Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies

University of California, Berkeley

This is an archived copy of the 2017-18 guide. To access the most recent version of the guide, please visit http://guide.berkeley.edu.

Overview

The Department of Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies (TDPS) teaches performance as a mode of critical inquiry, creative expression, and public engagement. Through performance training and research, we create liberal arts graduates with expanded analytical, technical, and imaginative capacities. As a public institution, we make diversity and inclusion a key part of our teaching, art making, and public programming.

Located within the College of Letters and Science, the faculty, staff, and students in TDPS — and in the allied PhD in Performance Studies — pursue a wide spectrum of research and production activities. We see performance as an interdisciplinary form, exploring verbal, visual, spatial, and embodied registers of experience. We see performance as a transnational cultural form, exploring the politics and poetics of social life in all parts of the world. We see performance as a public forum for contemporary ideas, allowing us to test and debate the central concerns of our time in a space that is at once critical, emotional, and collective.

The faculty and staff are nationally and internationally known, both for their scholarly research and their artistic work in design, directing, choreography, acting, and experimental performance. Our curriculum ranges from the classics to the contemporary; it cuts across theatrical, dance, and visual art forms; it spans all corners of the globe, using the site of performance to deepen UC Berkeley’s critical education in the humanities.

Undergraduate majors and minors are well prepared for the future, both as artists and as engaged citizens of the world. Through the course of their studies, students pursue intensive work in acting, design, directing, technical production, dance technique, and choreography. At the same time, they take critical and cultural studies courses that set the literary, historical, political, theoretical, and aesthetic concerns of performance in dialogue with other disciplines in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. This flexibility and integration of our programs in Theater and Performance Studies and in Dance and Performance Studies make our students excellent candidates for a variety of professions in the social, corporate, legal, and arts sectors, as well for admission to graduate programs in the arts and to professional schools.

All professors teach at all levels, and students have an ample opportunity to study with important scholars and practitioners in theater, dance, and performance studies. Playhouse Productions and Workshop Performances breathe life into an annual season of classic, modern, and original works, along with the annual concert of the Berkeley Dance Project. Auditions are open to all students, staff, and faculty on campus, and students receive course credit for successfully completing a production. Most entry-level performance courses (acting, directing, dance technique, playwriting, choreography, design) are open to all Berkeley students. Declared majors and minors can deepen their study with challenging courses and performance projects. Advanced students can also receive course credit for internships and apprenticeships and can propose Honors Projects (in both critical writing and performance) for their final year.

The faculty, staff, and students welcome you to our diverse and energetic department. In the Department of Theater, Dance and Performance Studies, you will find small class sizes, inspiring faculty, engaged staff, talented colleague students, and multiple opportunities to pursue your artistic creativity and intellectual adventures in ways that are both challenging and fulfilling. We look forward to working with you.

Undergraduate Programs

Dance and Performance Studies: BA, Minor
Theater and Performance Studies: BA, Minor

Graduate Program

The department does not offer graduate degrees; however, the following graduate degree is administered by a graduate group affiliated with the department:
Performance Studies: PhD

Visit Department Website

Courses

Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies

THEATER R1A Performance: Writing and Research 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2017
Reading and composition in connection with the study of dramatic literature. R1A satisfies the first half of the Reading and Composition requirement, and R1B satisfies the second half.
Performance: Writing and Research: Read More [+]

THEATER R1B Performance: Writing and Research 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2017
Reading and composition in connection with the study of dramatic literature. R1A satisfies the first half of the Reading and Composition requirement, and R1B satisfies the second half.
Performance: Writing and Research: Read More [+]

THEATER 5 Public Speaking and Presentation Skills 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Summer 2018 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2017 Second 6 Week Session
Students will learn to present themselves and material clearly, confidently, and persuasively, using age-old arts of oral communication. They will learn techniques for overcoming stage fright, developing clear enunciation, finding and using their natural, unaffected vocal register, varying tone and intonation to hold audience interest, controlling pacing, moving with assurance and purpose, using appropriate gestures, and eye contact as well as exploring methods to change behaviors that bar effective communication and structure speeches to maximize persuasiveness.

