Class Schedules

In this course, first-year students critically attend live dance and theater performances in the exciting arts scene of the Twin Cities, and articulate their individual reactions by writing reviews, responses, and essays. In this process of studied spectatorship, students acquire the vocabularies of the field. Readings include seminal texts in dance and theatre criticism, as well as manifestos and scholarly articles. We will attend dance and theater performances at professional venues such as the Walker Arts Center, the Guthrie, Penumbra Theatre, Mixed Blood, Northrop Auditorium, and Cowles Center. This course is typically reserved for incoming first-years and not open to returning students.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA
U.S. Identities and Differences

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

In this course, first-year students critically attend live dance and theater performances in the exciting arts scene of the Twin Cities, and articulate their individual reactions by writing reviews, responses, and essays. In this process of studied spectatorship, students acquire the vocabularies of the field. Readings include seminal texts in dance and theatre criticism, as well as manifestos and scholarly articles. We will attend dance and theater performances at professional venues such as the Walker Arts Center, the Guthrie, Penumbra Theatre, Mixed Blood, Northrop Auditorium, and Cowles Center. This course is typically reserved for incoming first-years and not open to returning students.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA
U.S. Identities and Differences

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course focuses on key 20th century contemporary choreographers across four continents, including LIN Hwai-min, Pina Bausch, Akram Khan, and Ohad Naharin, among others. We examine the international impact of their work as well the cultural contexts in which they thrived, or are thriving, as artists. We compare their creative processes, aesthetics and philosophies. We examine the political, social, and spiritual power of their artistic lives and bodies of work, with special attention to issues of race and gender.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course introduces students to the art of acting. They will acquire fundamental acting skills and engage in  artistic experimentation. Students will learn how to create a repeatable score of psychophysical actions, script analysis, use the body/voice as the actor's performing instrument; explore internal (memory, impulses, and so forth) and external (the other actors, the environment, objects, and so forth) stimuli as creative sources; rediscover of play and imagination; and develop work ethics and discipline. Students in this course will engage in physical activity and be required to spend 3-5 hours in rehearsals outside of scheduled class time.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course grounds students in the technical and construction practices of performance-making: materials and their sources and histories; conventional and contemporary technologies and techniques; quantitative methods for calculating and assessing drawings for execution. A balance of lecture and hands-on studio time allow students to learn and apply knowledge through working with materials. Students in this course also may provide support to mainstage performance projects, further extending their learning in the course. Department provides course materials.

General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q1

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course grounds students in the technical and construction practices of performance-making: materials and their sources and histories; conventional and contemporary technologies and techniques; quantitative methods for calculating and assessing drawings for execution. A balance of lecture and hands-on studio time allow students to learn and apply knowledge through working with materials. Students in this course also may provide support to mainstage performance projects, further extending their learning in the course. Department provides course materials.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

In this co-taught, interdisciplinary First Year Course, students will learn about the revolutionary potential of design and how it can transform their lives and their communities. Participants will discover the design field’s history and theoretical underpinnings as well as how to make socially-meaningful designs through hands-on projects. Throughout the course, we will investigate the processes and practices of design as well as the effects that design has on society, culture, and the environment. Some of our key topics will include issues of gender and race; consumption, social responsibility, and globalization; and politics and activism. The course will take advantage of campus resources including the new Studio Art and Theater facilities, the Idea Lab, the Digital Resource Center, and the Entrepreneurship Office. We will also connect with local designers who will open their studios to us and join us in creative discussions. This course will be co-taught by faculty from three different departments: Julia Chadaga (Russian Studies), Joanna Inglot (Art and Art History), and Mina Kinukawa (Theater and Dance). Each section will cover the same material and meet at the same time. Students will have opportunities to work with all three professors, occasionally meet up with students in the other sections, and take local field trips together if health and safety conditions allow. All of the participating departments will allow the course to count for a major or minor. No previous experience with design is required, and all are welcome.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

