Arts & Sciences
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Communication Arts & Sciences |
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Programs: Theatre | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Introduction Like religion, theatre addresses the profound questions of life: Who am I? Why am I here? What is my relationship to others? What is my relationship to God? Unlike religion, however, theatre does not claim to give the answers. Instead it is an art form that explores the heights and depths of the human experience through laughter and song, anguish and fear. Theatre contributes to society by allowing both performers and audiences to experience more fully what it means to be human. In CAS you will learn to understand theatre and its relationship to the
cultures that have produced it. Interim trips to study theatre in New
York and London allow you to view and discuss some of the best theatre
in the world. Our program also provides you a wide range of opportunities
to create theatre. The skills you develop can be further honed through our internship program. Students have recently interned at the Sante Fe Opera, the Kennedy Center, and at Steppenwolf Theatre Company. Ultimately the knowledge and skills you acquire can be used in a wide range of professions including theatre, mass media, education, ministry, politics, social services, and business. Theatre courses at Calvin examine the history, theory and practice of drama. They will challenge what you know about the human condition, and provide the insight necessary to act in, direct, design, promote, and write theatrical pieces. Besides courses in theatre, departmental faculty advise each student to enroll in courses in oral interpretation, oral communication and rhetoric, art history, philosophy, and English. The emphasis in theatre requires students to take at least ten courses in the CAS Department. These include three courses in the CAS core, one course in oral interpretation, and seven additional theatre courses. THEATRE CURRICULUM 140 Communication and Culture (3). This course examines the ways in which communication is used to create, maintain, and change culture. Students have the opportunity to apply a basic understanding of the concepts of communication and culture to a range of contemporary social issues, cultural texts, and communication practices. Emphasis is given to rhetorical and discussion methods to help students learn about analyzing and constructing oral and written arguments and to work cooperatively doing a research project for class presentation. 203 Introduction to Performance Studies (3). An introduction to performance as a means of analyzing, appreciating, and celebrating literature. By providing training in the principles and techniques of performing literature before an audience, this course expands students’ understanding of the relationships between text and performance, literature and human action, and written and oral forms of discourse. Genres of literature examined include poetry, prose, and oral history. This course is designed for students considering careers in theatre, rhetoric, radio, television, or education. 217 Principles of Theatre (3). This course studies the
theatre through analysis of its artistic principles, genres, and forms.
This foundational course concentrates on script analysis, major classical
and modern theory, and critical methodology. 220 Calvin Theatre Company (1). Membership in the class is limited and is determined annually by audition/interview. The members will be given training in the various practical aspects of the production of drama. Students may participate more than one year, but not more than six semester hours may be applied to the minimum requirements for graduation, and no more than three to the major. Prerequisite: A GPA of 2.0 or higher. 238 Theory and Communication (3). An examination of the significance and role of theory in understanding the nature of human communication. The course focuses on the fundamental elements of communication processes, 248 Writing for the Media (3). An introduction to the content, styles, and formats of media scripts. The course emphasizes the differences in media writing compared with more familiar forms of writing, the role of the script as text in producing media programs, the styles of writing used (journalistic, 316 Principles of Directing (4). An introduction to the theory of directing. Through readings, play attendance, discussions, and exercises, the students will develop a basic understanding of the directing process and an appreciation for the art of directing. This course is for students interested in theatre-related professions as well as for students wishing to deepen their understanding of theatre and dramatic structure. Prerequisites: CAS 217 and 218, or permission of the instructor. 319 Topics in Advanced Production Design (3).
