Theatre Arts
Courses for THEA (THEA)
THEA
398/898
Special Topics in Theatre LINK| Credit Hours: | 1-24 |
| Max credits per semester: | 24 |
| Max credits per degree: | 24 |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
Prereqs:
Permission.
THEA
402/802
Advanced Stage Movement LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Max credits per semester: | 3 |
| Max credits per degree: | 9 |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
Actor movement training intended for the graduate and advanced undergraduate. Focus on the process of building a physical characterization, tumbling, kinesthetic awareness, movement improvisation, period styles, court dancing, mask, Commedia dell'Arte, and stage combat.
THEA
403/803
Advanced Voice Techniques LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Max credits per semester: | 3 |
| Max credits per degree: | 9 |
| Course Format: | Lecture 3 |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
Introduces actors to techniques ranging from commercial voice-over techniques, dialect mastery, and singing, to specialized voice/speech techniques for stage, screen, and new media.
THEA
406/806
Costume Crafts LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Course Format: | Studio 6 |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
The creation of various costume accessories, ornaments and hand properties categorized by the profession as costume crafts.
THEA
407/807
Auditioning LINK| Credit Hours: | 1 |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
Auditioning process, including resumes, interviews, preparation of pieces (forms, styles, and genres), cold readings, songs, etc.
THEA
408/808
Advanced Projects in Acting and/or Directing LINK| Credit Hours: | 1-3 |
| Max credits per semester: | 3 |
| Max credits per degree: | 9 |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
Prereqs:
Selected performance in acting and directing in University Theatre, and Experimental Theatre.
THEA
409/809
Advanced Projects in Technical Theatre LINK| Credit Hours: | 1-3 |
| Max credits per semester: | 3 |
| Max credits per degree: | 9 |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
Projects in scene design, costume design, lighting design, sound design, or technical direction. Planning and execution of designs for actual production.
THEA
410/810
Stage Lighting I LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Course Format: | Lecture 2, Lab 3 |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
Theory and practice of stage lighting. Instruments and control systems employed in lighting the stage. Color in light, its effect upon costume, makeup, and settings. Planning of light plots.
THEA
411/811
Stage Lighting II LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Course Format: | Lecture 2, Lab 3 |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
Intensive work in designing lighting for theatre, dance, musicals, and opera.
THEA
413/813
Scene Design II LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Course Format: | Lecture 2, Lab 3 |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
Theory and practice of scene design. Rendering techniques, period research, and multi-set productions.
THEA
414/814
Stage Lighting III LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Course Format: | Lecture, Lab |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
Advanced lighting design through the rendering of light story boards.
THEA
415/815
Production Design for Film and Television LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Course Format: | Lecture 3 |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
Theory and practice of production design for the camera. Research, design techniques, tools, and aspects specific to film and television.
THEA
416/816
Computer Aided Design (CAD) for Theatre LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
Prereqs:
12 hrs theatre arts, including THEA 201, and permission.
Computer Aided Design (CAD) as it applies to scenic, costume, and lighting design. Emphasis on two-dimensional drafting, three-dimensional modeling, and computer graphics.
THEA
418/818
Costume Design I LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Course Format: | Lecture 2, Lab 3 |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
Theory and practice of stage costume designs. Principles of design as they apply to theatrical costuming. Development of costume designs for the characters in a play through sketches, drawings, and color plates.
THEA
419/819
Costume Design II LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Course Format: | Lecture 2, Lab 3 |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
In-depth costume design in the areas of design conception and techniques of design communication. Application of principles learned in Costume Design I.
THEA
420/820
Problems in Technical Production LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Course Format: | Lecture 2, Lab 3 |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
In-depth theoretical and practical application of organization, materials, and techniques necessary for the planning, execution, maintenance, and use of stage scenery, and the proper and safe use and maintenance of the stage and shop facilities.
THEA
421/821
Drafting for the Theatre LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
Advanced techniques and practice in technical drafting as applied to theatrical scenic construction.
THEA
422/822
Theatre Architecture LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
Practice in planning of a theatre facility, including program writing, working with consultants and architects, equipment specification, space allocation, codes and regulations.
THEA
427/827
The American Theatre I LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
History and development of the professional American theatre from the beginning to 1900. Includes selected American plays which best characterize the period under consideration.
THEA
428/828
The American Theatre II LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
History and development of the professional American theatre from 1900 to the present day. Includes selected American plays which best characterize the period.
THEA
431/831
Advanced Playwriting LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Max credits per semester: | 3 |
| Max credits per degree: | 9 |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
Practice leading to the composition of a three-act play or equivalent long play.
