(For dance information, see Dance.)
Associate Professor Barbara W. Grossman,
Chair; Theatre History, Dramatic Literature and Criticism, Directing
Professor Laurence Senelick, Fletcher Professor of Oratory; Director
of Graduate Studies in Drama; Dramatic Literature and Theory, Theatre and Film
History
Associate Professor Downing Cless, Directing, Sociology of the
Theatre, Dramatic Literature and Theory
Associate Professor Alice E. Trexler, Director of Dance, Dance Studies
Assistant Professor Claire Conceison, Dramatic Literature and Theory,
Theatre History, Asian Studies
Assistant Professor Don Weingust, Shakespeare Studies,
Dramatic Literature and Theory, Theatre History, Acting
Lecturer Virginia B. Johnson, Head of Design and Technology
Lecturer Daniel McCusker, Dance
Lecturer Ted Simpson, Design
Lecturer Jesse Smith, Technical Director
Lecturer Judy Staicer, Design
Lecturer Sheriden Thomas, Acting and Directing
Part-time faculty:
Senior Lecturer
Neal Hirsig,
Multimedia
Lecturer Thomas Connolly, Theatre History, Dramatic Literature and
Criticism
Lecturer
Deborah Cooney, Voice and Speech
Lecturer Lynn Frederiksen, Dance
Lecturer Gretchen Hayden, Dance
Lecturer Susan Kouguell, Screenwriting
The Department of Drama and Dance provides a strong liberal arts approach to the creative, historical, and aesthetic dimensions of performance. The curriculum fosters critical thinking and imaginative challenges, whether through experiences with literature and history or participation in performance.
The department offers a variety of courses, complemented by an active season of productions. Students have the opportunity to apply the artistic and analytical skills they develop in class to the demands of live performance. Courses and productions are open to all Tufts students, regardless of major. Whether in the classroom, the dance lab, or the theatre, every course in the department fulfills the arts distribution requirement.
Performance Activities
Each year the department produces a full and varied season of performances in
the Balch Arena Theater, a flexible theatre-in-the-round. The season consists of
three faculty-directed productions, as well as a number of student-directed
shows. Several student groups are active throughout the year in the Arena and
other spaces on campus. These include Pen, Paint, and Pretzels (3Ps), the
student theatre group--which is Tufts' oldest student organization and has been
active for more than ninety years--and Torn Ticket II, which is dedicated to
musical theatre. There are other performance opportunities with Cheap Sox
(improvisational comedy), HYPE! (mime), Traveling Treasure Trunk (children's
theatre), Sarabande Dance Ensemble, and Tufts Dance Collective.
The production program allows students to explore all areas of theatre and dance outside the classroom. They are involved in every aspect of production, from backstage work as stage managers and crew members, to directing and/or choreographing shows, designing, performing, even producing. They experience the joys and challenges of live performance, as well as the satisfaction of working as part of a creative ensemble on a project for a significant period of time.
Undergraduate Concentration Requirements
Major in Drama
The major in drama
provides a balanced mix of study and practice, understanding and process,
thinking and doing. It demands much of and gives much to students in the
development of creativity, adaptability, and analytical thinking. With its
emphasis on effective communication and imaginative exploration, a drama major
is one of the best preparations for a variety of careers, as well as for
graduate professional training and work in a theatre arts specialization. Drama
majors often complete double majors in combination with many other departments
and programs.
The drama major consists of eleven course credits and related requirements, including:
1) Five course credits in history, literature,
and/or theory of drama, four of which are required: Drama 1 (Comedy and
Tragedy), 4 (Modern Drama), 137 (Theatre and Society I: Prehistory through the
Renaissance), 138 (Theatre and Society II: The Early Modern Period). The fifth
is an elective from an approved list.
2) Drama 17 (Introduction to Theatre Technology). This course is a prerequisite
for Drama 18 (Stage Lighting Design).
3) Drama 19 (Introduction to Theatre Design). This course is a prerequisite for
upper-level courses in costume and scene design. The combination of Drama 17 and
19 provides a solid foundation for students who want to pursue more advanced
study in these areas.
4) Two course credits in acting/directing/movement or studio dance/voice
(excluding Drama 80).