Public Speaking and Presentation Skills: Read More [+]

THEATER 10 Fundamentals of Acting I 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Summer 2018 Second 6 Week Session, Spring 2018
Fundamentals of Acting I (Theater 10) is the entry level course for the acting sequence and focuses on releasing and cultivating the actor’s inherent creativity. Through exercises, improvisation, scenes, and monologues, the actor begins to develop basic techniques designed to stimulate the imagination, develop vocal and physical ability, increase awareness of self and others, introduce effective ways to analyze texts, think critically about the craft of acting, and enhance self-confidence and communication skills. This class is the essential beginning of the actor’s studies, which will ultimately allow her or him to effectively engage and explore work from a rich diversity of genres, styles, and backgrounds.
Fundamentals of Acting I: Read More [+]

THEATER 14 Performance Workshop 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018
Workshop involving performers in collaborative development of new performance; topics include cross-disciplinary arts, solo performance, language, and movement.
Performance Workshop: Read More [+]

THEATER 20U London: Theater Capital 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2015
Course provides a critical introduction to both London and its theatre for first year undergraduate students. The course, which is part of a university study abroad program, examines the production of current theatre and performance in the city with an emphasis on staged performance backed up by selected critical and creative texts. Alongside these artistic acts students will be introduced to ways in which the city of London itself is a landscape of continuous performances, ceremonies and events with institutions such as the Royal Courts of Justice, the Lord Mayor’s Show, and the Houses of Parliament, all worthy of close attention for the way they operate through means of performance.
London: Theater Capital: Read More [+]

THEATER 24 Freshman Seminar 1 Unit

Terms offered: Fall 2017, Fall 2016, Fall 2015
The Berkeley Seminar Program has been designed to provide new students with the opportunity to explore an intellectual topic with a faculty member in a small-seminar setting. Berkeley Seminars are offered in all campus departments, and topics vary from department to department and semester to semester.
Freshman Seminar: Read More [+]

THEATER 25AC The Drama of American Cultures: An Introduction to Our Theater 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Spring 2017, Spring 2016
This course provides an introduction to theater through the study of values and issues fundamental to cultural identity, the comparison of selected cultural groups and their relationship to American society as a whole, and the study of drama as an instrument for understanding and expressing cultural identity. Theater of specific cultural groups to be included will be determined by the availability of live theater productions offered on campus and in the Bay Area.
The Drama of American Cultures: An Introduction to Our Theater: Read More [+]

THEATER 26 Introduction to Performance Studies 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Fall 2017, Fall 2016
This course introduces the critical terms and practices of the contemporary study of performance. Several key terms and important genres of artistic and social performance will be engaged; the course will draw critical and disciplinary methods from anthropology and ethnography, from the theory of dance and theater, from literary and cultural theory. Critical and theoretical concepts will be used to analyze a wide range of live and recorded performances, as well as performance texts.
Introduction to Performance Studies: Read More [+]

THEATER 39 Freshman/Sophomore Seminar 1.5 - 2 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2017, Spring 2017, Spring 2016
Freshman and sophomore seminars offer lower division students the opportunity to explore an intellectual topic with a faculty member and a group of peers in a small-seminar setting. These seminars are offered in all campus departments; topics vary from department to department and from semester to semester.
Freshman/Sophomore Seminar: Read More [+]

THEATER 40 Beginning Modern Dance Technique 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2017
Introduction to dance techniques. Study of foundational concepts of movement such as: principles of alignment, locomotion, dance terminology, and musicality.

Beginning Modern Dance Technique: Read More [+]

THEATER 45 Beginning African Dance in Hip Hop 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018
Introduction to African dance techniques found within Hip Hop and African American dance genres. Focus on footwork/patterns, articulation of spine/isolations, rhythmic structures, dynamic movement qualities, and the study of the historical, political, spiritual, and social aspects of these forms.
 

