Information For:

Courses for Fall 2013

  • Introduction to Acting and Directing

    Explores basic acting/directing concepts from a variety of perspectives including the use of the actor's imagination/impulsivity in the creation of truthful, dramatic performance; the body, as a way of knowing and communicating knowledge; and the voice, as a means of discovering and revealing emotion/thought. Areas of emphasis vary with instructor. Please go to the TAPS website for specifics on admission and the mandatory technical requirement. Some evening hours are required. http://brown.edu/academics/theatre-arts-performance-studies/undergraduate-program/required-course-information. Enrollment limited to 18 first year students. Instructor permission required.
    TAPS 0030 S01
    Primary Instructor
    Crawford
    TAPS 0030 S02
    Primary Instructor
    Crawford

  • Playwriting I

    A workshop for students who have little or no previous experience in writing plays. Students will be introduced to a variety of technical and imaginative considerations through exercises, readings and discussions. Course is not open to those who have taken Advanced Playwriting (TAPS 1500, formerly LITR 1010C and TSDA 1500). Enrollment is limited to 14 undergraduates per section. A limited number of spaces are reserved for incoming and transfer students. Instructor permission required. S/NC. WRIT
    TAPS 0100 S01
    TAPS 0100 S02
    Primary Instructor
    Terry-Morgan

  • Playwriting II

    Emphasis is placed on dramatic conventions, such as monologues, dialogue, mise-en-scene and time. Writing includes frequent exercises in various theatrical approaches. This course is limited to undergraduate students. Instructor permission required. Prerequisite: TAPS 0100 (formerly LITR 0110C and TSDA 0100). Enrollment is limited to 14 undergraduates per section. Instructor permission required. S/NC. WRIT
    TAPS 0200 S01

  • Persuasive Communication

    Provides an introduction to public speaking, and helps students develop confidence in public speaking through the presentation of persuasive speeches. Primarily for seniors. Limited to 18. Instructor's permission required. No permission will be given during pre-registration; interested students should sign up well in advance on the TAPS 0220 waitlist (form is at http://www.brown.edu/academics/theatre-arts-performance-studies/undergraduate-program/required-course-information) and attend the first day of class. Attendance is mandatory.

    The application/waitlist process does not apply to students registering for the Summer term through the Office of Continuing Education.
    TAPS 0220 S01
    TAPS 0220 S02
    TAPS 0220 S03
    TAPS 0220 S04
    TAPS 0220 S05

  • Acting

    Focus on elements of dramatic analysis and interpretation as applied to the art of acting, and, by extension, directing. Monologues, scene study, and improvisation are basis for comment on individual problems. Reading of dramatic texts and theory. Substantial scene rehearsal commitment necessary. Attendance mandatory. Not open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 20. Instructor permission required. S/NC
    TAPS 0230 S01
    Primary Instructor
    Marshall
    TAPS 0230 S02
    Primary Instructor
    Marshall

  • Introduction to Technical Theatre and Production

    This course is an introduction to the basic principles of stagecraft, lighting and sound technology and the different elements of theatrical design. Instructor permission required. Enrollment limited to 15.
    TAPS 0250 S01
    Primary Instructor
    Hett

  • Stage Lighting

    This course is an introduction to stage lighting. Enrollment limited to 20.
    TAPS 0260 S01
    Primary Instructor
    Hett

  • Beginning Modern Dance

    Introduction to the art of movement. Focuses on building a common vocabulary based on ballet, vernacular forms, improvisation, Laban movement analysis, American modern dance, and the body therapies. Individual work is explored. One and one-half hours of class, four days a week. Enrollment limited to 40. S/NC.
    TAPS 0310 S01
    Primary Instructor
    Strandberg

  • Dance Composition

    Focuses on building the individual's creative voice. A movement vocabulary is developed from Western techniques (ballet, American modern dance, Laban/Bartenieff movement analysis, vernacular forms, space-harmony/movement physics, and the body therapies) along with group improvisations and collaboration with artists in other disciplines. Enrollment limited to 40. S/NC.
    TAPS 0320 S01
    Primary Instructor
    Bach-Coulibaly

  • Introduction to Shakespeare (ENGL 0310A)