Scenography is the creation of imagined spaces for performance. In this course we will study the fundamentals of scenography holistically, including scenic, lighting, costume, sound, and projection design. Students will develop the ability to analyze and critique elements of performance design, articulate design ideas through written and verbal means, and complete a design project from textual analysis to tangible objects. This course is a prerequisite for intermediate and advanced design courses in Theater and Dance. Department provides course materials.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course is designed to explore the art and craft of dramatic writing. Students will complete weekly reading assignments and exercises that will culminate in the writing of a one-act play. Students will engage in a rigorous development process which will include in-class feedback sessions and script revision. The ultimate goal over the course semester is for each student to develop a consistent, challenging and rewarding individual creative writing practice.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WC

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course is designed to explore the art and craft of dramatic writing. Students will complete weekly reading assignments and exercises that will culminate in the writing of a one-act play. Students will engage in a rigorous development process which will include in-class feedback sessions and script revision. The ultimate goal over the course semester is for each student to develop a consistent, challenging and rewarding individual creative writing practice.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WC

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

Students in this class will engage with costume design as both generative and collaborative artists. They will learn to conceptualize costumes for theater and dance productions drawing from a multitude of inspirations including the fine arts, costume/fashion history, music, literature, film, opera, and textiles. Class meetings will include discussions about readings and visual literacy, as well as conversations with guest speakers. The course lab will be dedicated to sketching or field trips to museums. Students will engage with both traditional and devised methods of developing characters and silhouettes to develop their unique vision for theatrical and dance productions. Registration for corresponding lab required. THDA235, Fundamentals of Scenography or a course in Studio Art recommended.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

Students in this class will engage with costume design as both generative and collaborative artists. They will learn to conceptualize costumes for theater and dance productions drawing from a multitude of inspirations including the fine arts, costume/fashion history, music, literature, film, opera, and textiles. Class meetings will include discussions about readings and visual literacy, as well as conversations with guest speakers. The course lab will be dedicated to sketching or field trips to museums. Students will engage with both traditional and devised methods of developing characters and silhouettes to develop their unique vision for theatrical and dance productions.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course teaches the concepts and practical application of digital media in contemporary performance. Students will gain fluency performing with digital arts and creating multimedia designs through a combination of classroom instruction and weekly Performance Labs. Class sessions include lectures, discussions, tutorials, and hands-on performing with video cameras, projectors, and audio-video software. In Performance Labs and term projects students will create and perform original short pieces that stage their digital designs.Topics include: Intersection of Dramaturgy and Technology in Digital Design; Experimental and Multimedia Performance Techniques; Cueing Video and Sound for Contemporary Performance/Theatre/Dance; Projection Mapping; Live Video Feeds. Prerequisite(s): THDA 235 and one of the following: THDA 125; THDA 145; THDA 232; THDA 255; THDA 285; or THDA 375. Students who have completed production courses in art/technology/performance such as MSCT323, Fundamentals of Video Production or ART233, Photography 1 are welcome to contact the Professor directly for permission to enroll.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

Varies by semester. Consult the department or class schedule for current listing.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course prepares advanced theater students to direct public performances, and thus focuses on the acquisition of skills such as text analysis, dynamic storytelling, stage composition, and communication (with designers, actors, stage managers, and production team). Students will choose a scene from a play proposed by the instructor, research style and aesthetic, run auditions, cast the scene, facilitate a rehearsal process, and stage a live performance. They will also learn best collaborative practices, since the class unfolds in conversation with the Acting Approaches course (THDA360) and culminates in public performances at the Huber-Seikaly Theater. Prerequisite(s): THDA 120 and THDA 235, or permission of the instructor.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

In the different editions of this course, students have an opportunity to approach the acting method of masters such as Stanislavsky, Bertolt Brecht, Jacques Lecoq, Grotowski, and so forth. The course includes consideration of style and genre. The course also focuses on the development of collaborative skills: students will partner with those in THDA 350, Directing for the Stage to create public performances in the Huber-Seikaly Theater. May be repeated for credit. THDA120, Acting recommended.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This is a reading and writing intensive course that engages theories from the fields of aesthetics and cultural studies to support each student's in-depth research into a topic of their choice. Discussions examine how particular uses of the body, space, and narrative intersect to inform our experience of "performance," broadly defined, and engage the interplay between real and fictional in both artistic productions and performative social contexts. Students may pursue archival and library research, analysis of live performance, and analysis of documents of various kinds, including visual materials. Required for Theater and Dance majors, open to Dance, Theater, and Performance Design and Technologies minors.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

