Introduction

The Barnard College Theatre major, a joint program with the Columbia College major in Drama and Theatre Arts takes an integrative approach to theatre and performance studies, engaging the complex interaction between creation and critique.  The major program at once develops a keen sense of the practices of acting, directing, design, and playwriting, while introducing students to the dynamic range of world performance traditions.

In the program, students engage theatre and performance through a wide range of courses:  in acting, directing, design, and in the intellectual and critical traditions of theatre studies.  The major program then encourages specialization in more advanced courses.  The major culminates in an ambitious senior project, an intellectual inquiry based in performance or scholarship, which can take the form of a written thesis based on original research, or on original creative work in acting, directing, design, or playwriting.



New Majors

If you are thinking of becoming a Theatre major, here's what you should do: one, read this guide and the relevant section of the Barnard Catalogue or the Columbia Bulletin; two, (if possible) talk to an upper-class major; and three, make an appointment with the Department Chair. You can also meet with any other full-time faculty to discuss the major, but the Chair must sign your major form if you are a Barnard student. You will have a major advisor from the full-time Theatre faculty. Please note that majors are declared in the second semester of the sophomore year. When you declare your major, introduce yourself to our Departmental Assistant; make sure that we know how to reach you. If you are a Columbia student, you should do all of the above, and Patricia Denison, Director of Undergraduate Studies, Drama and Theatre Arts, will be your advisor.



Major Requirements

Click here to download the THEATRE MAJOR SELF-AUDIT FORM.

Students intending to major in Theatre should consult with the Department Chair in their sophomore year or earlier to plan a program. Twelve courses and one senior thesis (in Performance or in History, Theory, Dramaturgy, and Criticism) are required as follows:

Dramatic literature and theatre history
Two courses in Theatre History: THTR V 3150 and 3151
One course in Drama, Theatre, and Theory: THTR V 3166 or ENTA W 3702
One course in Shakespeare
Two courses in Dramatic Literature. One course must be a seminar.

Theatre Practice
One course in World Theatre: THTR V 3000
One course in Theatre Design: THTR V 3133, 3134,3135,3136, 3510, 4001
One course in Acting: THTR V 3004, 3005
One course in Directing: THTR V 3200, 3201
Two courses that continue work in one of these areas: design, acting, directing, or playwriting. These choices should be made in consultation with the major adviser. Other courses may be substituted with the chair’s permission.

Senior Thesis
THTR V 3997 Senior Thesis: Performance (design, acting, directing, or playwriting) or THTR V 3998 Senior Thesis: History, Theory, Dramaturgy, Criticism.

Production Crew
Before doing their Senior Thesis: Performance, students should complete a major and a minor crew requirement. The minor crew requirement is usually completed in the first two years, and consists of production work such as board operator, run crew, build, paint, electrics, wardrobe crew. The major crew requirement is usually completed in the junior year during Senior Thesis Festival. Some examples of major crew requirement positions are stage manager, prop master, master electrician, paint charge, assistant technical director.  Assistant design positions may be considered for fulfillment of crew requirements, depending on the needs of the production.

Studio Courses
Please note that for Barnard students there is a limit on studio courses. Theatre majors may take 24 studio points in Theatre and an additional six in another discipline for a total of 30 studio points. Theatre Department studio courses are THTR V 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2120, 3004, 3005, 3006, 3122.

Graduate Courses
Only under special circumstances, and with the permission of the instructor, can undergraduates take graduate classes.



Options Within The Major

The major consists of several lines of inquiry and concentration:

a. Drama and Theatre Studies
All majors take required courses in Theatre History; Drama, Theatre, and Theory; World Theatre; Shakespeare; and two elective courses in dramatic literature. These requirements at once introduce students to broad histories and methods of theatre studies, and develop critical conceptual and theoretical categories for thinking through the work of drama, theatre, and performance. Courses are sometimes offered as lectures, and sometimes as research-led discussion seminars, in which students develop an original inquiry working closely with research faculty. This work may become the basis for a senior research thesis, in which the student again works closely with a research-faculty mentor.