    Interested students must register for ENGL 0310A (CRN 14840).
    TAPS 0510 S01

  • Stage Management

    To introduce students to the principles and techniques of modern stage management from script selection to closing. Through the study of various models of stage management (both professional and academic), students will develop an appreciation of the role of the stage manager as the facilitator, mediator and organizer of the production process. Students will apply theory learned in the classroom by stage-managing or assistant stage-managing a TAPS production and/or observing other TAPS and Trinity Rep stage managers during the production process. Enrollment limited to 12.
    TAPS 1100 S01
    Primary Instructor
    Reo

  • Performance Theory: Ritual, Play and Drama in Context

    What is ritual? What is play? What is mimesis? What is an act? This course offers an introduction to basic texts in Performance Studies applied to the study of ancient and medieval theatre in global perspective. Students will learn fundamentals of performance theory while studying the histories of ancient Greek and Roman theatre, Medieval European ritual, Indian Sanskrit drama and theatrical form, Yoruban traditional performance, and modes of cross-cultural comparison. WRIT
    TAPS 1230 S01
    Primary Instructor
    Ybarra

  • Performance in the Asias

    Introduces the rich performance cultures of Asia with a combination of national, comparative, circum-Pacific, and inter-Asian perspectives. We will study several significant forms of Asian theater, rituals and dance-drama, and historicize them through a variety of encounters: traditional, (post-)colonial, orientalist, and intercultural. How do differing approaches reconfigure Western assumptions about otherness (alterity)? How is an Asian imaginary in the West often tied to the "native," "non-Western," "primative," "exotic," and "queer"? We will encounter Asian performance broadly defined in both national and transnational contexts, such as the Asian diaspora, global arts festivals, museums, and tourism. WRIT
    TAPS 1270 S01
    Primary Instructor
    Lim

  • Introduction to Set Design

    A survey of the history and concepts of scenic design with emphasis on the art, artists and the social/political movements influencing the major period. Aims to give the designer a foundation in research approaches. Also to provide an examination of stylistic approaches and innovations in the context of the historical period. Enrollment limited to 10.
    TAPS 1280F S01
    Primary Instructor
    McGarty

  • Introduction to Costume Construction

    An introduction to the study and practice of core costume construction skills. Topics include basic machine, hand sewing and patterning techniques.
    TAPS 1281M S01
    Primary Instructor
    Cesario

  • Introduction to Dance Studies: Sex, Death and Endurance

    Dance Studies investigates multiple facets of dance, including choreography, performance, spectatorship, and theory. In this course we will engage with social dances (including hip-hop, tango, and Renaissance dance) and concert dance as we debate dance’s use and/or subversion of gender-specific and ethnic hierarchies. Emphasis will be given to choreographic portrayals of the human struggle with love, sickness, and death. We will also consider neuroscientific approaches to dance spectatorship, particularly as relates to empathizing with physical pain. This course presumes no prior knowledge of dance. Students with a scientific interest in human anatomy and movement are also encouraged to join.
    TAPS 1281Q S01
    Primary Instructor
    Shaw

  • Advanced Modern Dance

    Designed for dancers who have attained an advanced level in any dance technique. The purpose is to help such dancers come to understand both intellectually and kinesthetically the diversity of one of the few indigenous American art forms: modern dance. Enrollment limited to 40. S/NC.
    TAPS 1310 S01
    Primary Instructor
    Strandberg

  • Dance History: The 20th Century

    An exploration of the major figures and trends in modern dance. While the main focus of the course is on American Dance, attention is given to earlier European and other dance traditions that have contribited to the American dance heritage. May be of particular interest Americanists, art historians, dancers, and theatre majors.
    TAPS 1330 S01
    Primary Instructor
    Strandberg

  • Dance Performance and Repertory

    Half course credit each semester. A study of dance repertory through commissioned new works, reconstruction, coaching, rehearsal, and performance. Guest artists and consultants from the American Dance Legacy Institute. Enrollment is by audition. Limited to skilled dancers. Instructor permission required. S/NC.
    TAPS 1350 S01
    Primary Instructor
    Strandberg

