2013-2014 University Catalog 
  
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2013-2014 University Catalog

Theater, BA

Banner Code: AR-BA-THR

Performing Arts Building, Room A407
Phone: 703-993-1120
Web: theater.gmu.edu

Faculty

Ken Elston, Director

Professors: D’Andrea (Robinson Professor), Davis, McDonald

Heritage Professor: Keach

Associate Professors: Austin, Elston (director), Gero, Johnsen-Neshati, Kurtz

Term Associate Professor: Chew

Administrative Faculty (Instructional): Lechter, Murray

Adjunct Faculty: Cadby, Dunayer, Gaines, Gardner, Hurt, Lee, Maier, Nanni-Messegee, Wallace,Wilson


Program

The BA degree stresses the breadth of a liberal arts education in the belief that such study, combined with serious practical training and experience, offers the best preparation for a life in theater and screen.  Entrance into the program is by interview and audition or portfolio review.  Information about the audition, portfolio review and interview process, including dates, can be found on the School of Theater web page, theater.gmu.edu/admissions or by calling the School of Theater office at 703-993-1120.  Admission to the University is determined by the Admissions Office.

Students electing to major in theater complete the theater core, which is a group of courses providing a broad introduction to the various theater arts and striving to create a shared body of knowledge within the department’s student population.

To organize their advanced work within the major, students select 24 credits of 300-400-level courses, chosen from any area of emphasis in Theater or students elect a course of study from four concentrations: Performance (Acting and Directing), Design and Technical Theater, Playwriting and Dramaturgy, or Theater Education for Theater Arts PK-12.  The department aims to prepare students for graduate study or entry into the profession through rigorous, concentrated, and individualized training; however, students are encouraged to maintain wide-ranging interests within the department and throughout the university’s extensive offerings.

Students seeking to earn a BA as a second bachelor’s degree, either concurrently or sequentially, must complete all theater degree requirements. Students must earn a minimum 2.00 cumulative GPA in their major.

This undergraduate program offers students the option of applying to the accelerated master’s program in arts management.  See Theater, BA/Arts Management, Accelerated MA  for specific requirements.

Theater BA Concentrations

Theater majors may choose to complete their degree with 12 directed credits as a concentration in one or more of the following areas: Design and Technical Theater, Performance (Acting and Directing), Playwriting and Dramaturgy, or Theater Education for Theater Arts PK-12. Students must earn a minimum 2.5 cumulative GPA to complete a BA with a concentration.

Certification for Theater Education for Theater Theatre Arts PK-12

The Theater Education for Theater Arts PK-12 concentration is approved by the Virginia State Department of Education and administered through the College of Education and Human Development, which is accredited by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).  Upon successful completion of all concentration requirements, degree conferral, achieving the minimum scores on the Praxis I and VCLA tests students may be eligible to apply for Virginia State Licensure.

Students must be formally accepted into the Teaching Theatre Arts PK-12 concentration.  See Teaching Theatre Arts PK-12 concentration for a complete list of requirements.

Writing-Intensive Requirement

The university requires all students to complete at least one designated writing-intensive course in their major at the 300 level or above. Students seeking a BA in theater fulfill this requirement by successfully completing THR 350 or THR 482.

Course Work

The School of Theater offers all course work designated THR in the Courses  section of this catalog.

Production Opportunities

Participation in Theater at Mason productions is expected of all declared majors.

All Theater majors must enroll in THR 191 four times during their course of study.  It is a zero (0) credit class, graded S/NC, that is successfully completed by attending productions, guest lectures, workshops; participation in production load-in; and participation in production strike.  Course is repeatable up two times in one semester.

Students must also earn four (4) practicum credits, one (1) credit for satisfactory completion (a minimum of 30 hours) of each of four (4) performance and production assignments in the major, including faculty or guest-directed Mason Players Mainstage and student-directed Studio productions.

All freshmen, first year transfer, and all new Theater majors will be assigned one (1) THR 198 credit and one (1) THR 199 credit during their first academic year.

Assignments for THR 196 and THR 197 will include a presentation of portfolio documents demonstrating a practical analysis of the role, design, or support position to subject area mentors.

  • THR 196 assignments including actor, designer, assistant designer, stage manager, and assistant stage manager.
  • THR 197 assignments include director, assistant director, dramaturg, master electrician, technical director, playwright, house management, and publicity.
  • THR 198 assignments include scenery construction and painting, costume construction, electrician, and props.
  • THR 199 assignments include stage crew, light board operator, sound board operator, wardrobe, and fly crew.

Unless registered for a Theater course approved as directly connected to production (i.e. THR 196-199, 492 or 495) all students (including non-Theater majors) electing to participate in a Theater at Mason production must register for THR 200 concurrent with participation.

Theater Honors Program

Highly qualified students who have completed 75 credits may pursue advanced work leading to graduation with honors in the major.  Students apply for Honors in Theater by submitting to the Director (by November 15 or April 15) a two-page written statement outlining their reasons for pursuing advanced coursework and specific professional goals, along with the names of two Mason theater faculty members who have agreed to serve as references.

Students satisfy the honors course sequence by taking three Honors specific courses from their chosen concentration.  They must also maintain an overall GPA of 3.5 and a GPA of 3.75 within the major.

Academic Policies

Please see College of Visual and Performing Arts  academic policies. 