Dances of the African Diaspora I introduces students to selected dance forms from the African diaspora, especially those coming from West Africa and that emerged in the Caribbean and the Americas. The course is physically rigorous and emphasizes community building. A drummer accompanies the class, so students experience the fundamental connection between drums and dance as they learn the histories, techniques, and characteristics of Diasporic movement forms. Assignments include movement projects developed in class and presentations. All are welcome. May be repeated for credit. S/N grading only.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This introductory level course explores the theory, technique, and terminology of modern dance as a performing art. Students engage fully with their bodies and minds as they deepen their strength, sense of rhythm, flexibility, and coordination. The course develops skills in inversions, floorwork, and balance based in a deepening awareness of alignment. May be repeated for credit. S/N grading only.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This intermediate to advanced level technique course values expression, precision, and stamina. Students develop an understanding of how to use tiny muscles hidden within large muscles as they practice complex movement phrases on the ground, in the center, and across the floor. They learn a range of turns, jumps and movement sequences that build strength and agility. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite(s): THDA41 or THDA42 or permission of instructor

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This is a beginning ballet class designed for students who have never had ballet before. The goal is to demonstrate fundamental understanding and execution of basic ballet technique and to develop a foundation in movement that will carry over and support any other style of dance or physical practice. It will include barre and center work, across-the-floor combinations, and stretching and strengthening practices. Correct alignment, coordination, and body mechanics will be emphasized. May be repeated for credit. S/N grading only.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This ballet class is for students with some experience in ballet. This class will continue to build on ballet barre and center work and increase skill and vocabulary. Flexibility, strength, placement, alignment, fluidity and connection of movement will be emphasized. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite(s): THDA 51 or permission of instructor

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

Macalester's Brown Spirits Dance Ensemble engages the techniques and histories of selected dance forms from the African diaspora, especially those coming from West Africa and that emerged in the Caribbean and the Americas. Brown Spirits Dance Ensemble performs in Theater and Dance Department concerts, as well as Macalester events such as Africa Week, Black History Month, and Family Fest. Completion of African-based Movement I and/or II is recommended. Two credits awarded at the end of the semester. Four credits of fine arts general distribution may be earned after two consecutive semesters of this ensemble. Prerequisite(s): Admission to the Ensemble is by audition/permission of instructor only.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

Students are involved in Theater and Dance Department productions as actors or dancers in student-led pieces. Performance Practice in Student Projects is the appropriate course when students will not work under direct supervision of a faculty member, but are part of a student director's or student choreographer's work in an Honors production or Dance Concert. Two credits awarded at the end of the semester. May be repeated for credit.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

Students are involved in production as actors or dancers, assistant choreographers or choreographers, assistant directors or directors, assistant designers or designers, dramaturgs and playwrights. Two credits awarded at the end of the semester. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor required; please contact the Theater and Dance Department directly for audition and registration information

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

Students are involved in set, costume, lighting and sound engineering and construction, and running crew. Two credits awarded at the end of the semester. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor required; please see instructor to be added to registration roster

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

Reading Plays guides students in close readings of dramatic literature, in particular of plays that are typically left out of the traditional theatrical canon. Students will learn about the socio-historical context of each play, and in-class exercises will introduce them to the foundation of script analysis: they will examine the play's given circumstances, dialogue, dramatic action, characters, and style. Students will read a new play every week; assignments include weekly in-class writing exercises and short critical papers.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course introduces students to the art of acting. They will acquire fundamental acting skills and engage in  artistic experimentation. Students will learn how to create a repeatable score of psychophysical actions, script analysis, use the body/voice as the actor's performing instrument; explore internal (memory, impulses, and so forth) and external (the other actors, the environment, objects, and so forth) stimuli as creative sources; rediscover of play and imagination; and develop work ethics and discipline. Students in this course will engage in physical activity and be required to spend 3-5 hours in rehearsals outside of scheduled class time.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