  • New Works/World Traditions

    From research to performance, develops new dance theater pieces that are rooted in Mande dance and American dance. Includes study with Mande, American, and European artists in building a body of repertory for the concert stage. May be repeated for credit. By audition. S/NC.
    TAPS 1370 S01
    Primary Instructor
    Bach-Coulibaly

  • Advanced Performance

    An investigation into abstract and nonlinear modes of performance, working from fragmentary and recombined narrative, dramatic, and found sources. Seeks to evolve a conceptual approach to performance of the individual actor-director-writer through supervised and independent exercises and projects. Prerequisite: TAPS 0230. For juniors and especially seniors. Enrollment limited to 20.
    TAPS 1400 S01
    Primary Instructor
    Golub

  • Global Queer Performance

    What is queer performance from a global perspective? Within the U.S., this might refer to theater, visual and sonic practices, or styles of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender writ large. In the world outside the U.S., such an identitarian narrative has gained some traction through the discourse of global queering, which renders an understanding of same-sex formations through Pride Parades, pink-dollar tourism, gay marriage and Western-LGBT cultures. There is, however, much debate as to what queer means, and how it translates. This course uses queer performance to consider how we might understand sexual minorities in the U.S. and the world. Enrollment limited to 20 students. WRIT
    TAPS 1420 S01
    Primary Instructor
    Lim

  • Advanced Writing for Performance

    This course is an intense examination of the craft of writing scripts for the stage from germinal idea through production by analyzing students work in workshops, reading scripts and attending local performances. Students will learn proper script format, story outline and structure, characterization, plot and the nuts and bolts of the script writing business. Moreover, they will write a full-length play or a series of one-acts. They will also be required to read and critique each other's work and bring a significant number of script copies to class for workshop. Prerequisite: TAPS 0100 and 0200. Enrollment limited to 17.
    TAPS 1500H S01
    Primary Instructor
    Gardley

  • Seminar in Theatre Arts

    Seminar designed primarily for senior theatre arts concentrators, required during Semester VII. Topics focus on career planning and theatre arts subjects not dealt with in other courses. Enrollment limited to 25 seniors.
    TAPS 1520 S01

  • Voices Beneath the Veil (AFRI 1110)

    Interested students must register for AFRI 1110 (CRN 14490).
    TAPS 1700V S01

  • Queer Relations: Aesthetics and Sexuality (ENGL 1900R)

    Interested students must register for ENGL 1900R (CRN 14620).
    TAPS 1720 S01

  • Independent Reading and Research

    Intensive reading and research on selected topics arranged in terms of special needs and interests of the student. A written proposal must be submitted to the instructor and the chair of the theatre arts department before the project can be approved. Section numbers vary by instructor. Please check Banner for the correct section number and CRN to use when registering for this course.
    TAPS 1970 S01
    Primary Instructor
    Bach-Coulibaly
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    TAPS 1970 S02
    Primary Instructor
    Reo
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    TAPS 1970 S03
    Primary Instructor
    Crawford
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    TAPS 1970 S04
    Primary Instructor
    Jones
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    TAPS 1970 S05
    Primary Instructor
    Gardley
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    TAPS 1970 S06
    Primary Instructor
    Golub
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    TAPS 1970 S07
    Primary Instructor
    Hett
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    TAPS 1970 S08
    Primary Instructor
    Marshall
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    TAPS 1970 S09
    Primary Instructor
    McGarty
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    TAPS 1970 S10
    Primary Instructor
    Schneider
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    TAPS 1970 S11
    Primary Instructor
    Ehn
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    TAPS 1970 S12
    Primary Instructor
    Strandberg
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    TAPS 1970 S13
    Primary Instructor
    Tannenbaum
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    TAPS 1970 S14
    Primary Instructor
    Terry-Morgan
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    TAPS 1970 S15
    Primary Instructor
    Ybarra
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research

  • Senior Honors Thesis Preparation

    To be taken by all students accepted into the theatre arts honors program. Section numbers vary by instructor. Please check Banner for the correct section number and CRN to use when registering for this course.
    TAPS 1990 S01
    Primary Instructor
    Ehn
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    TAPS 1990 S02
    Primary Instructor
    Golub
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    TAPS 1990 S03
    Primary Instructor
    Schneider
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    TAPS 1990 S04
    Primary Instructor
    Strandberg
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    TAPS 1990 S05
    Primary Instructor
    Ybarra
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    TAPS 1990 S06
    Primary Instructor
    Gardley
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research