5) Two electives in the student's specific area of interest, at least one of
which must be an upper-level course. A maximum of two one-half course credits of
Drama 80 and/or 81 may be used to fulfill the requirements for the major.
6) A noncredit run crew on a faculty-directed major production (assistant stage
manager, light board operator, sound board operator, costume crew, deck crew,
house management).
7) A noncredit prep crew on a faculty-directed major production consisting of
thirty hours of production-related preparatory work in a given semester.
8) Each drama major is expected to gain experience in the creative aspects of
drama and/or dance through involvement in the production program of the
university. Graduating magna cum laude or summa cum laude with a drama major is
contingent not only on scholastic achievement, but on significant participation
in productions.
Students considering a drama major will find it advantageous to complete Drama 1, the crew requirement, and an introductory-level course in either studio dance/acting or design/technology by the end of the sophomore year. This will allow greater flexibility in scheduling course work and more opportunities for advanced-level production responsibilities later on.
We strongly recommend that students who plan to
pursue professional training or graduate school take more than the
eleven-course-credit minimum, especially in an area of specialization.
Undergraduate Minor Programs
Minor in Drama or Dance
The minor consists
of a minimum of five course credits taken in the department (or 4.5 if dance),
in a plan approved by the designated minor adviser. Two courses must be taken in
literature/history (selected from Drama 1, 4, 137, 138; Dance 70, 195), or one
course of literature/history and one credit of dance theory (Dance 117 with a
prerequisite of Dance 51 or consent), or selected special topics courses. Only
one studio dance repeat can be applied to the minor.
Interdisciplinary Minor in Film Studies
This
interdisciplinary minor is offered through the Communications and Media Studies
Program. For more information, see Communications and Media Studies. .
Interdisciplinary Minor in Multimedia Arts
This is an
interdisciplinary minor of the Departments of Art and Art History, Drama and
Dance, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Music. For more information, see
Multimedia Arts.
Graduate Program
For admission to graduate work in drama, a prospective student must present a
completed undergraduate record of high scholastic proficiency with a firm
grounding in drama and theatre arts. Other desirable foundation subjects include
cultural studies, art history, music, philosophy, psychology, sociology,
history, and literature.
The program of study leading to the doctor of philosophy or master of arts degree in drama embraces dramatic literature, dramatic theory and criticism, and theatre history and research. It is expected that applicants for admission will already have attained a level of proficiency in the creative and/or performance aspects of theatre..
Courses of study for the satisfaction of the residence requirement do not include theatrical practice or stage performance. Dramaturgy for a faculty-directed play may be used for credit once.
Depending on the individual student's educational background, intellectual capabilities, and professional aims, certain courses in other disciplines--anthropology, art history, Chinese, classics, English, French, German, history, Italian, Japanese, music, philosophy, Russian, sociology, and Spanish--may be taken for credit toward advanced degrees in drama, upon consent of the graduate adviser of the Department of Drama and Dance.
Master of Arts
In general, the
student is expected to offer for admission the equivalent of a Tufts bachelor of
arts degree with a major in drama. A student whose undergraduate preparation is
not equivalent may be admitted provisionally and may be required to complete
more than the minimum eight courses or make up deficiencies at no degree credit.
REQUIREMENTS AND RESIDENCE
A
minimum of eight courses of graduate-level work in residence is required for the
degree. Additionally, the student must satisfy the following requirements to
qualify for the master of arts degree in drama:
1) The student must demonstrate a reading knowledge
of a foreign language by passing an examination or an approved course no later
than the end of the first year. A student whose undergraduate record indicates
successful performance in a language course at the advanced level may be exempt.
2) Understanding of the basic principles and practices of design and technical
theatre is to be demonstrated in the student's prior experience or by
satisfactory completion of Drama 17 or 19, taken without credit during the first
year of residence.
3) The student must demonstrate an understanding of the principal theories and
methods of acting. This requirement may be fulfilled either by satisfactory
completion of Drama 10, taken without credit during the first semester of
residence, or by presentation of evidence of study and experience in acting.
4) Unless a student's undergraduate record indicates completion of two courses
or their equivalent in history of the theatre, Drama 137 and 138 must be taken
for credit.
