Theater and Performance Studies
Overview
The heart of Theater and Performance Studies is practice and production. Our shows are supported by rigorous training and analysis through the study of performance theory, history, technique, and literature. Students learn through embodied practice, applying their research in performance contexts. With numerous opportunities to explore areas ranging from dramaturgy to acting, from set design to stage management, and from playwriting to directing, students also learn to apply a performance studies lens onto other phenomena in the world outside the traditional boundaries of theater. Embedded within a Liberal Arts institution, our classes are interdisciplinary and the pathway to a major or minor is holistic. After completing the introductory courses, students can craft their trajectory through the major, taking advanced courses in their areas of interest, such as in acting, playwriting, solo performance, directing, design, performance studies and theater research, stage management, and technical theater.
A Theater and Performance Studies major culminates with a senior comprehensive project in the student’s area of interest supported by direct mentorship and guidance from department faculty and staff.
Located in the arts capital of Los Angeles, the department engages with community partners and arts institutions. From attending productions at southern California theaters to bringing arts education into local schools to a sustained internship program to bringing in local artists into our classes and to our relationship with Oxy Arts, being in the city of Los Angeles is integral to our work.
The department taps into national and international theater movements, and frequently hosts guest artists, speakers, and performers from around the world.
Students in Theater and Performance Studies will:
- Become collaborative artist-scholars with a deep understanding of the power of performance in and on the world.
- Find their own voices and the means to express those voices through learning aesthetic and creative skills.
- Combine theory and practice through embodied expression.
- Engage with the local and global community through the practice and study of live performance.
- Transform their ideas into performed expressions inside and outside of the theater.
Requirements
Major
The major consists of 48 units. Students who major in the Department of Theater and Performance Studies pursue the following program of study:
| THEA 100 | On and Beyond the Stage: Introduction to Theater and Performance Studies | 4 units |
| THEA 101 | Dramatic Literature: The Art of Reading Scripts | 4 units |
| THEA 110 | Performance in Action | 2 units |
| THEA 120 | Introduction to Technical Theater | 4 units |
| THEA 175 | Introduction to Design | 4 units |
| THEA 301 | Topics in Theater History | 4 units |
| THEA 490 | Senior Seminar | 4 units |
Intermediate Performance/Playwriting
Take at least 4 units from:
| THEA 210 | Acting: Explorations in Performance Style and Method | 4 units |
| THEA 380 | Playwriting | 4 units |
Production Laboratory
Two semesters of:
| THEA 121 | Production Laboratory | 1 unit |
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| THEA 122 | Intensive Production Laboratory | 2 units |
* A minimum of 2 units must consist of two semesters of Production Lab (THEA 121 or THEA 122) in two different areas (one must be a running crew.) The THEA 121/THEA 122 requirement must be completed by the end of the junior year.
Design or Technical Theater
Four units selected from:
Electives
Twelve units from other Theater and Performance Studies or approved interdisciplinary courses.
The Department welcomes interdisciplinary programs and double majors, and will work carefully with students interested in such programs. Up to 8 units of select courses from Film, Music, Art, Art History, and Dramatic Literature may be applied to the Theater and Performance Studies Major in consultation with the department chair.
Honors in the Major
To receive College Honors in the department of Theater and Performance Studies, the student must be a major and achieve a 3.50 grade point average in departmental courses. In addition, the student must achieve a 3.25 grade point average overall and receive a grade of Pass with Distinction on the senior comprehensive project.
Minor
The minor consists of a minimum of 24 units.
| THEA 100 | On and Beyond the Stage: Introduction to Theater and Performance Studies | 4 units |
| THEA 101 | Dramatic Literature: The Art of Reading Scripts | 4 units |
| THEA 110 | Performance in Action | 2 units |
| THEA 120 | Introduction to Technical Theater | 4 units |
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| THEA 175 | Introduction to Design | 4 units |
| Or | | |
| THEA 210 | Acting: Explorations in Performance Style and Method | 4 units |
Production Laboratory
Two semesters of Production Laboratory:
One semester of THEA 121 must be a running crew.
Electives
Four units of additional Theater and Performance Studies coursework 200-level or above.
Second-Stage Writing
Students majoring in Theater and Performance Studies will fulfill Occidental College's second-stage writing requirement by completing a significant research and analytical paper in either THEA 301 or THEA 302 during their Sophomore or Junior year, earning a grade of B- or higher. Students not receiving this minimum grade will then either need to work with that faculty member to revise for a higher grade or take an additional Theater and Performance Studies class with a significant writing project that is preapproved by the Department Chair, and they must earn a grade of B- or higher on the paper.
Comprehensive Requirement
The Department has established standards of excellence in theoretical analysis, performance, devising and production that our students meet by completing a comprehensive project in the senior year.
Information concerning all phases of the senior project can be obtained from the Department Chair.
The department accomplishes the college objectives for the Senior Comprehensive by having each candidate, having completed the THEA 121/THEA 122 requirement, (1) propose a creative or research project; (2) submit a paper of research and/or preparation during the comprehensive process, to be discussed with the faculty; and (3) execute the project. Projects may include but are not limited to acting, directing, design, playwriting, stage management, technical direction, theater management, devising, and scholarly research.
