Faculty
Professors Emeriti: Joseph J. Garry, Jr., Reuben Silver; Associate Professors: Guy E. Hare, Jr., Michael L. Mauldin (Director); Assistant Professor: Kenshaka Ali; Term Assistant Professor: Holly Holsinger; Adjunct Faculty: Allan Byrne, Margaret Ford-Taylor, Jill Levin, Donald McBride.
Course Descriptions
DRA 101 Production Practicum (0-6-2). Laboratory experience through work on university theatre productions in performance, technical work, or business participation. May be taken four times for credit; may be repeated thereafter without credit. Return to top
DRA 111 Theatre Appreciation (4-0-4). Survey of the elements of dramatic/theatric communication; intended to develop understanding and enjoyment of the theatre in all of its forms; lectures, readings, demonstrations. Return to top
DRA 200 Introduction to Technical Theatre (4-0-4). A survey of the basic techniques and practices in technical theatre and production, including stage management, pre-production, the rehearsal period, technical rehearsals, load-ins, and calling the show. Building a prompt script with all detailed paperwork will be emphasized. Prerequisite to all other technical theatre courses. Return to top
DRA 201 Script Analysis (3-0-3). This course will familiarize the student with traditional and contemporary approaches to analyzing dramatic texts from performance, directorial, and design perspectives. Classic and contemporary texts will be analyzed using traditional Aristotelian approaches, as well as Feminist, Marxist, Deconstructionist, and post-Modern frames. Emphasis is placed on creating a personalized and artistically grounded interpretation for theatrical production. Return to top
DRA 211 History of the Theatre I (3-0-3). Survey of dramatic and theatrical developments from their ritual beginning through the theatres of the Greek, Roman, Medieval, and Italian and Spanish Renaissance, French Neoclassic and Elizabethan periods; focuses on the physical theatres, production techniques, and dramatic literature and conventions. Return to top
DRA 212 History of the Theatre II (3-0-3). Continuation of the history survey; Italian and French Neoclassicism, Restoration, 18th Century; Romanticism, 19th Century through 1850. Return to top
DRA 213 History of the Theatre III (3-0-3). Traces the rise of Realism and Naturalism, "Modern" theatre, Symbolism, Expressionism, Dada, Futurism, and Epic, to the beginnings of contemporary theatre. Return to top
DRA 216 African American Theatre (3-0-3). Study of contemporary Black plays and playwrights; the practice and roots of the contemporary Black theatre; the changing image of African-Americans from the stereotypes of early American theatre to today's varied characterizations. Return to top
DRA 225 Principles of Acting for Television, Film, and the Stage (4-0-4). Study of the actor's vocal, physical, and psychological resources; introduction to the mechanics of stage movement; exercises in sensory, imaginative, emotional, and pantomimic responsiveness; fundamentals of characterization; attendance at productions. Return to top
DRA 300 Stage Management (3-0-3). Study of the special problems and considerations of stage management in and out of rehearsal. Special emphasis is placed on prompt-books, scheduling and coordination functions of a working stage manager as well as performance functions such as calling a show. Return to top
DRA 301 Lighting Design (3-0-3). Prerequisite: DRA 200. This is an introductory course in the basic elements of stage lighting design. Study includes principles, theories, equipment and use of lighting, as applied to today's modern professional theatre. Return to top
DRA 311 Drama and Film (4-0-4). Prerequisite: DRA 111, COM 221, or permission of instructor. Detailed study of ten major plays which have been adapted into major films; study of differences in stage and film presentations with emphasis on structure, acting styles, and directing techniques. Return to top
DRA 314 Plays in Performance I (3-0-3). Designed to acquaint the student with the major trends in literature and the authors writing for the stage from the earliest pre-literary oral traditions in the Middle East through the Greek Golden Age, Medieval European Drama, the Spanish Renaissance to and including 17th-Century France. A brief look at major classical Far Eastern (Sanskrit, Noh, Kabuki, Kyogen) dramatic literature will be included. Emphasis will be placed on the conventions, structures, and themes unique and common to each of the plays considered. Return to top
DRA 315 Plays in Performance II (3-0-3). The course, consisting of lectures and guided class discussions, is designed to acquaint the student with the major trends in literature and the authors writing for the stage from the earliest pre-Elizabethan England to modern-day America. Topics will include Elizabethan, Jacobean, and Restoration England; 18th-Century England, France and Germany; 19th-Century England, France, Germany, Russia and America, French Neo-Classicism, and Romanticism to 1850. Emphasis will be placed on the conventions, structures, and themes unique and common to each of the plays considered. Return to top
DRA 316 Plays in Performance III (3-0-3). The course, consisting of lectures and guided class discussions, is designed to acquaint the student with the major trends in literature and the authors writing for the stage from the mid-19th-century Europe to modern-day America. Topics will include the rise of Realism and Naturalism, Symbolism, Expressionism, Futurism, Dadaism and The Anti-Literary Movement. Playwrights will include Shaw, Wilde, Pinero, Strindberg, and Pirandello. Emphasis will be placed on the conventions, structures, and themes unique and common to each of the plays considered. Return to top
DRA 317 Society and Minority Theatre (3-0-3). "Society & Minority Theatre" is predicated on the notion that the American melting pot has failed in its original intent: E Pluribus Unum ("Out of Many, One"). Instead, we may describe the U.S. in reverse: "In One, Many"- so visible and vocal are the nation's sub-groups. Their rise to prominence has been so vigorous and occasionally so strident that it is often described as a revolution. Blacks, Gays, Women, Hispanics, Native Americans, Asians, Handicapped, Aged, et al. theatre artists have chronicled these social eruptions, and their works illuminate these historical and social developments with insight and passion. Through the playwright's lens, we can gain insight and understanding into both the arts of the theatre and significant contemporary social manifestations. Return to top