Degree Requirements

General Education (40 credits)

Foundation Requirements

  • Oral communication Credits: 3
  • Information technology Credits: 3
  • Quantitative reasoning Credits: 3
  • ENGH 101 - Composition Credits: 3
  • ENGH 302 - Advanced Composition Credits: 3

  • Nonnative speakers of English with limited proficiency in the language may substitute ENGH 100 for ENGH 101.  Students must attain a minimum grade of C in ENGH 100 or 101, as well as in 302, to fulfill degree requirements.

Core Requirements

  • Literature Credits: 3
  • Arts (outside the major) (students earning a concentration in Design and Technical Theater must take ARTH 101, 102, 200 or 201) Credits: 3
  • Natural science (including one laboratory science) Credits: 7
  • Western civilization Credits: 3
  • Global understanding Credits: 3
  • Social and behavioral sciences Credits: 3
  • Synthesis requirement (see concentration for specific requirement) Credits: 3

Major (64-80 credits)

Foreign Language, Minor, Double Major or Double Degree (0–16 credits)

See beginning of CVPA section for foreign language requirement.

Students may complete an academic minor, double major or double degree in lieu of the foreign language requirement.

Theater Core Requirements (43 credits)

One upper-level dramatic literature course (3 credits)

Upper-Level Electives (21-24 credits)

  • 21-24 credits chosen from THR 300-499

Students electing to complete a concentration will fulfill part of this requirement with concentration-specific courses.

Theater Education for Theater Arts PK-12 concentration students must take the following to fulfill part of this requirement:

Theater Concentrations (12-16 credits)

Theater majors may apply to complete their degree with a concentration in one of the following: 

Note that theater majors are not required to complete a concentration to graduate with a Theater BA.

▲ Concentration in Design and Technical Theater (DTT)

Provides a foundation of knowledge, technique, and experience in one or more areas of theater design and technology in preparation for advanced study and professional work in the field.

Synthesis fulfilled by THR 440 - Advanced Studies in Directing/Dramaturgy Credits: 3  or THR 496 - Text in Production Credits: 3 .

Required Core Course:

Two courses from:
One course from:
▲ Concentration in Performance (PFM)

Designed for the serious student of acting and directing with professional aspirations.  Solid grounding in the fundamentals of performance analysis and basic training of the actor’s instrument are complemented by a rigorous, sequential instruction in the various facets of the actor’s craft.

At its core, the Performance Concentration is a blend of Modern and Classical actor training using a Stanislavski-grounded approach balanced with techniques for understanding texts written two hundred years before “motivation” and “characterization” entered the critical vocabulary.  Rounding out the curriculum is specialized study in vocal production and movement technique.  Matriculation in this program expresses a profound commitment to a rigorous intellectual, physical and emotional investigation of the discipline of performance over a two-year period.  Professional development is enhanced with ongoing student progress reviews, support and advising from Performance Concentration faculty.

Synthesis fulfilled by THR 440 - Advanced Studies in Directing/Dramaturgy Credits: 3  or THR 496 - Text in Production Credits: 3 .

Required Core Courses:

One course from:
One course from:
▲ Concentration in Playwriting and Dramaturgy (PWD)

Acknowledges a creative and practical connection between the work of the playwright and dramaturg.  Students choosing this area of specialization will focus on the literary aspects of theater, such as playwriting, dramaturgy, screenwriting, translation, adaptation, season planning, and theater criticism.  Students seeking specialized experience as a playwright or dramaturg will choose from a selection of required and recommended courses designed to expose students to a broad range of contemporary and classical texts, deepen their understanding of dramatic structure, encourage collaboration, and foster opportunities for new play development.  Students are encouraged to consult their advisors on complementary courses of interest outside the major, such as in the visual and performing arts, Film and Video Studies, English and Foreign Language.  This concentration gives students access to a variety of hands-on opportunities within the School of Theater and the professional world.

Synthesis fulfilled by THR 440 - Advanced Studies in Directing/Dramaturgy Credits: 3 

Required Core Course:

One course from:
One course from:
One course from:
▲ Concentration in Theater Education for Theater Arts PK-12 (THRA)

Designed for students interested in pursuing theater education.  In addition to transcript review and the submission of an essay detailing goals for the concentration, students must:

  • Have earned 45 to 60 credits.
  • Submit scores for the Praxis I (Reading, Writing, and Mathematics) tests to the committee.  (It is strongly recommended that students take the Praxis I tests as soon as ENGH 302, a course in literature, and a course in mathematics have been completed.)
  • Maintain an overall GPA of 2.80 in all course work completed at Mason and in course work at all institutions of higher learning combined.
  • Earn no grade lower than a C in theater and professional education courses needed for graduation.

Upon fulfilling THR 448, 449, 450, 451, EDRD 300, EDUC 301, and EDUC 302 students must complete 15 weeks of a full-time student teaching internship (THR 455).  Applications for placement, subject to approval of the unit, are submitted to the Field Placement Specialist in the College of Education and Human Development at the beginning of the previous semester.  In addition, students must pass the VCLA before student teaching.

Synthesis is fulfilled by THR 440 - Advanced Studies in Directing/Dramaturgy Credits: 3  or THR 496 - Text in Production Credits: 3 .

Required Core Courses:

Electives (0-16 credits)

Total: 120 credits