakespeare’s plays. Incorporating a performance-based approach to the study of Shakespeare, this course includes theatrical workshops taught by professionals at leading international theatres, including the Royal Shakespeare Company.

TH 5324. Shakespeare: Text and Context.

This intensive study abroad program immerses students in the language and culture of Shakespeare’s plays. In Stratford, academic workshops are led by scholars from the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. Through immersion in the cultural environment in which the plays were produced, students gain insight into the context that shaped Shakespeare’s theatre.

TH 5330. Stage Management.

An in-depth seminar in stage management, including organization, techniques, and practices for managing stage productions from initial planning through performance.

TH 5331. Television Writing.

This course focuses on the techniques of writing for television, including both half-hour situational comedies and hour-long dramas. Students will pitch story ideas, develop beat sheets, write treatments, and complete written scripts. Prerequisite: TH 5354 with a grade of "C" or better.

TH 5332. Stage Properties.

This course trains students in the craft, artistry and management of stage properties for careers in theatre, film and the entertainment industry.

TH 5333. Advanced Television Writing.

This course focuses on the techniques of creating a television series, including script writing and development, film production, and post-production editing. Students will spin off a character from a network or cable television series and create a new series based on that character. Graduate students will act as co-producers. Prerequisite: TH 5331 with a grade of "C" or better.

TH 5334. Figure Drawing for Costume Design.

In this course students will practice drawing the human figure using traditional media, techniques and applications. Intended for the theatre designer, this course places special emphasis on aspects of the relationship between fabric and the human figure.

TH 5338. MFA Lighting Studio.

This course concentrates primarily on the aesthetics of stage lighting, and covers such topics as viewers' psychological and physiological responses as they pertain to visual perception; color; script analysis; use of light in creating both static and dynamic visual compositions; development and graphic representation of a theatrical lighting design; and creation of materials necessary to communicate design intentions.

TH 5339. Previsualization.

In this course, students explore software and strategies for discovering and communicating lighting sequences prior to technical rehearsals. The course assumes proficiency in Vectorworks, Lightwright, and conventional console programming.

TH 5340. Professional Internship.

This course provides professional hands-on experience in the theatre or film industry. Prerequisite: Instructor approval.

TH 5341. Dramatization and Adaptation.

This course focuses on the development of new theatrical scripts based on existing stories and source material. Students will explore a variety of potential source materials, pitch adaptation ideas, and complete a written script. Prerequisite: TH 5354 with a grade of "C" or better.

TH 5342. MFA Studio I.

This course is designed to expand and refine advanced technical competencies, creativity, and methods of working in the student's area of emphasis.

TH 5343. MFA Studio II.

This course is designed to expand and refine advanced technical competencies, creativity, and methods of working in the student's area of emphasis.

TH 5345. MFA Costume Studio.

MFA Costume Studio is a course that explores character design for live entertainment, as well as, topics that pertain to the work of a Costume Designer. Through guided practice, students will master the design process while working from both traditional and non-traditional sources.

TH 5346. Historical Costume Research.

This course is a study of clothing, accessories, and customs of selected theatrical periods as an approach to costuming period plays.

TH 5347. Advanced Costume Construction.

Advanced studies in the construction of costumes for the stage, techniques in sewing, pattern drafting/design as well as accessories/crafts construction.

TH 5348. Graphic Representation.

Students will study and practice drawing and painting techniques, as well as rendering with other media, including markers.

TH 5350. Second Year Project.

Students in the second year of the MFA in Theatre will direct, design, or write for a departmental production. The course includes a written report of the project that demonstrates an understanding of the creative process of the chosen discipline. Prerequisite: Instructor approval.

TH 5352. MFA Studio III.

This course is designed to expand and refine advanced technical competencies, creativity, and methods of working in the student's area of emphasis.

TH 5353. MFA Studio IV.

This course is designed to expand and refine advanced technical competencies, creativity, and methods of working in the student's area of emphasis.

TH 5354. Playwriting.

A seminar in the art and craft of playwriting, from initial idea through a completed draft of a play. May be repeated with different emphasis for additional credit.

TH 5355. Scene Painting.

Theory and practice of scene and costume painting as developed in the Italian Renaissance and continuing into new media available today. May be repeated with different emphasis for additional credit.

TH 5356. Theatrical Drafting: Vectorworks.

This course is a study of computer techniques and procedures used in the preparation of design and technical drawings for theatrical scenery and lighting.

TH 5357. MFA Scenic Studio.

MFA Scenic Studio is a seminar course based on design, emphasizing presentation and justification of executed renderings or models for selected plays. Emphasis is on styles of staging, settings, lighting and properties, and their relationship to the complete production. May be repeated with different emphasis for additional credit.

TH 5358. Screenwriting.

This course offers a comprehensive study of the art and craft of writing screenplays. During a semester of intensive writing, readings, script analyses, and critiques, writers complete assignments in storytelling, character, structure, and script development. Each writer completes a full-length screenplay as the capstone project for the semester.

TH 5359. Advanced Screenwriting.

This course focuses on the development and revision of full-length screenplays. May be repeated for credit with different emphasis. Prerequisite: TH 5358 with a grade of "C" or better.

TH 5360. Problems in Theatre.

Designed to give supervised experience to qualified advanced students in theatre history, playwriting, directing, acting, technical, or other theatre problems. Research problems or actual production problems may be chosen. May be repeated with different emphasis for additional credit.

TH 5361. Oregon Shakespeare Festival Intensive.

