Performance Arts Course Descriptions
PERF0311 Emmanuel College Chorus
formerly MUSIC0109
The chorus is open to all students by audtion, including thse from the COF. There is atleast one major concert each semester. The chorus works in conjunction with the Colleges of the Fenway Orchestra and is often called upon to participate in programs throughout New England. Works performed range from the choral compositions of the great masters to the music of Broadway and American popular music.
Fall and Spring semester. 0 credits
PERF0312 Performing Techniques for the Singing Actor
formerly MUSIC0117
This course incorporates movement, acting, & vocal techniques for those interested in musical theatre & opera. Course study to culminate in a Scenes recital.
Fall and spring semester. 0 credits
PERF1101 Theatre: History and Appreciation (A)
This survey course traces the history of the theater as an art form, a branch of literature, a vocational craft and ultimately as an expression of the human condition. Students begin with an introduction to the elements of theater: its architecture, terminology and the roles and functions of each contributing artist in the theatrical process. From here the history of the theater is discussed, beginning with its early origins and including study of key eras in theater history: The Greek Theater, Religious Theater of the Middle Ages, the Elizabethan Era, The Restoration Theater, Victorian Spectacle and The Era of Modernism. Finally, a critical perspective is applied to the present-day theater, and students discuss how influences from each of the preceding eras have affected what is presented and expected by audiences today.
Spring semester. 4 credits
PERF1102 Introduction to the Performing Arts
A survey of dance, theater, and music through observation and listening, readings and experiential learning. The class will include lectures, discussions and attendance at performances. Students will study the varied roles of performing arts in history and throughout the world, as well as their role in contemporary society. The business of performing arts will be considered as well. Students will study music, theater and dance terminology, fundamentals and basic techniques of each art form.
Spring semester. 4 credits.
PERF 1111 Public Speaking: Voice and Diction
formerly SPCH1101
Fundamentals of public speaking are studied, including volume and projection, proper posture and voice-body integration, diction, clarity and techniques for engaging an audience. These skills are then applied to the composition, analysis and presentation of formal and informal speeches, as well as role-play exercises concerning other business and social situations.
Fall and spring semesters. 4 credits
PERF1211 Dance I: Concepts and Practice
formerly MUSIC1115
This course will teach the student the fundamentals of dance techniques and practices in the Western hemisphere. It will also adress the history of these dances, including the chronological and cross-cultural interactions that lead to the development of various dance types. Since dance is a major form of emotional and social expression in nearly every culture, the skills learned in this course will allow the student to "interpret, evaluate, analyze, and understand the products of imagination" across various regions through the art itself as well as through secondary (research) sources. Skills learned in this course can be applied to other courses, both general and major specific, in which musical, visual, and/or physical (the body) creativity is addressed.
Fall semester. 4 credits
PERF1212 Dance II: Concepts and Practice
formerly MUSCI1116
This course is a continuation of the creative process of dance through the study of the physical, historical and visual resources of dance. With the aid of dance films and lecture-demonstration and performance, this course will go in depth into the dance styles that wre introduced in Dance I: Concepts and Practice (PERF 1211). Musical theater dance and jazz will be expanded to develop dance literacy.
Spring semester. 4 credits
Prerequisite: PERF 1211 or permission of instructor
PERF1301 Song: From the Monks to the Monkees (A)
formerly MUSIC1102
In this course, we will explore the history of Western music through its songs. After learning certain basic musical concepts and discussing what types of works can fall under the category of "song", the topic will be explored by genre (e.g., love songs, sacred songs, drinking songs), with emphasis on text setting and stylistic characteristics. These issues will be addressed through lectures, reading, and video presentations; however, the greatest emphasis will be on in- and especially out-of-class listening.
Fall semester. 4 credits
PERF1302 Music-Theatre Through the Ages (A)
In this course, students will explore the history of Western music through music-theater. After learning certain basic musical concepts and discussing what types of works can fall under the category of "musictheater," the topic will be explored chronologically, starting with Medieval liturgical drama and ending with contemporary opera and film. Emphasis will be on addressing text setting, dramatic narrative, and stylistic characteristics. These issues will be addressed through lectures, reading and video presentations; however, the greatest emphasis will be on in-class and out-of-class listening and viewing.
Spring semester. 4 credits
PERF1303 History of the American Musical Theater (A)
formerly MUSIC1107
Emphasizing music and theater equally, this course studies the origins of American musical theater from its European opera and operetta influences, through vaudeville and minstrel shows and including the many variations of the form over the last half century. Other forms of popular music, such as jazz, folk and rock, are also studied.
Fall Semester. 4 credits
PERF1304 Musics of the World (A)
This course will explore non-Western music from various parts of the world. After an introduction of basic musical concepts, the history, culture and music of various peoples will be examined by geographic region. The topics will be addressed through lectures, reading and video presentations; however, the greatest emphasis will be on in-class and especially out-of-class listening.
Fall and Spring semester. 4 credits.
PERF1321 Foundations of Western Music (A)
formerly MUSIC1111
This course will teach the student the fundamentals of Western musical notation-its language, symbols, and concepts-as it applies to the basic elements of music: melody, harmony, rhythm, timbre, form/stucture. It will also address the history of notation, especially in terms of how the various methods of writing music down informed and interacted with the creation of music in any given period. The skills learned in this course will allow the student to "interpret, evaluate, analyze, and understand the products of (musical) imagination." to a far greater extent and in greater depth than one who has not learned them; and they are skill that can be appplied to other courses, both general and major specific, in which musical creativity is addressed.
