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Catalogue description:
Introductory course designed to enhance the student's enjoyment and understanding of the theatrical experience. Play readings, films and demonstrations acquaint the students with the history and techniques of the theatrical arts.

Course Learning Goals or Objectives:
Students successfully completing this course will have met South Dakota Board of Regents General Education Goal #4.

BOR System Goal #4:
Students will understand the diversity and complexity of human experience through study of the arts and humanities.

Text:

Theatre. The Lively Art by Edwin Wilson and Alvin Goldfarb. (Boston: McGraw-Hill College), 6th ed., 2008. The Publisher's Textbook Web Page Plays: Antigone, a Greek tragedy by Sophocles As You Like It, an Elizabethan comedy by William Shakespeare Both plays are available at the book store, library or on the InterNet

Each student is expected to...
Attend and review one of Northern's two MainStage production...

1. The Smell of the Kill, February 13 through 16, or
2. tick, tick...BOOM!, April 17 through 19

1. Did you enjoy the show? Why?
2. Which character did you find most memorable?
3. What was the most "enjoyable" moment?

In addition to attending the play, each student is also expected to either...

1. Work four (4) hours in the scene or costume shop. The shops are normally open from 3 to 5pm Monday through Friday. Each hour of shop work is worth 4 points; 4 hours is worth 16 points.

Shop Safety Rule #1:
Some of the work done on stage and in the shop is inherently dangerous. It is of the utmost importance that students are comfortable with the tasks they are asked to perform. Students should not perform any function in which they do not have confidence in their own skill, or in the equipment. Students will not be penalized for fear of heights, saws, etc.

Dress Code:
Students are advised to provide suitable clothing for shop and theater work. This includes:

1. Clothes that are "paintable" and reasonably close fitting (loose clothing can become caught on equipment or scenery). Long pants are preferable to skirts or shorts. Operators of power tools are to wear short sleeves or roll sleeves up.
2. Do not wear loose fitting (ie: long necklace) or expensive jewelry, remove jewelry when operating power tools.
3. Shoes should have good traction- work or athletic shoes, and protect the feet (do not wear sandals, high heels, etc.).
4. Long hair should be worn up, tied back or netted to avoid being caught in moving parts or machines.

OR...

2. Write a short (2 to 4 pages) play analysis (paper) of either Antigone or As You Like It

Your analysis should include...

1. The setting (or settings) of the play,
2. The period,
3. The major objective of the protagonist,
4. The scene which stood out most clearly,
5. The character which was most memorable,
6. The character which was most difficult to understand, and
7. How you would sell this play to a college age audience.

OR...

3. Actively participate on the running crew of Smell of the Kill or tick, tick...BOOM!.

Extra Credit:
Extra credit may be earned by working additional hours (@ 4pts per hour) in the scene or costume shop, attending and reviewing an additional production or developing a play analysis for an additional script (@ 16pts per paper). Reviews of "outside" productions are due the week following the performance. Extra credit will not raise your final grade more than one letter above the grade you earn from your four exams, attendance, and the outside activities.

Upcoming Area Productions

1. Region 3 High School One Act Play Festival
   Tuesday, January 22
2. South Dakota High School One Act Play Festival -- Schedule of Plays (PDF)
   Thursday, January 31 through Saturday, February 2
3. Smell of the Kill
   By Michelle Lowe
   Presented by the NSU Theatre
   Wednesday, February 13, through Saturday, February 16 at 7:30 pm.
4. tick, tick...BOOM!
   Book, Music and Lyrics by Jonathan Larson
   Script Consultant David Auburn
   Presented by the NSU Theatre
   Thursday, April 17 through April 19 at 7:30pm
   
5. The Importance of Being Earnest
   By Oscar Wilde
   Presented by the Aberdeen Christian School at the First United Methodist Church
   Dinner Theatre, Friday and Saturday, April 18 - 19 at 6:00pm
   
6. Opera Scenes
   Sunday, April 20 at 3:00pm
7. Parallel Lives: "The Kathy & Mo Show"
   By By Kathy Najimi and Mo Gaffney
   Presented by the ACT at the Capitol Theatre
   Wednesday -- Saturday, April 23 - 26 at 7:30pm
   Sunday Matinee, April 27 at 2:30pm
   
8. Director's Showcase: Book of Liz and A Night in the Ukraine
   Presented by the NSU Theatre
   Wednesday, April 30 at 7:30 pm.
9. Godspell
   By Stephen Schwartz and John-Michael Tebelak
   Presented by Roncalli High School
   Thursday and Friday, May 1 & 2 at 7:300pm
   

Lecture Notes

1. Theatre and the Internet
   
2. Experiencing Theatre
   
3. Audiences and Critics
   
4. Acting for the Stage
   
5. The Playwright: Creating the Script
   
6. Tragedy or Comedy? Dramatic Genres
   
7. Playwriting: The Process
   
8. The Director and the Producer
   First Little Quiz (50 points)
9. Theatre Spaces
   
10. Designers: Scenery and Costumes
    
11. Designers: Lighting and Sound
    
12. Film History
    
13. Film Production
    
14. Radio: History and Production
    
15. Television: History and Production
    Second Little Quiz (50 points)
16. Greek and Roman Theatre
    
17. Asian Theatre
    
18. Medieval Theatre
    
19. Renaissance Theatre: Italy
    
20. Renaissance Theatre: England
    
21. Renaissance Theatre: Spain
    
22. Renaissance Theatre: France
    Third Little Quiz (50 points)
23. Theatre from Restoration through Romanticism: Restoration and 18th Century
    
24. Theatre from Restoration through Romanticism: Nineteenth Century
    
25. Early Modern Theatre: 1875 to 1945
    
26. Twentieth Century Theatre: 1945 to 1990: The Drama
    
27. Twentieth Century Theatre: African American Theatre
    
28. Twentieth Century Theatre: 1945 to 1990: The American Musical
    Final Little Quiz (100 points)

Links

Theatre and Drama

1. Playbill On-Line
   A searchable listing of shows playing in New York, both on and off Broadway.
2. nytheatre.com
   The internet source for the New York Theatre scene
3. The Internet Broadway Database
   The official database for Broadway theatre information. IBDB provides records of productions from the beginnings of New York theatre until today.
4. The Complete Works of William Shakespeare
   The title says it all.

1. The Internet Movie Database
   A searchable index with more information on movies and the people who make them, than you could possibly ever use.
2. [ABC] [CBS] [NBC] [FOX] [PBS]
   Links to the four commercial and one non-commercial American broadcast networks.
3. [KELO-Channel 3] [KDLT-Channel 5] [KSFY-Channel 13] [SD Public Broadcasting]
   Links to local broadcasters.

1. Google.Com
   Search 2,469,940,685 web pages.
2. Google Groups
   The source for almost spam-free Internet Discussion Groups. Browse or search the rec.arts.theatre Discussion Groups...
   
   1. rec.arts.theatre
   2. rec.arts.theatre.plays
   3. rec.arts.theatre.musicals
   4. rec.arts.theatre.stagecraft
   5. rec.arts.theatre.misc