DRA 318 African American Theatre II (3-0-3). Prerequisite: DRA 216. Explores in greater depth the topics, theatres, playwrights, and themes introduced in DRA 216 "African American Theatre." Return to top
DRA 319 Nonwestern Culture: Theatre of the East (3-0-3). Survey of non-Western theatre forms, exploring the classic theatre of India, Japan, China, and Indonesia. The course will include lectures on and films of Kabuki, Chinese Opera and other Asian productions, as well as hands-on experience with Indian, Indonesian, Japanese and Chinese puppets. Return to top
DRA 321 Contemporary Drama (4-0-4). Prerequisite: DRA 111 or permission of instructor. Survey of dramatic literature post- World War II to the present with emphasis on new trends in the theatre; lectures, readings, demonstrations; where possible, attendance at productions. Return to top
DRA 325 Intermediate Acting (4-0-4). Prerequisite: DRA 225. Study of and experimentation with theories of characterization and role preparation; study of voice and movement. Return to top
DRA 326 Voice and Movement (4-0-4). A study of conventional, period, and abstract stage movement in association with a study of voice improvement and standards used in various styles of theatre. Return to top
DRA 331 Principles of Directing (4-0-4). Prerequisite: DRA 225. Study of various conceptualizations of the director's role; fundamental consideration of play analysis, rehearsal and production procedures, and essentials of directing techniques. Return to top
DRA 332 Advanced Directing (4-0-4). Prerequisite: DRA 331. Detailed study of directing theories and techniques, applications to scenes directed in class, in-class analysis and criticism. Return to top
DRA 351 Theatre Makeup (3-0-3). Study and practice in the art and science of the use of theatrical makeup for the legitimate stage, film, and television. Return to top
DRA 352 Creative Dramatics (3-0-3). Theories and methods of developing the creative capacities through original dramatization, freeing the imagination to create plays spontaneously or from literature; practice in workshop. Valuable course for majors in Elementary Education. Return to top
DRA 353 Children's Theatre (3-0-3). Study of theory and methods of producing plays for children; scriptwriting analysis and adaptation; rehearsal and production procedures. Return to top
DRA 354 Puppet Production (3-0-3). A study of various types of puppetry, construction, and design methods; manipulation, scripting and producing. Return to top
DRA 371 Scene Design I (4-0-4). A study of research methods for theatre design, including the compilation of a reference file, the drafting techniques used to produce working drawings for scenic construction, and perspective drawing and rendering techniques used in set design. Return to top
DRA 372 Scene Design II (4-0-4). A study of the design of the single-set play and the design of the multiset play. Return to top
DRA 381 Theatre Organization and Management (4-0-4). Prerequisite: DRA 111. Study of organizational patterns and management theories and practices in educational, community, and professional theatre; organization of personnel; publicity/promotion; fiscal operations; familiarization with theatre unions and contracts. Return to top
DRA 391 Costume History and Design (3-0-3). Study of period, fashions, research, presentation, and design techniques. Return to top
DRA 425 Advanced Acting (4-0-4). Prerequisite: DRA 325. Study of acting styles and the performance characteristics of serious drama, comedy, melodrama, and farce; experimental approaches to contemporary acting theories and techniques; emphasis on performance and audition. Return to top
DRA 451 Theatre Criticism (4-0-4). Prerequisite: DRA 111. Examination of major historical theories in the criticism and evaluation of drama and theatre; study of contemporary approaches to criticism. Return to top
DRA 452 3-D Makeup (4-0-4). Prerequisite: DRA 351. A study of the modeling, casting, and application of three-dimensional material in makeup. Return to top
DRA 461 Playwriting (4-0-4). Prerequisite: Permission of instructor. Study of materials and forms pertinent to the creation of play scripts; methods of encoding dramatic information; exposure to theoretical writings of playwrights; lectures, discussions, practice in writing scenes and short plays for class analysis and criticism. Return to top
DRA 490 Professional Theatre Internship (4-16 credits). Prerequisite: Senior standing or permission of instructor. Majors assigned to an internship at a professional theatre in tech, design, performance, or administrative areas. Approval of Cleveland State University Dramatic Arts faculty and professional theatre staff required. Syllabi will be created to meet specific demands. Return to top
DRA 491 Comprehensive Exam (4-0-4). Required of all graduating senior Drama majors, this course is a term-long final preparation for the career centered on comprehensive oral examination by the faculty. Return to top
DRA 494 Studio Production Lab (1-4 credits). Prerequisite: permission of instructor. Participant will produce an original script at the Theatre Arts facility with the support of the Theatre Arts Area. Credit will be given for playwriting, directing, stage management, acting, design, and technical work. Credit hours will be assigned by instructor for each production according to the need. (May be repeated for a maximum of 8 credit hours.) Return to top
DRA 495 Drama Seminar (4-0-4). Prerequisite: Senior standing or permission of instructor. In-depth study of selected topics in drama and theatre; may involve either group work or individual research. Return to top
DRA 496 Independent Study (1-12 variable credits). Prerequisite: Senior standing or permission of instructor and director. Individual study and research of a topic of interest to the student. Return to top