Theatre Arts - Associate of Arts Degree

The Theatre Arts program is designed to provide:

• Preparation for transfer to a four year college theatre program with a course of study that results in a BA or BFA degree

• An AA degree representing equivalent of the first two years of a course of study in a four year college theatre program. The normal course of study in four year programs features a variety of classes in a track program format that develops the different aspects of theatre performance and technical skills such as acting, voice and diction, dance, production experience, stage craft, introduction to theatre, theatre history, directing, audition technique and text analysis.

• The program is also designed to provide courses such as Introduction to Theatre that fulfill general education requirements and courses of popular interest for non theatre major students such as dance and acting.

Major/Program Requirements

Career and Academic Pathways

Required Courses:

STUDENTS MUST CHOOSE ONE AREA OF EMPHASIS FROM THE FOLLOWING TWO (2) EMPHASIS OPTIONS:

Recommended Courses:

Total Credit Hours: 20.00-26.00

Lower division requirements for students interested in transferring to a four-year institution in this field may differ from associate degree requirements. Prospective transfer students should complete the general education and lower division requirements of the school to which they will be transferring. See a counselor for details. Information is also available at www.assist.org.

A student receiving a degree in this field will be able to:

• Demonstrate the ability to read an excerpt of a play news copy or other text using proper voice and diction.
• Analyze a play text and then use the psychophysical techniques of the Stanislavski system to internalize an appropriate imagined reality in order to create believable characters, realities and interplay on stage.
• Demonstrate the ability to co-operate in a group situation with other students to collectively prepare, organize and produce work either as an actor, musician, dancer, performer, director, technician or designer.
• Demonstrate the ability to be successfully complete a design process in set, light, sound and costume design, and to prepare, construct and set up technical elements in collaboration with others in the technical production of a show.
• Recognize and categorize different types of plays and theatrical styles according to historical period, genre and dramatic effect and how they are related to the social, political, or cultural issues in a given historical period, country, cultural context or era.
• Analyze a play and describe how the basic elements of plot, character, theme and language are specifically handled to produce a particular dramatic style or dramatic effect and employ critical thinking skills to analyze dramatic literature and cultural context during class discussions and to prepare and produce written papers that demonstrate analytical skill.

• Demonstrate through live performance a practical application of the varied schools of acting as well as the technical elements of theatre.