5) The student must take a minimum of four courses in graduate seminars selected
from the following: Drama 220, 231, 235, 236, 240, 244, 248, 249, 251, 252, 254,
255, 258, 259, 261, 262, or 263. Also, certain related courses in other
departments may be credited toward the master of arts degree in drama (not more
than one in a semester), with prior consent of the adviser.
6) The student must demonstrate an ability to deal with the concepts and
problems of a particular area of scholarly specialization at a level of
distinction. The student must satisfy this requirement by completing a scholarly
thesis (one semester of Drama 295 or 296).
POLICY ON INCOMPLETE GRADES
Any graduate student with more than one incomplete grade at the end of a
term's study will receive warning that his or her status in the program is in
jeopardy. Any student on financial aid or assistantship who has more than one
incomplete grade at the end of a term's study will have his or her appointment
withdrawn.
All incomplete grades must be completed no later than six weeks after the end of the semester or summer session in which the incomplete was awarded, or the student will be required to withdraw from the program.
The above stipulations may be waived only by petition of the student, duly supported, and the voting consent of the graduate faculty.
Doctor of Philosophy
For admission to
the program the applicant is generally expected to offer the equivalent of a
Tufts master of arts degree in drama and to give evidence of experience in
theatrical production in the resume. A student whose prior preparation is not
equivalent may be admitted provisionally and required to take additional courses
achieving a grade not lower than B- to make up deficiencies at no degree credit
REQUIREMENTS AND RESIDENCE
Course work extending approximately three academic years beyond the B.A. degree,
normally 18 courses (including two courses for dissertation research), is
required. Part-time study or less than full-time residence in the Ph.D. program
is discouraged. Eight seminars within the department are required of all Ph.D.
students, including two seminars in dramatic or performance theory and Drama
220: Introduction to Research Methods and Materials (to be taken on entering).
With prior consent of the adviser, certain advanced courses outside the
department may be credited toward the Ph.D. degree (not more than one course in
a semester).
Students with a master's degree may be credited toward the doctorate with up to six courses in their previous graduate study that satisfy course requirements for the Tufts doctorate in drama. However, acceptance into candidacy for the doctoral degree ordinarily depends on the quality of work done in the student's first year of residence at Tufts. Transfer of courses is not automatic, and each case is judged on its individual merit by the graduate faculty. A student may apply for transfer of courses earned through graduate work in other schools only after the satisfactory completion of at least one semester of residence at Tufts.
POLICY ON INCOMPLETE GRADES
Doctoral candidates should note the restrictions on incomplete grades stated in the
section on the master's degree.
FOREIGN LANGUAGE
A
student must demonstrate a reading knowledge of two foreign languages. Because a
significant amount of material in this program can be read only in primary
sources, the student is expected to satisfy the language requirements by passing
an examination or accepted course in one language no later than the end of the
first year of residence, and the other language prior to taking the
comprehensive examinations. A student whose undergraduate record indicates
successful performance in a language course at the advanced level may be exempt.
COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATIONS
After the last semester of courses, the student will complete comprehensive
examinations to establish his or her candidacy for the doctoral degree. These
examinations will be both written and oral.
DISSERTATION
The
candidate for the doctoral degree must prove competence in independent research
by preparing and completing a dissertation on a subject chosen and planned with
the approval of the department's graduate faculty and written under the
supervision of an adviser. Ordinarily the student will complete the dissertation
while in residence, although for special reasons he or she may be permitted to
finish it elsewhere within the time limit established by the graduate school.
COURSES AVAILABLE IN THE DOCTORAL DEGREE PROGRAM
Although each of these courses are not offered every year, the student may
expect to find all of them available during the period of residence. A doctoral
candidate is expected, as part of the course load, to enroll in two seminars
each semester (200-level courses).
Departmental courses which may be taken at
the graduate level:
Drama 133 The American Musical
Drama 137 Theatre and Society I: Prehistory to the Renaissance
Drama 138 Theatre and Society II: The Early Modern Period
Drama 143 Gay and Lesbian Theatre and Film
Drama 144 Asian Performance
Drama 149 Asian-American Stage and Screen
Drama 157 Bertolt Brecht
Drama 160 Shakespeare on Film
For more detailed information, please visit the website http://ase.tufts.edu/drama-dance.
To view Course Descriptions, please go to: http://webcenter.studentservices.tufts.edu/courses/main.asp.