  • New Theories for a Baroque Stage

    This course re-conceptualizes and re-models seventeenth-century "baroque" theatricality through the lenses of Russian formalist theory, phenomenology, (post-)surrealist literature and objects, Oulipian literature of constraints, Deleuzian theory, ontological-hysteric theatre, film, etc.
    TAPS 2200L S01
    Primary Instructor
    Golub

  • Graduate Playwriting

    With Word as the bodying forth into social reality of original experience, the structures, purposes and ethical risks of writing for performance are examined; experienced through the reading of each other's works-in-progress, through the reading of essays and in session exercises. Must be taken by playwriting grad students every semester in residence. May be taken multiple times for credit. Undergraduates will be admitted with permission of the instructor. Contact Erik_Ehn@Brown.edu using "Grad PW" in the subject line. Permission will be given once manuscripts have been reviewed. S/NC
    TAPS 2310 S01
    Primary Instructor
    Ehn

  • Acting, Brown/Trinity Rep Consortium

    This course is open only to students of the Consortium. It will include fundamental exercises, textual analysis, rehearsal techniques, character and scene work designed to provide the student actor with a working method based upon the general principles of the Stanislavski system. A major part of this course will include rehearsal and performance responsibilities.
    TAPS 2500 S01
    Primary Instructor
    Berenson

  • Voice: Power and Range for the Actor

    This course is open only to students of the Consortium. It will provide a progression of exercises to free, develop and strengthen the voice as the actor's instrument. The classes focus on relaxation, physical awareness, breath, freeing the channel for sound developing the resonators, releasing the voice from the body, articulation, self-expression, and the link to text and acting.
    TAPS 2510 S01
    Primary Instructor
    Berenson

  • Movement: Form, Center and Balance

    This course is open only to students of the Brown University/Trinity Rep MFA Consortium program. It will develop a physical vocabulary through floor work, choreographed combinations and movement improvisation, helping the actor develop an understanding of space, strength of movement, and physical life onstage.
    TAPS 2520 S01
    Primary Instructor
    Berenson

  • Directing: Composition and Staging

    This course is open only to the MFA Consortium program. It will include information and exercises addressing how to stage a play, balance the space, and transition from scene to scene. It will also focus on the director's responsibility to the actors, and ways in which to help them create their roles.
    TAPS 2530 S01
    Primary Instructor
    Berenson

  • Acting: Shakespeare and Moliere

    This is a two-credit course and is open only to students of the MFA Consortium program. This is a scene study class with an emphasis on the problems of style and language in the plays of Moliere and Shakespeare.
    TAPS 2600 S01
    Primary Instructor
    Berenson

  • Voice: Verse Text

    This course is open only to students of the MFA Consortium program. It will include advanced vocal work and an introduction to singing in performance. Rhythm and rhyme will be explored in relation to lyrics and verse.
    TAPS 2610 S01
    Primary Instructor
    Berenson

  • Movement: The Alexander Technique

    This course is open only to students of the MFA Consortium program. This class will provide a step-by-step understanding and application of The Alexander Technique, which helps to develop body alignment, range of motion, and inner stillness.
    TAPS 2620 S01
    Primary Instructor
    Berenson

  • Directing: The Director's Vision

    This course is open only to students of the MFA Consortium program. Under close supervision, students will direct projects at the Consortium. Each student will be responsible for the creation of either a new or an established script. Students will meet regularly with the faculty to discuss process and progress.
    TAPS 2630 S01
    Primary Instructor
    Berenson

  • Acting: Monologue Performance

    This is a two-credit course and is open only to students of the Brown University/Trinity Rep MFA Consortium program. Acting assignments will include solo work presented in a variety of ways. These might include a selection of monologues and songs presented by the students to show the full range of his or her abilities. A performance might also include a solo piece written by the student and presented as a single-actor production.
    TAPS 2700 S01
    Primary Instructor
    Berenson

