Theater Arts

J106 Theater Arts Center
(831) 459-2974
theater@ucsc.edu
http://theater.ucsc.edu/

Program Description

The Theater Arts Department is a diverse group of scholar/artists united by a passionate belief in the value of the performing arts. Based on respect for the classical theater of all cultures, combined with a determination to challenge tradition and fashion with equal courage, we educate our students in the history, theory, and practice of theater to address fundamental issues by using the tools of body, voice, mind, and imagination. Seeking to attain the highest levels of intellectual and artistic integrity with a commitment to cultural diversity, we serve the research mission of UCSC, our audiences, and the students who will shape the theater of the future.

The Theater Arts Department combines drama, dance, critical studies, and theater design/technology to offer students an intensive program of theater as a unified field. The program stresses the inter-relation of all sub-disciplines as essential to the successful practice of the theater arts in the 21st century. Graduates of the UCSC program typically pursue careers in professional theater and dance companies, in film and television, and in teaching at all levels—from university to high school to grade school. Many students go on to higher degrees at prestigious national programs. Others engage in careers in arts, administration, dramatic writing, and related fields.

The lower-division curriculum requires a range of practical work in the various sub-disciplines and an interdisciplinary exposure to critical and historical studies. At the upper-division level, students are given the opportunity to focus on one or more areas of interest in limited-enrollment studios. At the same time, they are asked to expand their theoretical perspectives through confrontation with performance theory and focused course work in critical studies. The impact of digital and new media on theater is integrated into the curriculum, especially with respect to dance and design.

A wealth of production opportunities is available to students. This includes major productions directed by faculty or distinguished visiting artists each quarter, productions directed or choreographed by students, and faculty-directed workshops. Undergraduate students are also given the opportunity to see their own writing, choreography, or developing concepts put into production in annual festivals of student work. Although majors are given preference in studio courses, most courses and productions welcome nonmajors as well. Opportunities to study and perform non-Western as well as Euro-American traditions are also a significant part of the program.

The stage and studio spaces available to students of theater arts allow for this breadth of training and performance opportunities. The Theater Arts Center contains a 500-seat thrust stage; a state-of-the-art experimental theater; a 200-seat proscenium theater; acting, directing, and dance studios; costume, scene, and properties shops; a sound recording room; a computer lab; and a metal shop.

Elsewhere on campus are the open-air Quarry Theater seating 3,000, the Shakespeare Santa Cruz Festival Glen, and the 150-seat Barn Theater. Library holdings in theater literature and history are extensive, including a large slide collection and dance video holdings; journals in current theater, design/technology, and dance; and recordings, films, videotapes, and CD-ROMs.

A unique resource for UCSC students is Shakespeare Santa Cruz (SSC). Acknowledged to be one of the leading Shakespeare festivals in the country, SSC was founded in 1982 to foster links between modern scholarship and contemporary professional theater practice. SSC’s annual summer festival presents the works of Shakespeare in thematic context with other great plays of the world stage, performed, designed, and directed by professionals from all over the country. SSC offers undergraduates various opportunities to work in conjunction with theater professionals through its summer intern program, its winter holiday production (in fall quarter), and Shakespeare-to-Go, a 45-minute Shakespeare outreach production in which students perform and tour (rehearsed during winter quarter and performed during spring quarter) for audiences throughout Santa Cruz County and beyond.

Majors who wish to intensify their study of one particular theater arts area before seeking admission to graduate school or work with professional companies are encouraged to apply to the department’s Fifth-Year Certificate Program.

Requirements to Declare the Major

Prior to petitioning for the major, students must have successfully completed courses 10, Introduction to Theater Design and Technology, 20, Introductory Studies in Acting, 30, Introduction to Dance Theory and Technique, 61, Issues and Methods in Theater Arts, andtwo credits of course 50, Fundamentals of Theater Production. Students are encouraged to complete these courses as early in their studies as possible so that the petition to major status can be accomplished no later than the end of sophomore year.

Transfer Students

Transfer students who have not satisfied the requirements to declare the major are advised to take as many of the six lower-division requirements listed above as possible in their first two quarters. Transfer students may petition to have equivalent lower-division courses taken at other schools count toward the lower-division major requirements. Petition forms and information on courses and major requirements can be obtained at the department office, J106 Theater Arts Center.

Major Requirements

The Theater Arts major requires six lower-division courses, six credits of course 50, and 10 upper-division courses (inclusive of a senior seminar project). Majors may organize their studies around a particular area of interest in accordance with the requirements outlined below. The following six lower-division courses must be taken by all majors:

10 Introduction to Theater Design and Technology
20 Introductory Studies in Acting
30 Introduction to Dance Theory and Technique
61, Issues and Methods in Theater Arts
One lower-division studio elective (chosen from: courses 12, 14, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22, 23, 32, 33, 36, 40)
Plus: 50, Fundamentals of Theater Production (two-credit course; must take a total of six credits)

The following upper-division courses must be taken to complete the major:

Eleven upper-division theater arts courses:

• Three survey courses in the history/theory of performance (intermediate-level 100 courses) chosen from these three areas: 1) Pre-modern, 2) Non-Western, 3) Western
• 160, Dramatic Theories
• Two studio courses
• One elective
• One faculty-directed theater arts production course
• Two 161 series (drama) and/or 130 series (dance) critical studies courses
• One senior seminar requirement, (course 185)

One of the 16 courses required for the major must be a lower- or upper-division diversity course. Exceptions to the major requirements, through the UC Education Abroad Program or transfer credits, are considered on a case-by-case basis by the department chair.

Theater Arts Major Planners

The following are two recommended academic plans for students to complete during their first two years as preparation for the theater arts major. Plan One is a guideline for students who are committed to the major early in their academic career; Plan Two is for students who are considering the major.

Comprehensive Requirement

Theater arts majors are responsible for successfully completing course 185, Senior Seminar.

Minor Requirements

Students earn a minor in theater arts by completing nine courses (eight 5-credit courses and one 2-credit course) comprising a background in the theory and practice of the theater arts as well as a focus on either drama, theater design/technology, or dance. The course requirements are listed below. There is no comprehensive requirement for the minor.

• Two courses in the literature/history/theory of theater arts: 61 and 160
• One quarter of the 2-credit course 50
• One of the following courses in the student's area of focus: 10, 20, 30, or 40
• Three upper-division courses chosen from the following: 161, 163, 133,  134
• Two studio courses, one of which may be a faculty-directed production (151)

Independent Studies (199) and Field Studies (198) will not satisfy minor requirements unless approved in advance by an adviser and the chairperson.

Transfer students are advised to check with the department office to determine which courses can be articulated from a community college.

Fifth-Year Certificate Program

The Theater Arts Department offers a graduate certificate program that allows a limited number of students to refocus or intensify their skills, concentrating on performance reinforced by scholarship and research. The program provides the opportunity to experience the benefits of apprenticeship in an academic setting. Students follow an individual program suited to their background, needs, and interests while specializing in drama, design/technology, dance, playwriting, Western or non-Western theater, or dramatic literature.

Students in the graduate certificate program are expected to complete one academic year (fall-spring) as a full-time resident student, passing eight 5-credit theater arts courses. Of those eight courses, one is a required graduate seminar (course 290); and one must be chosen from the upper-division critical studies electives on offer. An incomplete in course 290 must be completed by the end of the following quarter of the residency year. The remainder of the program is designed by the student according to individual interests and needs in consultation with the faculty adviser. Many students elect to take faculty-supervised individual studies courses in their area of emphasis.

For additional information, contact the Theater Arts Department.