THEA
432/832
Scene Painting LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
Prereqs:
12 hrs theatre arts including THEA 201, or permission.
Techniques and practice of scene painting for theatre, film, and television. Texture simulation, faux finishes, and realistic drop painting.
THEA
438/838
Film: Directing LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Course Format: | Lab, Lecture 3 |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
Prereqs:
Develop the skills required to successfully direct a film. Critically analyze a script; shape an actor's performance and balance the technical demands of each scene.
THEA
440/840
Continental Drama LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
Prereqs:
Junior standing or permission.
Most frequently produced plays 1652-1989 on European stages (excluding England). Structural aspects and reasons for the play's popularity among performers and audiences.
THEA
450/850
Sound Design I LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
Prereqs:
THEA 201 or permission
Theory and practice of sound design for live theatre. Extensive work with recording, mixing, effects, and playback devices.
THEA
451/851
Sound Design II LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
Advanced work with recording, editing, and playback devices. Training in digital editing using the ProTools LE platform. Planning and execution of full-length, realized, sound designs for departmental mainstage productions.
THEA
454/854
Sound for Film LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Course Format: | Lecture, Lab |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
Advanced application of studio and field recording techniques and Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) editing.
THEA
455/855
Musical Theatre Techniques LINKCrosslisted as MUOP 455/855| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Max credits per degree: | 3 |
| Course Format: | Lecture 3 |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
Advanced training in the integration of acting, movement, and singing skills for the performance of musical theatre. Training in artistic decision making that generates a character within a musical. Focus on a discipline of preparation and the resulting practice of performance; practical experiences with solos, duets, and ensembles from American Musical Theatre Repertoire.
THEA
457/857
Stage Rigging I LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
Prereqs:
THEA 201 or permission
Theory and practice of rigging for live theatre. Extensive work with fly systems, rope systems, and standard rigging hardware.
THEA
480/880
Technological Innovations in Film Production LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
Prereqs:
Senior standing and 3.0 GPA.
History of technological innovation in film. Sound, film format, color systems, lenses and lighting that have enhanced the finished product in the film industry.
THEA
481/881
Screenwriting: The Short Script LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
Character development, story structure, and problem solving. Writing for the short film.
THEA
482/882
Film Production I LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
Prereqs:
Students must have access to a camcorder.
"Film grammar" and non-sync film production.
THEA
484/884
Advanced Projects in Film Production and/or New Media LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Course Format: | Lecture 3 |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
Projects in screenwriting, film production, digital animation, and new media.
THEA
485/885
Post Production for Film and New Media LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Course Format: | Lecture, Quiz |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
Advanced studio software and techniques.
THEA
486/886
Film: Producing LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Course Format: | Lab 3, Lecture 3 |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
The budgeting, organizational, managerial and supervisory skills required by a creative film producer - from financing to distribution.
THEA
487/887
Digital Motion Graphics LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Course Format: | Lecture 3 |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
Prereqs:
THEA 489 or by permission.
Creating moving text and images using compositing and animation software. Also an introduction to basic 3D animation.
THEA
489/889
Film Production II LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
All projects are produced in film or digital video.
Advanced film production techniques including sync-sound, lighting, lab post-production and film business. Small group production of Cenema Verite's Experimental and Narrative short films.
THEA
491/891
Advanced Projects in Directing, Theatre Management and/or Stage Management LINK| Credit Hours: | 1-3 |
| Max credits per degree: | 9 |
| Course Format: | Independent Study |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
Selected projects in directing, theatre management, and/or stage management in University Theatre or Theatrix.
THEA
494/894
Internship in Theatre or Film LINK| Credit Hours: | 1-3 |
| Max credits per degree: | 6 |
| Course Format: | Field |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
Prereqs:
Permission.
Structured internships with professional organizations or individuals outside the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus or with Nebraska Educational Telecommunications.
THEA
801
Advanced Acting LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Max credits per degree: | 12 |
| Campus: | |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
Specific content for each semester may be obtained from the teaching faculty. The actor’s methods of character development in the major styles of acting including Realistic Drama, Elizabethan, Comedy, Theatre of the Absurd, Musical Theatre, and others, and the acting profession itself.
THEA
804
Evolution of Dramatic Theory I LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Campus: | |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
Prereqs:
12 hrs theatre arts and dramatic literature
Dramatic theory from Aristotle to Lessing with emphasis on the relationship of theory and practice on the stage.
THEA
805
Evolution of Dramatic Theory II LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Campus: | |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
Prereqs:
12 hrs theatre arts and dramatic literature
Dramatic theory continued from Lessing to the present.
