MFA in Contemporary Performance Requirements

The following outline for year one is subject to changes in sequence, but over the course of the two year program, all these components and faculty will be present. Both practice and view and core training in acting, voice, and movement are ongoing throughout the two-year curriculum. Students take 12 credits per semester for a total of 48 credits.

(Guest artists subject to change)

First year, fall: THR 602

First seven weeks:

Foundation Somatics/Investigating Physical Virtuosity: Developmental movement, experiential anatomy, release, dynamic alignment—Wendell Beavers, Erika Berland

Roy Hart Vocal Work: Ethelyn Friend

Psychophysical Acting/Grotowski Based: Plastiques, corporals, cultivating immediate access to emotional sources, creating containers for emotion, understanding of presence—core and guest faculty

Contemplative Arts and Meditation Training: Meditation practice and orientation to Buddhist phenomenology and psychology; nature of mind teachings from the Buddhist tradition—Barbara Dilley and Erika Berland

Middle three weeks:

Viewpoints Intensive: SITI Company, Wendell Beavers

Voice Tutorials: Ethelyn Friend

Physical Technique: SITI Company/Katsura Kan (Butoh)/Wendell Beavers

Practice and View: Barbara Dilley, Erika Berland

Applying Psychophysical Technique to Character Work, Styles and Performance: guest faculty

Moment Work/Directing/Playwriting: Leigh Fondakowski

Final four weeks:

Physical Training/Viewpoints: Wendell Beavers

Voice Intensive: Roy Hart guest faculty, guest artists, or associated companies

Ensemble Playwriting: Tectonic Theater

Applying Psychophysical Technique to Character work, Styles and Performance: Guest faculty

Presentations

SUBTOTAL 12

First year, spring: THR 652

First three weeks:

Physical Training: Developmental, experimental anatomy forms

Directing and Ensemble Playwriting: Moisés Kaufman, Tectonic Theater

Presentation

Second four weeks:

Advanced Somatic Technique, Experiential Anatomy: Erika Berland, Wendell Beavers/Naropa faculty

Vocal Intensive: Roy Hart or extended vocal technique—guest faculty

Tectonic Theater Play Development: Leigh Fondakowski, Greg Pierotti

Composition/Choreography/Postmodern Tradition: Barbara Dilley, Wendell Beavers, guest faculty

Practice and View: Barbara Dilley, Erika Berland

Presentations

Final seven weeks:

Roy Hart Vocal Work: Ethelyn Friend

Ensemble Projects: Faculty

Physical Training: Somatic technique, Butoh, Growtowski—faculty

Final First Year Project Presentations

SUBTOTAL 12

Second year, fall: THR 702

Advanced Physical Technique: Dance-based techniques, release, somatic forms—Wendell Beavers and faculty

Theater-Based Physical Techniques: Drawn from Butoh, Suzuki, Grotowski Plastique and Corporals—SITI Company, Butoh guest, Steven Wangh and faculty

Scene, Monologue and Character: Faculty

Vocal Work: Relating song to text, extended vocal techniques—Roy Hart faculty, Carol Mendelsohn, Saule Ryan, Meredith Monk, The House company members

Project/Production; Butoh, Growtowski, or Viewpoints-Based Play Development: Leigh Fondakowski

Thesis Seminar: Faculty

SUBTOTAL 12

Second year, spring: THR 722

Advanced Physical Technique: Continuation of semester I sequence

Viewpoints: Composition, directing, and performance technique—Wendell Beavers, SITI Company members, faculty

Vocal Work: Continuation of semester I sequence

Ensemble Playwriting/Directing: Tectonic Theater

Teaching Seminar: Wendell Beavers and guest faculty

Ensemble Production: Faculty or Associated Company

Culminating Projects: Initiated and designed by the student in the fields of service learning, creating pedagogy, pure research focused on training issues, or production

SUBTOTAL 12

TOTAL CREDITS 48