  • Voice: Dialects and Accents

    This course is open only to students of the Brown University/Trinity Rep MFA Consortium program. This course will teach actors various American regional dialects and international accents including British, Irish, Italian and Russian. Students will examine the language with the use of the International Phonetic Alphabet, and will be expected to perform using the regionalisms and dialect and then teach it to the rest of the class.
    TAPS 2710 S01
    Primary Instructor
    Berenson

  • Physical Theatre

    This course is open only to students of the Brown University/Trinity Rep MFA Consortium program. This course will explore various kinds of physical theatre, and ways in which the actor can be free, spontaneous and open in rehearsal and performance. Areas of exploration will include Commedia, mask and yoga.
    TAPS 2720 S01
    Primary Instructor
    Berenson

  • Directing: Design in the Collaborative Process

    This is a two-credit course and is open only to students of the Brown/ Trinity Rep MFA Consortium program. Directing students will study theatrical design including stage settings, costumes, lights and sound. Particular focus will be given to ways in which a director works with a designer to establish his or her vision of the play. Areas of study will include blueprints, floor plans, renderings and focus.
    TAPS 2730 S01
    Primary Instructor
    Berenson

  • Comprehensive Examination Preparation

    For graduate students who have met the tuition requirement and are paying the registration fee to continue active enrollment while preparing for a preliminary examination.
    TAPS 2970 S01
    Schedule Code
    E: Grad Enrollment Fee/Dist Prep

  • Thesis Workshop

    For graduate playwrights, in their second and third years, rehearsing and revising their thesis projects. May be taken multiple times for credit. Must be taken both semesters in the second and third year.
    TAPS 2975 S01
    Primary Instructor
    Bach-Coulibaly
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    TAPS 2975 S02
    Primary Instructor
    Ehn
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    TAPS 2975 S03
    Primary Instructor
    Ybarra
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    TAPS 2975 S04
    Primary Instructor
    Golub
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    TAPS 2975 S05
    Primary Instructor
    Hett
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    TAPS 2975 S06
    Primary Instructor
    Marshall
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    TAPS 2975 S07
    Primary Instructor
    Strandberg
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    TAPS 2975 S08
    Primary Instructor
    Tannenbaum
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    TAPS 2975 S09
    Primary Instructor
    Mertes
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    TAPS 2975 S10
    Primary Instructor
    Schneider
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research

  • Graduate Level Independent Reading and Research

    A program of intensive reading and research on selected topics arranged in terms of special needs and interests of the student. Section numbers vary by instructor. Please check Banner for the correct section number and CRN to use when registering for this course.
    TAPS 2980 S01
    Primary Instructor
    Bach-Coulibaly
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    TAPS 2980 S02
    Primary Instructor
    Ehn
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    TAPS 2980 S03
    Primary Instructor
    Ybarra
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    TAPS 2980 S04
    Primary Instructor
    Golub
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    TAPS 2980 S05
    Primary Instructor
    Hett
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    TAPS 2980 S06
    Primary Instructor
    Marshall
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    TAPS 2980 S07
    Primary Instructor
    Strandberg
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    TAPS 2980 S08
    Primary Instructor
    Tannenbaum
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    TAPS 2980 S09
    Primary Instructor
    Mertes
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    TAPS 2980 S10
    Primary Instructor
    Schneider
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research

  • Master's Thesis Research

    Section numbers vary by instructor. Please check Banner for the correct section number and CRN to use when registering for this course.
    TAPS 2981 S01
    Primary Instructor
    Bach-Coulibaly
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    TAPS 2981 S02
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    TAPS 2981 S03
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    TAPS 2981 S04
    Primary Instructor
    Golub
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    TAPS 2981 S05
    Primary Instructor
    Hett
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    TAPS 2981 S06
    Primary Instructor
    Marshall
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    TAPS 2981 S07
    Primary Instructor
    Strandberg
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    TAPS 2981 S08
    Primary Instructor
    Tannenbaum
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    TAPS 2981 S09
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    TAPS 2981 S10
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research

  • Thesis Preparation

    For graduate students who have met the tuition requirement and are paying the registration fee to continue active enrollment while preparing a thesis.
    TAPS 2990 S01
    Schedule Code
    E: Grad Enrollment Fee/Dist Prep