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Required Courses for Comps Areas
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In addition to fulfilling all required courses for the major, to get approved for a comps in a specific area, please see below requirements:
Directing Required Courses
1. THEA 410: Directing
2. Work as an assistant director or stage manager on faculty or guest directed performance (or comparable experience TBD with faculty)
3. A 4 unit performance class that includes a component of translating text from the page to the stage in addition to THEA 110
4. Recommended: Choreography
Acting Required Courses
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1. THEA 210: Acting
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2. A 4 unit advanced acting/performance course
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3. A 1 unit dance class
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4. Perform in a mainstage or studio show (or TBD with faculty)
Playwriting Required Courses
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1. Playwriting THEA 380
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2. Participation in the NPF as a part other than (or in addition to) a performer
Independent Devised Projects
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1. Topics in performance; generating independent theater
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2. Two advanced classes (8 units) in acting, directing, playwriting, devising, dance
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3. Comps class fall and spring senior year (6 units)
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4. Before your senior year, help on a senior comps devised project
Tech Required Courses
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1. Assist in area of interest
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2. Advanced class in area of interest
Design Required Courses
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1. Assist in design in area of interest at least once
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2. Advanced class in that area of design
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a. For Costume Design (Costume Design and Costume Construction or Period Styles)
Research Paper Courses
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1. A theory/history/literature class in addition to THEA 301
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2. *Recommended, not required, apply for URC summer funding for summer research for your comps project
Advising Information
Because the development of a theater artist and performance studies scholar is enhanced by time as well as training, we encourage students considering a Theater and Performance Studies major or minor to consult with department faculty and begin taking courses in the first year. Students interested in the major should consider taking THEA 101 and THEA 100 during their first year. In addition, students wishing to major in Theater and Performance Studies will ideally complete THEA 110 (Performance in Action), THEA 120 (Introduction to Technical Theater), and THEA 175 (Introduction to Design) by the end of their second year.
Placement Results
No placement exams are specifically required for the Theater and Performance Studies major.
Sample 4-Year Plan
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Fall
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Spring
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Year 1
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Year 2
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THEA 121/THEA 122
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THEA Elective (2 units)
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Core Requirement (4 units)
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General Elective (4 units)
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General Elective (4 units)
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Year 3
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Year 4
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THEA 490 or THEA Elective (4 units)
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General Elective (4 units)
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General Elective (4 units)
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General Elective (4 units)
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THEA 490 or THEA Elective (4 units)
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General Elective (4 units)
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General Elective (4 units)
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General Elective (4 units)
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Transfer Credit Policies
The Theater Department does not accept online courses for transfer credit.
While there is not an AP examination in Theater, qualifying IB or A-level examination scores in Theater will earn four units of credit. These four units may be applied toward the major or minor in substitution of an elective course.
Students may apply up to two courses (eight units of credit), or up to four courses (16 units of credit) in transfer for participation in a conservatory program, toward the major. Those who entered as a transfer student or those who took a leave of absence from the College for at least a semester may apply up to four courses (16 units of credit) in transfer toward the major. Students may apply one course (four units) in transfer toward the minor.
Students should reference the Transfer Credit section for more details.
Special Programs
In the summer, Occidental College hosts the annual Occidental Children's Theater at the Remsen Bird Hillside Amphitheater. Academic credit is available for this program through THEA 197 or THEA 397. Off-campus internships in professional theater and film may be arranged during the academic year or summer through the Department of Theater and the Hameetman Career Center. Support for undergraduate research and travel are available both during the academic year and during the summer. Contact the Department Chair and the Undergraduate Research Center for more information. We encourage Theater students to participate in study abroad. Information on approved programs is available through the International Programs Office. Credit toward the major may be available.
Courses
Theater Courses
Faculty
Tenure and Tenure Track Faculty
Sarah Kozinn, chair
Associate Professor
B.A., Wesleyan University; M.A., Ph.D., New York University; Post-doctorate Fellow, Occidental College
Will Power
Assistant Professor
B.A., San Francisco State University
Non-Tenure Track Faculty
Jamie Angell
Resident Professor
B.A., Dartmouth College; M.F.A., California Institute of the Arts
Brian Fitzmorris
Resident Professor
B.F.A.,Carnegie-Mellon University
Xinyuan Li
Visiting Assistant Professor
B.F.A., Shanghai Theater Academy; M.F.A., University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Francisco Martinez
Visiting Senior Instructor
Aed McMillan
Resident Assistant Professor
B.F.A., University of Montevallo; M.F.A., Hunter College
Laural Meade
Resident Professor
A.B., Occidental College; M.F.A., University of California, Los Angeles
Shivani Thakkar
B.A., University of Southern California
Ezra Weisz
Visiting Assistant Professor
B.A., Sarah Lawrence College; M.F.A., California Institute of the Arts
Dawn Monique Williams
Wanless Visiting Theater Artist