Beginning African Dance in Hip Hop: Read More [+]

THEATER 52AC Dance in American Cultures 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Fall 2017, Summer 2017 First 6 Week Session
Dance as a meaning-making expressive form. Develop the tools necessary for looking at dance, analyzing it, writing about it, and understanding its place in larger social, cultural, political structures. We will look at a variety of U.S. American dance genres, understanding them through their historical and cultural contexts, to explore how issues of race, gender, sexuality and class affect the practice and the reception of different dance forms, and how dance might help shape representations of these identities. Ethnic groups that the course studies include African, Asian, and European Americans, indigenous peoples of the U.S., and Chicanos/Latinos. Accessible to students with no dance experience. Not a studio-based class.
Dance in American Cultures: Read More [+]

THEATER 60 Introduction to Technical Theater and Production 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2017
A practical introduction to the terminology, theories, approaches, and techniques of technical theater and production. The course will cover theatrical terminology, stage equipment and architecture, production personnel and processes, and design departments, including scenery, properties, costumes, lighting, sound, and video. The course has a laboratory component. Based on student preference and availability, assignments for work on departmental productions will be made to one of two types of lab: department shops on a regular weekly schedule throughout the semester, or as run crew for a production fulfilling all required hours including evening and weekend calls.

Introduction to Technical Theater and Production: Read More [+]

THEATER 66 Special Topics: Theater Arts 1 - 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Summer 2014 First 6 Week Session, Summer 2014 Second 6 Week Session
Topics vary from semester to semester and have included The Power of Music and Poetry in the Theater; Modern Drama and Theater, 1940 to the Present; Theaters, Tricksters, and Cultural Exchange; Art as Social Action; and The Invisible World (Process Seminar).
Special Topics: Theater Arts: Read More [+]

THEATER 84 Sophomore Seminar 1 or 2 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2016, Fall 2013, Fall 2012
Sophomore seminars are small interactive courses offered by faculty members in departments all across the campus. Sophomore seminars offer opportunity for close, regular intellectual contact between faculty members and students in the crucial second year. The topics vary from department to department and semester to semester. Enrollment limited to 15 sophomores.
Sophomore Seminar: Read More [+]

THEATER 98 Directed Group Study 0.5 - 5 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2017
Group study of a topic not included in the regular department curriculum. Topics may be initiated by students.
Directed Group Study: Read More [+]

THEATER 99 Independent Study 1 - 5 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2017
Study of a topic not included in the regular department curriculum.
Independent Study: Read More [+]

THEATER 100 Collaborative Innovation 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Spring 2017, Spring 2016
This is a project-based class in collaborative innovation where students experience group creativity and team-based design by using techniques from across the disciplines of business, theatre, design, and art practice. They will leverage problem framing and solving techniques derived from critical thinking, systems thinking, and creative problem solving (popularly known today as design thinking). The course is grounded in a brief weekly lecture that sets out the theoretical, historical, and cultural contexts for particular innovation practices, but the majority of the class involves hands-on studio-based learning guided by an interdisciplinary team of teachers leading small group collaborative projects.


Collaborative Innovation: Read More [+]

THEATER C107 Plays of Ibsen 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2013, Fall 2012, Spring 2011
Reading and discussion of Ibsen's major plays. Readings and discussion in English.
Plays of Ibsen: Read More [+]

THEATER C108 Strindberg 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2014, Spring 2012, Spring 2009
Reading and discussion of Strindberg's major works; emphasis on his dramas and their significance. Readings and discussion in English.
Strindberg: Read More [+]

THEATER 109 Fundamentals of Acting II 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2017
Fundamentals of Acting II (Theater 109) continues working with and expands upon basic concepts introduced in Fundamentals of Acting I (Theater 10). Through exercises, improvisation, scenes, and monologues, the actor works toward the goal of increasing range, depth, and flexibility; students work on more complex texts which require in-depth research and stronger imagination to inhabit.
Fundamentals of Acting II: Read More [+]