An advanced study of the principles of production design for the theatre, television and film. This rotating topics course (scenic design/art direction, lighting design, and costume design) builds on concepts from CAS 219. Includes lectures, workshops, discussions, demonstrations, play reading and design projects, with special attention to the visual communication of design ideas in the form of written concept descriptions, drawing, rendering, painting, drafting and modeling. The course may be repeated for credit for each of the three topics. Prerequisite: CAS 219, or permission of the instructor. 323 Scene Studies for Actors and Directors (3). An advanced study of the principles of acting and directing for the theatre and television. Through lectures, demonstrations, readings, rehearsals, and exercises, students 327 Rhetorical Criticism (3). Students learn to critically evaluate a wide range of communication, such as public address, drama, film, television, and news. Students will read articles of communication texts analyzed by the articles. Through their analysis, students gain a better understanding of how communication texts can be effective, what their possible meanings 383 Film Theory and Aesthetics (3). An advanced study in film form and its implications, including narrative structure, editing and sound, acting, cinematography, production design, and their influence on viewers. The course also examines basic theoretical issues such as the relationships between film and reality, the nature of film as an art, adaptation, identification, and elicitation of emotional response. Prerequisites: CAS 284 and course work in the applied knowledge category, or permission of instructor. Not offered 2005-2006. CAS 395 Special Topics in Communication (3) See the Calvin College Catalog for a listing of all courses. Theatre Minor curriculum. Titles for Some Recent CAS Interim Courses A Christian Perspective on Theatre
at Calvin College To respect Creation is to show love for its Creator. How do you respect creation? You give it room to be itself. You let it unfold before your watchful eye. You search it and know it with the preoccupation of a lover. Then you tell the truth about the actual state of creation, including not only its bird songs, but also its terrible carnivorousness; including not only the way purple and coral impatiens thicken into great mounds of color at this time of year, but also the way lions in Kenya beard themselves with the blood of fawns. You tell the truth even when you have to tell it about ushuman creatures who look so much like God, and act so little like God, and have fallen so far from God. To hear in the world both the song and the groaning of all creation, to prize what is lovely and to suffer over what is corrupt, to ponder these things and to struggle to understand themthese are ways of loving God with all our minds. Becoming a real student of God and of creationbecoming alert, respectful, and honest in your studiesis an act of flagrant intellectual obedience because it is an act of flagrant intellectual love. We believe that Plantinga has skillfully placed before us an educational mandate. Rather than shirk our responsibility and hide the unpleasant consequences of sin from our students or ourselves, we need to be aware of all aspects of creation, mark it, study it, and reflect on it in order to be obedient to God's calling. In the CAS Department, we believe that the ability to perform is a gift from God to us, and that theatre is an institution in which the artistic gifts of performance, design, dance and movement come to full expression. Theatrical subject matter is humanity; tangled human relationships born, displayed, and dissected on the stage. It is one of the most potent and powerful art forms that God created. Theatre can enable practitioners and audiences to experience the glory of the creation, the preciousness of His gift of life, and the ravages of living in a world dominated by sin. In scripture, we see that God told the truth through incarnation, storytelling and parable, through theatrical miracles and great occasions. In the Old Testament, God got the attention of his prophets and people through burning bushes, pillars of fire, whales, and dreams. In a public display, dramatically and decisively, God revealed his great displeasure with Korah and 250 of his followers by consuming them in a great fire. Joshua, in a ragtag public parade, circled the walls of Jericho and fishes, the raising of Lazarus, making the lame walk, to edify, to instruct, to warn, to love, to promise hope in things eternal. Jesus assessed human need and addressed it vividly and theatrically. Jesus revealed God and his ways through created story in front of audiences, gathering people together to listen, to participate and to understand. These people witnessed Jesus' power and might through the staging of events: the pageantry of the Jesus arriving in Jerusalem riding on a donkey and ceremony of the Last Supper. These Biblical elements are also present in the theatre. As human creators in the theatre, as Christians, we are called to reflect God's truth by enacting human events and narratives on the stage. These gifts involve the capacity of having empathy for one's fellows on this earth, to understand human behavior and motivation, to communicate ideas and characters with passion and honesty, to be able to move an audience, among many other aspects. God has gifted many Calvin students theatrically, and does so for a reason. Theatrical gifts are not mere "extracurricular" gifts. These gifts are to be celebrated, nurtured, developed and refined for the good of the kingdom. This may mean that our students pursue professional careers in theatre or use their dramatic gifts in their churches, local schools, and future workplaces. Whatever God's plan for their lives, our students should recognize and develop their talents, even in the face of contemporary notions of impracticality. To develop these gifts in our students, we must help them to master the skills and techniques that will augment their native gifts. Nicholas Wolterstorff says in Art in Action, "The Artist [student] is placed on the stage of existence by God, there to do his or her work of making and selecting so as to bring forth something of benefit and delight to other human beings, something in acknowledgment of God." Wolterstorff says the artist [teacher] must know how one may master the elements of any artistic work. First, one has to recognize the gift. Then, the artist has to master the elements and tools of the trade, promoting excellent implementation. Wolterstorff calls craftsmanship "a combination of knowledge, skill, and respect." Like Neal Plantinga, Wolterstorff calls on artists to respect their God-given talent and to respect the material of their craft. An artist has to know the limitations of her artistic media, whether it is the human voice or body, or clay, wood or paint. Moreover, we believe that the artist has to respect the gift-grantor and honor the Creator in both the process and product of the artwork. Wolterstorff's notion of a work of art as a "dialogue between the artist and the material" is one of the key stones in the theatre curriculum at Calvin College. In theatre, the task of the artist is to maintain a responsible dialogue with the audience. The responsibility