Using techniques of Linklater, students learn elements of breath support, healthy voice production, projection, posture, speech articulation, Standard American English pronunciation, and stage presence. The class will draw on monologues and text that speak to each student's unique voice and life experiences. The semester culminates with a class performance (scenes, monologues, poetry, and/or original student writing). Prerequisite(s): No previous acting experience required, however THDA 120 is recommended.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

Making theatre is a messy business; in this studio course, we will explore physical comedy, the haphazard world of the clown, masks, improvisation, games, and object manipulation. The goal of the course is to encourage curiosity, and to engage the student as creator, designer, and performer-we will invent everything ourselves by learning how to play with skill. In short: there are no scripts, no lines and no stage directions. Our training will include basic acrobatics, balancing, and juggling. The instructor draws inspiration from the work of French stage actor and movement coach Jacques Lecoq. Prerequisite(s): Performance training in dance or theater is strongly encouraged. Openness to experimentation and play a must.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WP

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

Scenography is the creation of imagined spaces for performance. In this course we will study the fundamentals of scenography holistically, including scenic, lighting, costume, sound, and projection design. Students will develop the ability to analyze and critique elements of performance design, articulate design ideas through written and verbal means, and complete a design project from textual analysis to tangible objects. This course is a prerequisite for intermediate and advanced design courses in Theater and Dance. Department provides course materials.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course is designed to explore the art and craft of dramatic writing. Students will complete weekly reading assignments and exercises that will culminate in the writing of a one-act play. Students will engage in a rigorous development process which will include in-class feedback sessions and script revision. The ultimate goal over the course semester is for each student to develop a consistent, challenging and rewarding individual creative writing practice.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course is an experiential survey of influential performance histories, practitioners and methods, 1600-present. Through readings in performance history and theory, students will investigate the social forces and performance lineages that have shaped contemporary embodied performance on the spectrum from acting to dancing.  Material covered may include: Shakespeare in performance; commedia dell'arte's contemporary clown forms;  court dance; classical Indian dance forms; Stanislavski's "magic if,"  contemporary Japanese butoh. In a weekly intensive lab component, students will learn the specific techniques developed by these practitioners and genres, taught by guest specialists in rotation with the course professor. How these forms get passed on, through embodied transmission, documentation and pedagogies will be a focus of the course.  Final projects will culminate in an open community workshop of exercises and techniques, taught by the students in the course. Required for Theater and Dance majors. Prerequisite(s): Preference given to Theater and Dance major and/or minors.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course is an introduction to performance lighting design. While emphasis is on performance, the principles can be applied to film, television, and environmental settings. The course focus will be on the design process, but there will be some attention to lighting hardware and technologies as well. A primary goal of the course is to make the student more aware of color and light around them every day. Department provides course materials. Prerequisite(s): THDA 232 or THDA 235 recommended, but not required. Students with a background in studio art or design are welcome to enroll.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

Varies by semester. Consult the department or class schedule for current listing.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

Varies by semester. Consult the department or class schedule for current listing.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course is the study and discipline of dance-making. Students in this class will work with those in THDA 255, Lighting Design, and THDA 80, Performance Practice in a collaborative dance project that will culminate in public dance performances in the Theater and Dance Department Huber-Seikaly Theater. Students learn the tools of the choreographer - time, space, energy - and how they can be shaped to give the body expressive power. The course focuses on the relationships between form, content, and technique. Students choreograph short studies, improvise, discuss, and view dance on film and in live performance. The course values risk-taking and collaboration in a supportive, shared space. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite(s): THDA 31 or coursework in a dance technique; or permission of instructor. Students with dance experience prior to Macalester are encouraged to contact the instructor for permission to enroll.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course—a mixture of lecture, discussion, study of dramatic texts, writing exercises and in-class analysis of student writing—is intended to reinforce and build upon the skills developed in Playwriting. Topics will include dramatic structure, conflict, characterization, language/dialogue, as well as how to analyze your own work, give and receive feedback and techniques for rewriting. Students will engage in a rigorous development process which will culminate in the writing of a one act play. Prerequisite: THDA242/ENGL285, Playwriting.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