THEATER 110A Intermediate Acting: Scene Study and Style 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Fall 2017, Fall 2016
While continuing the work begun in Fundamentals of Acting I and II (Theater 10 and 109), Scene Study and Style focuses on the actor’s relationship with multiple genres and forms of drama; increased focus is given to the specific demands and responsibilities of performing with heightened language and the complexities of characterization and style; emphasis is also given to achieving an understanding of dramatic action, developing technical proficiency and clarity, attaining emotional availability, and cultivating an enriched relationship with text. Through exercises, improvisation, scenes, and monologues, the actor learns how to transform intuitive creativity into performative excellence.
Intermediate Acting: Scene Study and Style: Read More [+]

THEATER 110B Intermediate Acting: Shakespeare 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Spring 2017, Spring 2016
While continuing work begun in Theater 10 & 109, Interm. Acting: Shakespeare (110B) examines the actor’s process through the specific lense of Shakespeare, exploring the unique challenges and rewards of his work; increased focus is given to the demands and responsibilities of performing the heightened language of Shakespeare’s verse and prose, and the complexities of his characterization and style; emphasis is also given to achieving an understanding of dramatic action, developing technical proficiency and clarity, attaining emotional availability, and cultivating an enriched relationship with text. Through exercises, improvisation, scenes, and monologues, the actor learns how to transform intuitive creativity into performative excellence.
Intermediate Acting: Shakespeare: Read More [+]

THEATER 111 Advanced Acting Studio 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2017
Advanced Acting Studio (Theater 111) finishes the acting technique progression that begins with Fundamentals of Acting I (Theater 10). Through scene-work, monologues, and exercises, the actor stretches and strengthens acting techniques, voice, movement, and speech; particular attention is given to character development and style; students also develop classical and contemporary audition material.
Advanced Acting Studio: Read More [+]

THEATER 112 VOICE AND SPEECH 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Spring 2017, Spring 2016
Voice and Speech works to strengthen, support, and develop the natural voice through practice on basic relaxation techniques, breath, resonance, articulation, and presence. The course explores the voice through a variety of texts and uses the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA-narrow transcription) to enhance range, clarity of speech, and to prepare students for beginning work in dialect.
VOICE AND SPEECH: Read More [+]

THEATER 113 International Performance and Literature 6 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2005 10 Week Session, Summer 2004 10 Week Session, Summer 2003 10 Week Session
This course will explore what is involved in the performer's art through class participation, writing, discussion, and final exam. It includes lectures on classical and contemporary theater, acting training, literature study, and attendance at many professional theater performances. Enrollment is open to all applicants without audition, and the performance aspects of the class will be responsive to the skill level of the students who enroll.
International Performance and Literature: Read More [+]

THEATER 113A International Performance and Literature: Irish Theater: Origins and the Contemporary Scene 6 Units

Terms offered: Prior to 2007
This course will explore what is involved in the performer's art through class participation, writing, discussion, and final exam. It includes lectures on classical and contemporary theater, acting training, literature study, and attendance at many professional theater performances. Enrollment is open to all applicants without audition, and the performance aspects of the class will be responsive to the skill level of the students who enroll.
International Performance and Literature: Irish Theater: Origins and the Contemporary Scene: Read More [+]

THEATER 114 Performance Research Workshop 4 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2018 Second 6 Week Session, Spring 2018, Fall 2017
Advanced performance workshop with research including performance-based methodology, theory, and analytical research skills in developing written and performance works. Topics include cross-disciplinary arts, dramaturgy, and collaborative practice.
Performance Research Workshop: Read More [+]

THEATER 117AC Staging Race in California 4 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2018 8 Week Session
Californians often think of our home state as a kind of “post-racial” space, one free of racial preference, discrimination, and prejudice, but to what extent is this true? This course explores two dynamics: (1) the racial structures of California historically and in the contemporary moment, and (2) how cultural systems of performance help shape social systems of race. We will consider the role a range of performance forms – theater, film, pageants, political protests – have played in shaping California’s unique cultural and racial topography. We will use the histories of play productions and para-theatrical performances to interrogate conceptions of California as a “post-racial” state.
Staging Race in California: Read More [+]