This course examines theatre production with a specific focus on directors and directing at this country's largest Shakespeare theatre, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Students will study issues of translating the current seasons' nine plays from script to stage, as well as analyzing the perspectives and choices of each director's production.

TH 5362. Vectorworks II.

This course is an advanced study of computer techniques and procedures using Vectorworks in the preparation of technical drawings and digital previsualization for theatrical scenic and lighting design Prerequisite: TH 5356 with a grade of "C" or better or instructor approval.

TH 5363. Directing for Film.

An in-depth examination of directing theories and procedures for film with practical filming and editing exercises. May be repeated with different emphasis for additional credit.

TH 5364. MFA Directing Seminar I.

In this course students develop their skills in analysis, research, staging, and production.

TH 5365. Backgrounds of Modern Drama.

An analysis of those developments in dramatic literature that formed the basis of modern drama. Primary emphasis will be on nineteenth-and twentieth-century European and American drama.

TH 5367. Studies in Dramatic Theory and Criticism.

The study of dramatic theory and criticism from Aristotle to the present.

TH 5369. Contemporary World Theatre and Drama.

Studies of current trends in world theatre and drama.

TH 5371. Classical and Renaissance Drama.

Seminar in Greek, French Neoclassical, and English Renaissance theatre, with intensive examination of selected works by Sophocles, Euripides, Shakespeare, and Marlowe. Primary focus will be on analysis of the plays as performance texts, and on the historical cultural environments in which the plays were created and first performed.

TH 5372. Theory and Practice of Dramaturgy.

Study of the practical application of historical research and textual analysis in the production of period plays and new works. Emphasis upon the dramaturg as an instrument of collaboration between members of the artistic team and as a facilitator of audience outreach.

TH 5373. Advanced Film Directing.

An in-depth examination of narrative filmmaking that includes screenplay analysis, storyboarding, scheduling the shoot, directorial techniques, staging actors, camera placement, filming on location, and editing. Prerequisite: TH 5363 with a grade of "C" or better.

TH 5375. Advanced Playwriting.

This course focuses on an in-depth study of the techniques of playwriting and the variety of styles that a playwright might employ. The course culminates with the writing of a full-length play. Prerequisite: TH 5354 with a grade of "C" or better.

TH 5378. Play Development Lab.

This course provides a laboratory workshop development process for new plays. It provides a structured environment for rigorously revising student-written works. Prerequisite: TH 5375 with a grade of "C" or better or instructor approval.

TH 5379. Digital Rendering for Theatrical Design.

This course is a study of computer techniques and procedures used in graphic representation for theatrical design. Students will work primarily with Photoshop, with references to other programs such as Illustrator, Vectorworks, Sketchup, and Painter as necessary. Students will explore and practice techniques to create scenic renderings, costume renderings, lighting sketches, and paper props as well as techniques for editing production photos, creating collages, and producing publicity materials.

TH 5380. Advanced Scenic Painting.

Students develop scenic art skills, with an increased emphasis on realized practical production work, and a focus on the planning, sampling, and management of theatrical production paint processes. Prerequisite: TH 5355 with a grade of "C" or better or instructor approval.

TH 5381. Automated Lighting.

Automated Lighting will explore and practice methods and approaches for basic uses of multi-attribute lighting technology. We will investigate a variety of moving light and LED technology and control as well as methods of properly documenting and cueing with these complex tools.

TH 5382. MFA Studio V.

This course is designed to expand and refine advanced technical competencies, creativity, and methods of working in the student's area of emphasis. This course now has variable content based on the composition of students.

TH 5383. MFA Studio VI.

This course is designed to expand and refine advanced technical competencies, creativity, and methods of working in the student's area of emphasis.

TH 5384. Non-Theatrical Design.

This course explores career opportunities in non-theatrical design fields including theatre design, television, corporate events, architectural lighting, and visual management for retail.

TH 5385. Lighting Console Programming.

This course covers the skills and techniques used in modern console programming for a variety of lighting systems used in the entertainment industry. The course includes programming specifics for consoles from a variety of manufacturers. Special focus is placed on execution and presentation of console programming research.

TH 5386. Lighting and Projection Design for Dance.

This course covers the skills and techniques used in lighting and projection design for dance. The students explore innovative choreographers and designers who use both established and emerging technologies in lighting and projection design. Special focus is placed on research presentations.

TH 5387. MFA Directing Seminar II.

In this course students experience choosing, preparing, and directing a theatrical production from analysis to performance. Attention is given to theatre organization and management.

TH 5398. Final Creative Project.

Students write, direct, or design a major university theatre production, demonstrating mastery in their area of emphasis. A written report of the project must be approved by a faculty committee. This requirement for the MFA in Theatre is usually taken in the final year of study.

TH 5399A. Thesis.

This course represents a student’s initial thesis enrollment. No thesis credit is awarded until student has completed the thesis in Theatre 5399B.

TH 5399B. Thesis.

This course represents a student’s continuing thesis enrollments. The student continues to enroll in this course until the thesis is submitted for binding.

TH 5599B. Thesis.

This course represents a student’s continuing thesis enrollments. The student continues to enroll in this course until the thesis is submitted for binding.

TH 5640. Professional Internship.

This course provides professional hands-on experience in the theatre or film industry; it is intended for students who do a full-time internship over the summer or during a regular full semester. Prerequisite: Instructor approval.

TH 5999B. Thesis.

This course represents a student’s continuing thesis enrollments. The student continues to enroll in this course until the thesis is submitted for binding.