Fall semester. 4 credits
PERF2101 Studies in Drama: Ritual and Social Reality
formerly SPCH2107
This course is a survey of dramatic literature from the classical period to the modern era, with an emphasis on drama's fundamentally communal character. The playwrights considered may include Sophocles, Aristophanes, Plautus, Shakespeare, Behn, Moliere, Ibsen, Chekhov, Brecht, and Beckett, as well as medieval and renaissance genres such as the mystery and morality plays and the commedia dell'arte.
Fall semester, alternate years. 4 credits
PERF2102 Modern Drama
formerly SPCH2105
This course analyzes selected plays by British, European, American, and world dramatists of the 20th century, with close attention to the evolving methods and sensibilities assosicated with the cultural movements of naturalism, modernism and postmodernism. Writers may include Ibsen, Shaw, Wilde, Brecht, Beckett, O'Neill, Soyinka, Churchill, Kushner, Friel, and Wilson.
Spring semester, alternate years. 4 credits
PERF2111 Acting I: Basic Techniques
formerly SPCH2101
This course is a production-oriented study of movement, acting and improvisation techniques. Students practice rehearsal methods, text analysis and interpretation, and receive working knowledge of the process of directing, mounting and producing a play.
Fall semester. 4 credits
PERF2112 Acting II: Styles and Genres
formerly SPCH2109
Basics fo Acting discusses in Acting I are applied to specific styles and genres, including Greek Drama, Elizabethan Theater, Restoration Comedy, Comedy of Manners and Realism. Students present scenes from classic plays and study the conventions of various major periods in Theater history.
Spring semester. 4 credtis
Prerequisite: PERF 2111
PERF2113 Playing Shakespeare: from Study to Stage
formerly SPCH2103
The course combines the reading of a small selection of Shakespeare's plays with a performance component in which students prepare scenes for class presentation. Students also consider staging and performance issues by attending live performances and by analyzing film versions of the plays. By adding a theatrical dimension to the traditional study of texts, the course translates the written word into that complex of speech and action that brings drama to life.
Spring semester, alternate years. 4 credits
PERF 2121 Playwriting
Students will learn the elements of a well-made play, guidelines for submission of manuscripts professionally to theater companies and dramatists' organizations, elements of drama, crafting of stage directions and the process of producing, acting in and directing original work. To this end students will each develop a new play workshop-style and also read from, act in and direct scenes from these original works. Emphasis will be placed on writing specifically for actors and directors. Recommended courses to take before enrolling in this course: perf-1101 and perf-2111.
Spring semester. 4 credits
PERF2321 Harmony through Creative Composition
formerly MUSIC2205
In this course, students will explore Western tonal harmony by writing their own works of music. Starting with short, single-line tunes and gradually working toward larger-scale melodies and harmonies, the basics of tonality-melody, rhythm, harmony, and form- will be learned and applied to create songs and/or works for solo or ensemble instruments. Students need not have had previous experience composing music, but a basic ability to read and notate music is required.
Spring semester. 4 credits
Prerequisite: PERF1321 or permission of instructor
PERF2322 Read and Sing!
This course will teach the skills necessary for being able to sing or perform a piece of music at sight. Through graduated work with rhythms, intervals, modes, keys, and words, students will, in the end, be able to look at a printed song, hear it in their head, and sing it without ever having heard it previously.
Spring semester. 4 credits
Prerequisite: PERF1321 or permission of instructor
PERF3101 Dramaturgy and Play Analysis
formerly SPCH3103
This course offers individualized work in theater history, readings, and research. Individual projects by class members are required.
Offered as needed. 4 credits.
PERF3111 Public Speaking: Interactive Speech
formerly SPCH3105
In this course, advanced techniques of interpersonal communication will be stressed, enabling the student to handle the complexities of business and social intereaction. Role-playing situations include interviews, negotiations and debates. An emphasis will be placed on audience interaction, proxemics and nonverbal communication, as well as the balance of power between parties in any situation where two or more parties directly interact.
Fall or Spring semester. 4 credits
Prerequisite: PERF 1111 or permission of Instructor
PERF3121 Theatrical Design and Production
formerly SPCH3100
In this course, students gain hands-on experience with every aspect of theatrical production, from show selection and script analysis to lighting, costuming and scenic design. In conjunction with the instructor, students will select a script or set of short scripts as the basis for a project portfolio. Each part of the production process will then be explored in relation to each student's project, beginning with the thematic analysis of the script, and continuing with set design, lighting design, costume design, sound design, prop selection, casting, blocking and production publicity. Professionals in each field may also be invited to visit class and field student questions. Students will also participate in the current Emmanuel College Theater Guild production, and will apply skills developed in class to the actual working production for credit. A particular emphasis will be placed on the technical side of the directorial process.
Spring semester. 4 credits
Prerequisite: PERF 1101 or permission of instructor
PERF4178/4179 Directed Study I and Directed Study II/Capstone
formerly SPCH/MUSIC 4178/4179
Students take part in independent and individual study in the field of their choice. Fields offered include: directing (student directs his or her own production under faculty supervision), playwriting, dramaturgy, individual performance, advanced technical projects, recital (voice or piano), topics in music theory, topics in musical analysis, topics in music history, and composition.
Fall and Spring semesters. 4 credits
PERF 4131 Theater Arts Internship
formerly SPCH4194
This internship is designed to offer the student related experience in a theatre company, organization or talent agency.
Fall and Spring semester. 4 credits
Prequisites: INT1001, PERF1111, PERF2111, PERF3111 and permission of Department Chair
PERF4331 Music Internship
formerly MUSIC4194
A music internship is designed to offer the student related experience in a company or organization.
Fall and Spring semester. 4 credits
Prerequisites: INT1001, PERF1321, PERF1302 or 1304, and Permissionof the Department Chair