THEATER 118AC Performance, Television, and Social Media 4 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2018 8 Week Session, Summer 2017 8 Week Session, Summer 2016 8 Week Session
This course examines the intersections of performance and media--specifically the media forms of television and social media in the U.S.--with a focus on how various types of difference (race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and socioeconomic class) are enacted, articulated, represented, and played on TV and social media platforms.
Performance, Television, and Social Media: Read More [+]

THEATER 119 Performance Theory 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Fall 2017, Spring 2017
An examination of a theoretical topic or perspective on performance, with specific attention to the interface between theoretical endeavor and dramatic, nondramatic, and nontheatrical modes of performance; may involve visiting artists. Topics vary from semester to semester.
Performance Theory: Read More [+]

THEATER 121 Performance and Culture 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Fall 2017, Fall 2016
An examination of performance as an aspect of cultural production, ranging from everyday-life enactment to more formal or aesthetic activities associated with "artistic" production; may involve visiting artists. Specific attention to the methods of ethnography, cultural studies, and intercultural performance analysis. Topics vary from semester to semester.
Performance and Culture: Read More [+]

THEATER 125 Performance and History 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Fall 2017, Spring 2017
An examination of the historical conditions of performance, either given in a historical period or comparatively, with specific attention to the relationship between methods of historical studies and performance; may involve visiting artists. Topics vary from semester to semester.
Performance and History: Read More [+]

THEATER 125D Performance and History 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2016
An examination of the historical conditions of performance, either given in a historical period or comparatively, with specific attention to the relationship between methods of historical studies and performance; may involve visiting artists. Topics vary from semester to semester.
Performance and History: Read More [+]

THEATER 126 Performance Literatures 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2017
An examination of the formal, ideological, and cultural dynamics of drama, with specific attention to the relationship between methods of literary studies and performance; may involve visiting artists. Topics vary from semester to semester.
Performance Literatures: Read More [+]

THEATER 139A Fundamentals of Playwriting 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Fall 2017, Fall 2016
A practical course for beginning playwrights. Through lecture, exercises, in class readings and group discussion, the class will explore the practical craft elements of playwriting along with the function of personal voice in one’s work. Students will write one short and one longer form play during the semester.
Fundamentals of Playwriting: Read More [+]

THEATER 139B Playwriting 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Spring 2017, Spring 2016
This course will focus on the writing of a full-length theatrical work. A more critical analysis of the playwriting process with particular emphasis on how a playwright’s aesthetic and intellectual point of view inform the work. Instructor approval is a requirement for the course.
Playwriting: Read More [+]

THEATER 140 Pedagogy for Movement Based Classes - Undergraduate Level 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2015
Introduces students to foundational principles necessary to teach practice-based courses that involve movement, dance, and/or physical activity and expression. Designed for undergraduate students interested in pursuing teaching. Students should be prepared to engage in practical exercises as well as the study pedagogical theories and methods.
Pedagogy for Movement Based Classes - Undergraduate Level: Read More [+]

THEATER 141 Intermediate Modern Dance Technique 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2017
Continued development of dance techniques. Study of body articulation and control utilizing concepts of time, space, and dynamics.
Intermediate Modern Dance Technique: Read More [+]

THEATER 142 Advanced Modern Dance Technique 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2017
Refinement of dance techniques as well as qualitative analysis and demonstration of movement with an emphasis on rhythm, dynamics, and style.

Advanced Modern Dance Technique: Read More [+]

THEATER 143 Practicum for Advanced Modern Dancers 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2016, Spring 2015, Spring 2014
Practical application of previously studied theory and techniques of dance with an emphasis on development of individual movement style.
Practicum for Advanced Modern Dancers: Read More [+]

THEATER 144 Sources of Movement 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Fall 2017, Fall 2016
Beginning application of dance technique as a means of communication in the theatre. Use of basic technical fundamentals as a means of extending natural movement in rhythm, energy, and space with emphasis on style and qualitative analysis.
Sources of Movement: Read More [+]

THEATER 145 Intermediate African Dance in Hip Hop 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2011, Spring 2010, Fall 2008
Continued study of African dance found within Hip Hop and African American dance genres. Continued, and deepening, focus on footwork/patterns, articulation of spine/isolations, rhythmic structures, dynamic movement qualities, and the historical, political, spiritual, and social aspects of these forms.
 

Intermediate African Dance in Hip Hop: Read More [+]

THEATER 146A Choreography: Solo/Duet Showcase 1 - 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Fall 2017, Fall 2016
Analysis of theories of form and structure and their practical application in relation to content.
Choreography: Solo/Duet Showcase: Read More [+]

THEATER 146B Choreography: Compositional Study 1 - 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Spring 2017, Spring 2016
Analysis of theories of form and structure and their practical application in relation to content.
Choreography: Compositional Study: Read More [+]

THEATER 147A Beginning Ballet Technique 2 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2015, Fall 2014
This course is designed for contemporary/modern dancers interested in learning ballet vocabulary, technique, and alignment principles in order to support their contemporary/modern training. The course is intended to be taken in conjunction with one of the modern/contemporary dance technique courses offered by TDPS (40, 141, or 142). Beginning level. Audition first day of class.
Beginning Ballet Technique: Read More [+]

THEATER 147B Intermediate Ballet Technique 2 Units

Terms offered: Prior to 2007
This course is designed for contemporary/modern dancers interested in expanding their ballet vocabulary, improving ballet technique, and learning new approaches to taking ballet class. The course is intended to be taken in conjunction with one of the modern/contemporary dance technique courses offered by TDPS (40, 141, or 142) and requires that students have intermediate (or above) proficiency with ballet technique. Audition first day of class.
Intermediate Ballet Technique: Read More [+]

THEATER 148 Movement Improvisation 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Spring 2017, Fall 2005
This course is an introduction to the foundational principles of movement improvisation. Through guided movement exercises and experiences, readings, discussions, observations, and journaling students will broaden their ability to move expressively and in the moment. They will learn skills that explore concepts of time, space, energy, shape and dynamics. The course will develop students’ choreographic tools and performance abilities, and it will challenge students to take creative risks. The readings will allow for critical and historical understandings of dance improvisation and how improvisation has impacted choreographic trends.

Movement Improvisation: Read More [+]

THEATER 151A Histories of Performance: Performance and Community 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Fall 2017, Fall 2014
This history survey course examines performance’s role in mass movements: of politics, of religion, of revolution, and of the creation of communities around nations, traditions, or cultures.The course will explore a cluster of different theater/performance traditions, both Western and non-Western. Using a comparative methodology rather than cumulative one, students learn to appreciate the diversity of theater and performance strategies and traditions while at the same time understanding how similar questions and explorations have haunted performers across continents and across centuries.

Histories of Performance: Performance and Community: Read More [+]

THEATER 151B Histories of Performance: Performance and the Individual 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2015, Fall 2013, Spring 2008
This history survey course focuses on the relationship between individual desires or expression and the larger community or culture(s) represented in performance. The course investigates performance as a mode of imitation and examines the role of performance in depicting the "real world." The course will begin with an investigation of the importance of mimesis in Western theatrical traditions but will focus on revisions to, rejections of, and alternatives to mimesis by Western and non-Western traditions alike.
Histories of Performance: Performance and the Individual: Read More [+]

THEATER 162 Fundamentals of Stage Directing 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Fall 2017, Fall 2016
Beginning study of principles of stage composition, blocking, and analysis of dramatic texts for the director.
Fundamentals of Stage Directing: Read More [+]

THEATER 163 Stage Directing 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Spring 2017, Spring 2016
Study of principles and practice of stage directing.
Stage Directing: Read More [+]

THEATER 166 Special Topics: Theater Arts 1 - 4 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2018 3 Week Session, Summer 2018 Second 6 Week Session, Spring 2018
Topics vary from semester to semester and have included The Power of Music and Poetry in the Theater; Modern Drama and Theater, 1940 to the Present; Theaters, Tricksters, and Cultural Exchange; Art as Social Action; and The Invisible World (Process Seminar).
Special Topics: Theater Arts: Read More [+]