THEA
812
Scene Design I LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Campus: | |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
Theory and practice of scene design. Application of the principles of design to stage settings. Development of the scene design for a play through sketches, color plates, models, and drawings.
THEA
823
Rendering for the Theatre LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Campus: | |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
Advanced practices in scenic rendering for theatre and film.
THEA
826
Lighting for Film LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Campus: | |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
Advanced application of film lighting concepts and techniques.
THEA
833
Advanced Costume Construction LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Course Format: | Studio |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
THEA
835
Period Patterning LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Max credits per degree: | 6 |
| Course Format: | Studio |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
THEA
836
Costume Rendering LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Course Format: | Studio |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
Practice in using various media and plate design; rendering techniques and costume plate experimentation to achieve variety in the portfolio, reflecting the mood and texture of each theatrical work.
THEA
837
Costume Design III LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Course Format: | Studio |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
Prereqs:
Advanced costume design techniques in specific types of performance arts.
THEA
845
Dramatic Theory and Practice LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Course Format: | Lecture 3 |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
Prereqs:
Permission of Instructor.
Significant questions in dramatic theory and practice of theatre and film production, beginning with Aristotle and continuing to film theory.
THEA
860
Script Analysis LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Campus: | |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
Prereqs:
Permission
Systematic approach for analyzing a play based on the four works of Stanislavski.
THEA
863
Director/Designer Communication LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Campus: | |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
Prereqs:
Undergraduate major in theatre
Projects, planning, and execution of various forms and styles involving the communication process between director and designer.
THEA
864
Detailed Scene Work I LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Campus: | |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
Prereqs:
12 hrs theatre arts
Practical work on scenes with actors and directors from selected realistic plays.
THEA
865
Detailed Scene Work II LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Campus: | |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
Prereqs:
12 hrs theatre arts
Further practical work on scenes with actors and directors, involving classical plays, verse drama, expressionistic pieces, or musical comedy.
THEA
870
Introduction to Pedagogy LINK| Credit Hours: | 1 |
| Campus: | |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
Introduces the graduate student to contemporary university level teaching theories and their classroom applications.
THEA
899
Masters Thesis LINK| Credit Hours: | 6-10 |
| Campus: | |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
Prereqs:
Admission to masters degree program and permission of major adviser
THEA
940
Seminar in Theatre Design LINK| Credit Hours: | 1-3 |
| Max credits per degree: | 12 |
| Campus: | |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
Prereqs:
Undergraduate major in theatre arts
THEA
956
Seminar in Theatre History LINK| Credit Hours: | 1-3 |
| Max credits per degree: | 12 |
| Campus: | |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
Prereqs:
Undergraduate major in theatre arts including 9 hrs theatre history and evolution of dramatic theory
Specialized topics in theatre history.
THEA
957B
Playwrights LINK| Campus: | |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
THEA
957D
Acting LINK| Campus: | |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
THEA
960
Internship LINK| Credit Hours: | 3-12 |
| Campus: | |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
Prereqs:
Permission only
Practical projects related to a professional theatre organization.
THEA
996
Research Problems Other Than Thesis LINK| Credit Hours: | 1-6 |
| Campus: | |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
THEA
999
Doctoral Dissertation LINK| Credit Hours: | 1-24 |
| Max credits per degree: | 55 |
| Campus: | |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
Prereqs:
Admission to doctoral degree program and permission of supervisory committee chair
Description
Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film
For a brief description of the program, application requirements and contact information, view the graduate program summary.
School Director: Paul Steger, M.F.A.
Graduate Committee: Professors Grange (chair), Miller, Steger; Associate Professors Brown, Endacott, H. Smith, V. Smith, E. Stauffer, J. Stauffer, Teo; Assistant Professors Borden, Kolbe, Shoemaker, Veneziano; Assistant Professor of Practice Patterson
The Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film offers graduate courses leading to the degree of master of fine arts.
Master of Fine Arts.
The requirements for the degree are as follows: 1) candidates must hold a bachelors degree with an undergraduate major in theatre from an accredited college or as approved by Graduate Committee; 2) at the time of application, the student must clearly state his/her degree objective, the curriculum in which he/she will work, and the area of specialization. Students applying in design and technical theatre should submit a portfolio of designs, production books, sketches, working drawings, and photographs. Applicants in acting must be auditioned and/or interviewed; 3) the completion of a minimum of 60 semester hours of credit in approved course work; 4) in lieu of a formal thesis, the production (under THEA 899) and submission of a body of original creative work in theatre of sufficient standard and related to the student’s area of major interest; 5) the passing of a final examination, either written or oral, administered by the school, in the student’s area of major interest.