b. Acting.
All majors must take one upper-level course in Acting. The Acting program is designed to develop the essential elements for a confident, fluid, and articulate self-presentation in performance. One set of courses--Acting Workshop, Scene Lab, Movement for Actors, Voice and Speech--develops the actor's physical and expressive instrument, concentrating on the intellectual, physical, and emotional resources essential to effective acting. A second set--the Acting Lab sequence and Advanced Acting-address the critical, conceptual, and embodied demands of a specific range of performance, such as Acting Chekhov, Acting Shakespeare, Acting the Song, Improvisation, Solo Performance, Avant Garde Acting, and so on. Students wishing to specialize in acting, or to propose an acting thesis, are encouraged to work closely with members of the acting faculty in selecting their program of study.

c. Design.
All majors must take one course in Design. The Design program emphasizes a clear engagement with dramatic writing, the development of a sophisticated visual point of view, an understanding of materials and the ability to communicate ideas through solid craftsmanship. The department offers coursework in the principal design fields-scenic, costume, lighting, and sound-and students are encouraged to develop a critical focus in one or more design fields. Particular emphasis is placed on the designer's collaborative role in the production process, and students frequently undertake advanced design work in relation to the Department's production season, under the guidance of a faculty member, as well as working with the design faculty on the senior thesis in design.

d. Directing.
All majors must take one course in Directing. The directing program develops the interpretive and spatializing imagination needed to bring dramatic writing effectively to the stage; we understand contemporary directing as part of an ongoing dialogue with the salient dramaturgic and representational traditions of modern culture. The History and Practice of Directing course and the Directing Lab provide a vivid engagement with the range and history of directing as an artistic process; students approved for the directing thesis also take Advanced Directing, and direct a play as part of the Department's annual Senior Thesis Festival. Students wishing to specialize in directing, or to undertake a senior thesis in directing, should contact members of the directing faculty early, and be certain to take courses in the sequence as early as possible.

e. Playwriting.
Playwriting is not a required element of the major program, but students may specialize in playwriting as part of their course and thesis work. The playwriting program foregrounds the critical role that writing can play in changing the expectations, aesthetics, and practices of performance. Playwriting courses in the major program at once investigate the formal and narrative scope of dramatic writing today, and provide opportunities for experimentation, innovation, and the invention of new languages of the stage. Students undertaking the senior thesis in playwriting work closely with members of the playwriting faculty in formal courses, as well as in developing their work for the Festival of New Plays, a staged reading of thesis plays.

f. Dramaturgy.
The dramaturg has played a central role in the European theatre of the past two hundred years, and has become increasingly visible in contemporary American theatre as well. While dramaturgy is not a required element of the major program, the Barnard department is currently developing plans for a program in dramaturgy, which will emphasize the dramaturg's critical role as artistic collaborator, conceptual provocateur, cultural and theatrical historian, and voice for the critical work of performance in stage production. The dramaturgy concentration will entail formal coursework in dramaturgy, and provide opportunities for departmental stage productions to have student dramaturgs, a role that would lead to the senior thesis in dramaturgy.

The Senior Thesis

Click here to download the SENIOR THESIS QUESTIONNAIRE (Word format)

The Theatre /Drama and Theatre Arts major offers several senior thesis formats: a research thesis; a new play; a new work for solo performance; and acting in, designing for, or directing a production in the Department's season. Here's how they work in practice.

All students apply in January of the junior year to be considered for a specific thesis option, or a ranked list of options, for the following year, their senior year. The Thesis Questionnaire asks for both rankings and a rationale for the choices selected. Students should be aware that several of the options require the completion of specific coursework prior to the senior year for the student to be considered (i.e., students requesting a Directing thesis must have taken both History and Practice of Directing and Directing Lab by the end of the junior year). The Chair will consult with the Thesis committee, and will notify all students about their thesis as soon as possible, generally before spring break of the junior year. All theses will have a supervisor and a second reader, who will come to a consensus on the final grade.