Dances of the African Diaspora II deepens student engagement with selected dance forms from the African diaspora, especially those coming from West Africa and that emerged in the Caribbean and the Americas. The course is physically rigorous and emphasizes community building. A drummer accompanies the class, so students experience the fundamental connection between drums and dance as they learn the histories, techniques, and characteristics of Diasporic movement forms. Assignments include movement projects developed in class and presentations. May be repeated for credit. S/N grading only. Prerequisite(s): THDA 21 or permission of instructor.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

Find expression and embodiment through the practice of movement improvisation. This course is open to students at all levels of ability who have a desire to move and a willingness to explore in a non-competitive environment. Students learn to fall, roll and work with gravity in relation to themselves and others. The class includes an introduction to contact improvisation, the "art-sport" developed by Steve Paxton in 1972. This course brings balance to mind and body through physical awareness. May be repeated for credit. S/N grading only.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This course builds on skills introduced in Modern Dance I. Students engage fully with their bodies and minds as they deepen their strength, flexibility, and felt sense of alignment and flow. Emphasis is placed on deepening precision, sense of rhythm, and anatomical awareness of the body in motion. Class consists of in-place warm-ups, traveling across the floor, and final combinations. May be repeated for credit. S/N grading only. Prerequisite(s): THDA41 or permission of instructor

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

The purpose of this technique class is to allow the intermediate to advanced modern dance student to explore and discover themselves as an articulate and expressive mover. Classwork places specific emphasis on alignment, power, momentum, articulation, clarity of intent, musicality and stamina. Class consists of in-place warm-ups, center exercises and a range of dance phrases. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite(s): THDA 42 or THDA 43 or permission of instructor.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This is a beginning ballet class designed for students who have never had ballet before. The goal is to demonstrate fundamental understanding and execution of basic ballet technique and to develop a foundation in movement that will carry over and support any other style of dance or physical practice. It will include barre and center work, across-the-floor combinations, and stretching and strengthening practices. Correct alignment, coordination, and body mechanics will be emphasized. May be repeated for credit. S/N grading only.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This ballet class is for students with some experience in ballet. This class will continue to build on ballet barre and center work and increase skill and vocabulary. Flexibility, strength, placement, alignment, fluidity and connection of movement will be emphasized. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite(s): THDA 51 or permission of instructor

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

Macalester's Brown Spirits Dance Ensemble engages the techniques and histories of selected dance forms from the African diaspora, especially those coming from West Africa and that emerged in the Caribbean and the Americas. Brown Spirits Dance Ensemble performs in Theater and Dance Department concerts, as well as Macalester events such as Africa Week, Black History Month, and Family Fest. Completion of African-based Movement I and/or II is recommended. Two credits awarded at the end of the semester. Four credits of fine arts general distribution may be earned after two consecutive semesters of this ensemble. Prerequisite(s): Admission to the Ensemble is by audition/permission of instructor only.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

Students are involved in Theater and Dance Department productions as actors or dancers in student-led pieces. Performance Practice in Student Projects is the appropriate course when students will not work under direct supervision of a faculty member, but are part of a student director's or student choreographer's work in an Honors production or Dance Concert. Two credits awarded at the end of the semester. May be repeated for credit.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

Students are involved in production as actors or dancers, assistant choreographers or choreographers, assistant directors or directors, assistant designers or designers, dramaturgs and playwrights. Two credits awarded at the end of the semester. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor required; please contact the Theater and Dance Department directly for audition and registration information

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

Students are involved in set, costume, lighting and sound engineering and construction, and running crew. Two credits awarded at the end of the semester. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor required; please see instructor to be added to registration roster

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials