Students who major in theater at Carleton may choose from courses in production, theater literature, history and criticism. We believe our majors should have a foundation in all the major areas of the theater as well as at least one area of expertise. The senior year comprehensive exercise is a project, usually a production, put together by the student according to his or her area of expertise. Comps may be individual productions involving non-majors or may be the product of collaboration between majors.
Our overall objective is to teach theater as a vital part of the liberal arts curriculum, and to prepare our students either to continue in theater or to succeed in the career of their choice.
Requirements
Note: any single course may satisfy only one requirement.
69 credits distributed as follows:
- 12 credits in theater history and theory:
- 6 credits from the following courses in design or technical theater:
- THEA 115: Principles of Design · not offered in 2023-24
- THEA 229: Makeup Design · not offered in 2023-24
- THEA 234: Lighting Design for the Performing Arts · not offered in 2023-24
- THEA 237: Scenic Design for the Performing Arts
- THEA 238: Costume Design for the Performing Arts · not offered in 2023-24
- THEA 256: Costume Construction · not offered in 2023-24
- THEA 257: Costume Pattern Development · not offered in 2023-24
- THEA 320: Live Performance and Digital Media
- 18 credits from the following courses in practical theater:
- DANC 150: Contact Improvisation
- DANC 253: Movement for the Performer · not offered in 2023-24
- DANC 254: Jazz Dance: Roots and Grooves
- DANC 268: The Body as Choreographer · not offered in 2023-24
- THEA 110: Beginning Acting
- THEA 185: The Speaking Voice
- THEA 195: Acting Shakespeare
- THEA 199: Theater Practicum
- THEA 226: Avant-garde Theater and Performance · not offered in 2023-24
- THEA 227: Theatre for Social Change
- THEA 245: Directing · not offered in 2023-24
- THEA 246: Playwriting
- THEA 260: Space, Time, Body, Minds · not offered in 2023-24
- THEA 345: Devised Theater and Collective Creation
- 18 credits at the 300 level, at least six of which should be English 310 (additional courses may be added to this group as approved):
- ENGL 310: Shakespeare II · not offered in 2023-24
- RUSS 351: Chekhov · not offered in 2023-24
- THEA 314: Advanced Acting
- THEA 320: Live Performance and Digital Media
- THEA 345: Devised Theater and Collective Creation
- 6 additional credits, in literature, criticism, or history courses from the following list:
- CLAS 116: Greek Drama in Performance
- ENGL 116: The Art of Drama: Passion, Politics, and Culture · not offered in 2023-24
- ENGL 144: Shakespeare I
- ENGL 205: “Passing Strange”: Shakespeare’s Othello and its Modern Afterlives
- ENGL 206: William Shakespeare: The Henriad
- ENGL 209: Much Ado About Nothing: A Project Course · not offered in 2023-24
- ENGL 214: Revenge Tragedy · not offered in 2023-24
- ENGL 219: Global Shakespeare · not offered in 2023-24
- ENGL 244: Shakespeare I
- ENGL 258: Playwrights of Color: Taking the Stage · not offered in 2023-24
- ENGL 281: Living London Program: Reading London, Writing London
- ENGL 282: Living London Program: London Theater
- ENGL 381: Living London Program: Reading London, Writing London
- THEA 226: Avant-garde Theater and Performance · not offered in 2023-24
- THEA 228: Performing Women
- THEA 251: Top Girls: Women Playwrights · not offered in 2023-24
- THEA 255: August Wilson: History and the Blues · not offered in 2023-24
- 2 credits of THEA 190, Players Production
- 6 credits of THEA 400, Integrative Exercise