1. Research. The thesis is typically in the range of 25-30 pages, and undertakes an original, critical study of a problem in the history, theory, or practice of drama, theatre, and performance. Typically, students wishing to undertake a research thesis identify a potential subject and research faculty member with whom to work in the year prior to the thesis. The thesis may be developed from an existing paper written for a course, or be a new departure. It's useful for the student and faculty member to meet during the junior year to discuss plans, so that the summer can be used for reading, gathering material, etc. The fall provides an additional opportunity for meeting, discussing the research process, evaluating and developing sources, and argument. Although the Thesis course-THTR V3998-is typically taken in the spring semester and supports additional research and the writing of the thesis itself, the course may be taken in the fall term by students who plan to graduate after the fall semester. The final copy of the thesis is due in the Theatre Department office one week before the last class of the semester, in duplicate: one copy will be read by the supervising faculty member, and a second by a member of the faculty (drawn from the Barnard Theatre Department, the Columbia Interdepartmental Committee on Drama and Theatre Arts, or from the School of the Arts) appointed by the Chair, who will come to agreement on the final grade, submitted by the supervisor. The final grade is based on the quality of the research, the conceptualization of evidence and structure of argumentation, and the character of the writing.

2. Dramaturgy. Typically, students undertaking a dramaturgy thesis will be assigned during the spring of their junior year to a departmental show the following season, so that they know the play, director, and design team before the summer. The dramaturg is involved in all production meetings, works closely with the director in developing the show, and attends rehearsals in consultation with the director; the dramaturg's research is part of the production process, and is shared with the director, designers, and cast, as well as being part of the structure of the program. The Thesis course-THTR V3998-is taken in the semester in which the dramaturgy project is undertaken, and is supervised by a member of the research/dramaturgy faculty. The written component of the thesis is due in the Theatre Department office one week before the last class of the semester: the production notebook and two copies of the essay (15 pp. plus notes and bibliography), which critically assesses the play, its production history, and the work of dramaturgy in this production. One copy will be read by the supervising faculty member, and a second by a member of the faculty (drawn from the Barnard Theatre Department, the Columbia Interdepartmental Committee on Drama and Theatre Arts, or from the School of the Arts) appointed by the Chair, who will come to agreement on the final grade, submitted by the supervisor. Both evaluators must see the thesis production as well as read the written material, and grade the thesis based on a holistic evaluation of the production process, the performance itself, and the quality of the candidate's research and reflection on the project.

3. Directing. Typically, students approved for a directing thesis will have their final play selection decided prior to the end of their junior year, for inclusion in the Thesis Festival. The Department does not sponsor thesis productions outside the scope of the festival. All students undertaking the thesis in Directing must register for (or attend if they have already taken) Advanced Directing in the fall semester, and register for THTR V3997 in the spring with the Directing thesis supervisor (usually the faculty member who taught Advanced Directing in the fall). The written component of the thesis is due in the Theatre Department office one week before the last class of the semester, in duplicate. The essay (10 pp. plus notes and bibliography) might address the play's production history, but necessarily engages the directorial purpose of this production and its conception, and provides an opportunity to interrogate decisions raised by the production process; it is expected to be in conversation as well with the play's critical, social, and cultural history. One copy will be read by the supervising faculty member, and a second by another member of the faculty (drawn from the Barnard Theatre Department, the Columbia Interdepartmental Committee on Drama and Theatre Arts, or from the School of the Arts) appointed by the Chair, who will come to agreement on the final grade, submitted by the supervisor. Both evaluators must see the thesis production as well as read the written material, and grade the thesis based on a holistic evaluation of the production process, the performance itself, and the quality of the candidate's research and reflection on the project.

4. Acting. Students approved for the acting thesis are required to audition both semesters and will be cast in a show during their senior year. All students taking the acting thesis register for the thesis course-THTR V3997--in the semester in which they are cast in their thesis performance. The supervisor of the thesis is generally the director of the production, but on some occasions a member of the acting faculty may be appointed by the Chair to fulfill this role. The written component of the thesis is due in the Theatre Department office one week before the last class of the semester, in duplicate. The essay (10 pp. plus notes and bibliography) should critically assess the play, the student's approach to the role, and his/her work in relation to the objectives of the production as a whole; some account of other performers in the role might be useful to highlight the specificity of this performance as well, and the essay is expected to be in conversation with the play's critical , social, and cultural history. One copy will be read by the supervising faculty member, and a second by another member of the faculty (drawn from the Barnard Theatre Department, the Columbia Interdepartmental Committee on Drama and Theatre Arts, or from the School of the Arts) appointed by the Chair, who will come to agreement on the final grade, submitted by the supervisor. Both evaluators must see the thesis production as well as read the written material, and grade the thesis based on a holistic evaluation of the production process, the performance itself, and the quality of the candidate's reflection on the project.

5. Solo Performance. Students approved for the Solo Performance thesis register for the thesis course-THTR V3997--in the spring semester of the senior year. Students undertaking the Solo Performance thesis must attend the Solo Performance course; the instructor of the Solo Performance course typically serves as the supervisor of the thesis as well. The written component of the thesis (the script and the 10-page essay) is due in the Theatre Department office one week before the last class of the semester, in duplicate. The essay (10 pp. plus notes and bibliography) should critically assess the script, and the challenges both of the writing and of the performance. One copy of the thesis will be read by the supervising faculty member, and a second by another member of the faculty (drawn from the Barnard Theatre Department, the Columbia Interdepartmental Committee on Drama and Theatre Arts, or from the School of the Arts) appointed by the chair, who will come to agreement on the final grade, submitted by the supervisor. Both evaluators must see the thesis production as well as read the written material, and grade the thesis based on a holistic evaluation of the production process, the performance itself, and the quality of the candidate's reflection on the project.

6. Design. Typically, students approved for a design thesis will be assigned to a show during the spring semester of their junior year, and will undertake the thesis the following year. Thesis students are part of the production team and have an equal part in the production process; they should register for the thesis course-THTR V3997-with a member of the design faculty during the semester in which they are designing the show. The written component of the thesis--a portfolio documenting the design process (research, sketches, model pictures, storyboards, costume renderings, swatches, drafting, light plot, production photos, etc. ) and an essay (10 pp. plus notes and bibliography) critically assessing the play, its critical, social, and cultural history, the conceptual work of the design, and its relation both to the history of production and to the efficacy of this production, are due in the Theatre Department office one week before the last class of the semester; the essay is due in duplicate. One copy of the thesis will be read by the supervising faculty member, and a second by another member of the faculty (drawn from the Barnard Theatre Department, the Columbia Interdepartmental Committee on Drama and Theatre Arts, or from the School of the Arts) appointed by the Chair, who will come to agreement on the final grade, submitted by the supervisor. Both evaluators must see the thesis production as well as read the written material, and grade the thesis based on a holistic evaluation of the production process, the performance itself, and the quality of the candidate's research and reflection on the project.

7. Playwriting. Students approved for a playwriting thesis register for the thesis, THTR V3997, typically in their final semester, and also attend the Playwriting Lab. The instructor of the Playwriting Lab typically serves as the thesis supervisor. The thesis play will be presented in the Department's annual festival of new plays. The written component of the thesis (the script and the 10-page essay) is due in the Theatre Department office one week before the last class of the semester, in duplicate. The essay (10 pp. plus notes and bibliography) should critically assess the script, and the challenges both of the writing and of the performance, and should be submitted in duplicate to the Theatre Department office one week before the last class of the semester. One copy will be read by the supervising faculty member, and a second by another member of the faculty (drawn from the Barnard Theatre Department, the Columbia Interdepartmental Committee on Drama and Theatre Arts, or from the School of the Arts) appointed by the Chair, who will come to agreement on the final grade, submitted by the supervisor. Both evaluators must see the thesis production as well as read the written material, and grade the thesis based on a holistic evaluation of the production process, the performance itself, and the quality of the candidate's reflection on the project .

Auditions

Click here for the full audition guidelines

Auditions are held in the Minor Latham Playhouse, on the first floor of Milbank Hall at Barnard. Sign up for an audition at the end of the preceding term or immediately on arrival for the new term. Please prepare a two-minute monologue; it can be modern, classical, or original. There will also be material provided by the department at auditions if you prefer to use this. You will be expected to participate in a group warm-up and to stay throughout the two-hour session. The season's plays are posted on the departmental website. Auditions are also used to place students in acting classes. Please note that you may not pre-register for acting classes. There are also auditions later in the semester for directing and playwriting projects.



Production Crew

Crew positions are open to all students. For new students, production crew is a good way to enter to the life of the department. Please contact Greg Winkler, Technical Director, or Michael Banta, Production Manager, to discuss available projects.

Theatre majors should plan on being in production crews. Before doing their Senior Thesis: Performance, students should complete a major and a minor crew requirement. The minor crew requirement is usually completed in the first two years, and consists of production work such as board operator, run crew, build, paint, electrics, wardrobe crew. The major crew requirement is usually completed in the junior year during Senior Thesis Festival. Some examples of major crew requirement positions are stage manager, prop master, master electrician, paint charge, assistant technical director.  Assistant design positions may be considered for fulfillment of crew requirements, depending on the needs of the production.



Productions

Students interested in theatre are encouraged to attend all departmental productions.  Academic credit is given for work in departmental productions through the course THTR V 3122 Rehearsal and Performance. This is available for cast and crew members, stage managers and/or designers. The credit is variable, from 1-3 units; please consult Rehearsal and Performance faculty to confirm appropriate credit for your work. Registration for this course should be done at the beginning of the term, as soon as cast lists are posted. The Barnard Registrar's office discourages late petitions for these credits and may not waive the $150 late fee if you wait to add the course later in the term. Columbia students must petition if they enter the class after registration closes; to do so, fill out the appropriate form and leave it on the Chair's door for a signature and then turn in the form to the Registrar's Office. If you would like to attend productions free of charge, you can usher regularly. Sign up sheets will be posted in the lobby outside the Minor Latham Playhouse, 118 Milbank Hall.



Space

Rehearsal and performance space is at a premium here, and we ask that you be understanding of this fact. Students in acting classes are expected to rehearse in common rooms or public spaces. Directing and playwriting students can schedule space through the instructor only. Senior thesis students should schedule space with the producer of the Senior Festival. Faculty members should schedule space directly with Michael Banta, Production Manager. Students needing to use the shop should make arrangements  with Greg Winkler, Technical Director.  We do not, unfortunately, have space available for projects that are not part of Theatre Department course work. Extra-curricular space is handled by the College Activities Office. Theatre students may also schedule space through this office.



Costumes & Props

Costumes and props are available for use in class scenework and Theatre Department-produced student productions (such as Senior Thesis or Advanced Directing shows). In an acting class, you should work through your instructor only---s/he will get what is needed and distribute things to the class. Directing students should meet with Kara Feely, Costume Shop Manager, at the scheduled times posted. Please do not go into the prop or costume room and take things; we will happily supply you with what you need (if we have it), but we need to keep a system in place for everyone's sanity.



Play Library

There is a small collection of plays available for borrowing in the Production Office, 236 Milbank. We welcome any additions you might like to donate. You will also find a limited amount of reserved reading for Theatre classes in this room.



The Theatre Office

Department offices are located on the 5th floor of Milbank---take the elevator to 4, turn left, and walk up to 5. Faculty offices are there, as well as faculty mailboxes. The office of our Departmental Assistant is located on the 4th floor, 404 Milbank, next to the stairs leading to the 5th floor.



Work-Study

There are a limited number of work-study positions for students on financial aid (Federal Workstudy or Barnard/Columbia College Jobs). If you are interested in a theatre job, please email Jessica Brater, Theatre Administrator, at jbrater@barnard.edu early in the fall semester. It is essential that we know your schedule before you are hired. We are particularly interested in students with the following skills: carpentry, sewing, lighting, painting, handling audio-visual equipment, computer graphics, web skills, typing, office work, publicity, box office, house and stage management. We have positions for both Barnard and Columbia students. Hours range from 4-8 a week. Please do not consider applying for a position unless you are willing to make a serious commitment to regular hours throughout the semester. There may be openings in the Spring as well; please e-mail Michael Banta at the end of the Fall semester if you are interested.