from play to play may be to educate, to challenge, to admonish, to entertain and even to grieve with others. The task of the artist is to speak to the breadth of the human condition, not merely to a narrow part of it. This ability to dialogue also depends on the artist's sensitivity to the audience. Before one can redeem something, one must know it, name it, and understand it. If theatre is about human relationships, we should seek to know what is true about being human in a fallen world. Nigel Forde suggests that the truth is sometimes difficult for Christians to accept, especially when it is enacted on stage: [T]he reason that the most trenchant, memorable, and truthful statements about ourselves and the universe come from outside the Christian church is that Christians are all too easily shocked by reality; they want the truth to be completely beautiful. Whereas the real truth about truth in a fallen world is that it is likely to be both beautiful and horrible, both pure and filthy. Too often, especially in theatrical circles, practitioners confuse sermonizing with the art form. Some Christians would argue that the art form of theatre is a mere tool for evangelism. Theatre can be a very powerful means of persuasion, but that is not the extent of its potential power as an artistic medium. In some Christian theatre companies, they sacrifice standards of excellence in both the creative process and the final product to dogma. The result is little more than a poorly dramatized sermon. It often debases the art form by offering inferior performance standards and degrades the message by reducing it to simplistic platitudes. Unfortunately, these earnest attempts to influence and inspire rarely succeed in persuading others or transforming the world. They preach to the converted and often reveal to those outside the faith that Christians are simpleminded and naive. These well-meaning folks fall into the trap that Nigel Forde speaks about in his book Theatrecraft: "What a shameful thing it would be for the greatest philosophy in the world always to produce art more closely related to the television commercial than to the works of Shakespeare." Real theatre is about the truth of broken and redeemed human relationships. It is not theology, although it deals with the theological. It shows. It represents the world. In Telling the Truth: The Gospel as Tragedy, Comedy, and Fairy Tale, Frederick Buechner states: "Truth itself cannot be stated. Truth simply is, and is what is, the good with the bad, the joy with the despair, the presence and absence of God, the swollen eye, the bird pecking the cobbles for crumbs." Like Plantinga, Buechner advocates the full truth. We have the responsibility to guide our students gently to an acknowledgment of that whole truth, and help to equip them to live in that truth. Great theatre asks difficult questions in search of the truth. It helps us to think and feel in profound ways. Theatre comforts those who suffer by telling them they are not alone, inspires others to do great things, educates us about different cultures and other ways of thinking, exposes the sin and folly of our daily lives, and give us joy and hope. In art, either as creators or participators, we are helped to remember some of the glorious things we have forgotten, and some of the terrible things we are asked to endure, we who are children of God by adoption and grace (L'Engle). This knowledge that we are not alone gives us hope. Through our curriculum, we want our students to seek the truth through the study and practice of theatre. Theatre's strength lies in speaking about the human condition. Plays help us to recall want it means to be human; they prevent dehumanization and a tendency to excessive prideful judgment of others. It reminds us that we all are subject to the same sinfulness and are under the same penalty of death for those sins. Theatre can even make us a more compassionate people. As Madeleine L'Engle says in Walking on Water, "As Christians we are not meant to be less human than other people, but more human, just as Jesus of Nazareth was more human." As a Christian theatre educators and artists, we want our students to be agents of change, not merely custodians of the past. Theatre is a living art form, vibrant, relevant, provoking and inspiring. As a theatre program, we need to incorporate new forms and rhythms to discover how to speak to a fallen world that constantly adapts its language and communicative codes to express its longings, desire, fears, and joys. We want and need to make a difference in the lives of our audience members. We want to transform as we ourselves are transformed by our discoveries through the process of playing and producing. Humans are able to learn, to grow, and to perceive truth through acts of remembering. The enactment of a story can by that reveal truth. As the player-priest in Barry Unsworth's novel Morality Play states: We learned through the play. We learned through the parts we were given. It is something not easy to explain. I am new to the playing, but it has seemed to me to be like dreaming. The player is himself and another. When he looks at the others in the play he knows he is part of their dreaming just as they are a part of his. From this comes thoughts and words that outside the play he would not readily admit to his mind. Things we would not readily admit . . . Theatre makes us stretch and reach beyond the limitations of our own existence and asks us to make a connection with others unlike ourselves. In The Anti-theatrical Prejudice, Jonas Barish speaking about Rousseau's plays points out that "the theatrical process works to complicate our judgments and disarm our vindictiveness. It makes us apprehend these criminals as feeling beings like ourselves, in whom virtue may be as strong or nearly as strong as vice, but for whom circumstances may have been stronger, who have struggled painfully but at length unsuccessfully against their passions. And, so it makes us less judgmental, it validates its claim to be teaching us something. It educates by widening our imaginative range." Theatre asks its audience to give of their time, their hearts, emotions and intellect to receive and respond to the events on the stage. Theatre gives sound to the human voice. In human scale. It is reality, not virtual. The breath of the body depending on the size of the space can be felt and heard. For more information, contact Professors Michael Page, Debra Freeberg, or Stephanie Sandberg. And please be sure to visit the Calvin Theatre Company website. Back to top |
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Our
seasons include at least four productions: two are mainstage productions
directed by faculty members. The third is an evening of one-act plays
produced and directed by students. The fourth production varies; it might
be a musical, a children's theatre piece or a readers theatre production.
Each year there are numerous ways for you to be involved in a range of
theatre activities. We invite you to use your gifts in our theatre program
by acting, making music, building props, writing plays, directing, or
designing costumes, lights, or sets. We challenge you to do research,
debate issues, think critically, organize effectively, and help build
that special sense of community that working in the theatre can produce.