THEATER 167 Technical Theater: Performance Practice 1 - 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2016, Fall 2015, Spring 2015
Participation in technical theater practice associated with department theater and dance productions to include technical run crew for live performance in one of: lighting, sound, video, properties, costumes, make-up, scenery, deck, and rail.
Technical Theater: Performance Practice: Read More [+]

THEATER 168 Technical Theater: Shop Practice 1 - 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2016, Fall 2015, Spring 2015
Participation in technical theater practice associated with department theater and dance productions to include workshop activities (fabrication, treatment, and installation) in one or more of: costumes, hair, make-up, scenery, properties, lighting, video, and sound for live performance.
Technical Theater: Shop Practice: Read More [+]

THEATER 169 Advanced Technical Theater Practice 1 - 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2016, Fall 2015, Spring 2015
Participation in advanced technical theater practice associated with department theater and dance productions to include lead, head, or coordinator position with technical run crew for live performance in one of: lighting, sound, video, properties, costumes, make-up, scenery, deck, rail, or advanced application of workshop activities (fabrication, treatment, and installation) in one or more of: costumes, hair, make-up, scenery, properties, lighting, video, and sound for live performance. Intended for a student who has completed introductory level application of theater practice and is training in advanced techniques and applications and/or assuming additional responsibilities in relation to production.
Advanced Technical Theater Practice: Read More [+]

THEATER 171 Theater Performance 1 - 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2017
Practice in acting and/or dance in Dramatic Art productions.
Theater Performance: Read More [+]

THEATER 172 Stage Management 2 - 6 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2017
Study of production techniques and procedures related to production management, stage management, and theater administration.
Stage Management: Read More [+]

THEATER 173 Scenography: Scenic Design for Performance 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2017
This introductory course teaches some fundamentals of scenic design. Design for live performance will be approached as an integration of all the performative tools – text, visuals, sound, space, kinetics, etc – with particular focus in this class on the overall scenographic environment. Through personal development and group explorations students will be given basic conceptual and art-making tools allowing them to evolve, communicate and realize scenic and environmental solutions. Previous art training is helpful but not essential. The student must provide most art supplies. The final evaluation will include a presentation in lieu of an exam.

Scenography: Scenic Design for Performance: Read More [+]

THEATER 174 Scenography: Costume Design for Performance 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2017
This studio class explores some fundamental approaches and techniques for designing costume. Performance design will be approached as a product of all the performative tools and contexts – text, visuals, sound, space, kinetics, etc – with particular focus for this class on the scenographic role of the performer. Through personal expression and collaborative investigation students will be given some basic tools allowing them to conceptualize, communicate and realize costumes. Previous art training is helpful but not essential. The student must provide most art supplies. The final evaluation will include a presentation in lieu of an exam.
Scenography: Costume Design for Performance: Read More [+]

THEATER 175A Scenography: Lighting Design for Performance 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Fall 2017, Fall 2016
THEATER 175A will introduce you to the tools, terms, and techniques of stage lighting through lectures and practical application. Working as part of a production crew (an additional 45 hours outside of class) will demonstrate the practice of stage lighting. Class lectures and workshops augment the production experience. They will cover descriptions, explanations, and demonstrations of lighting concepts and equipment, and the initial elements of design.

Scenography: Lighting Design for Performance: Read More [+]

THEATER 175B Scenography: Advanced Lighting Design for Performance 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Spring 2017, Spring 2016
This is the second of two classes in stage lighting design and execution. In THEATER 175B you will study the design and execution of stage lighting from the visualization of the initial concept through the realization of that concept on stage. The course is divided into four segments. Review the foundational information about stage lighting. Develop a Production Proposal, for ROMEO & JULIET, analyze the material and present a proposal for a production of R&J. Design a repertory light plot by drafting the plot with VectorWorks Spotlight, a CAD program for stage lighting.
Finally, in the Lighting Project, you will work with the BDP light plot in the Playhouse, creating light cues for music of your choice.

Scenography: Advanced Lighting Design for Performance: Read More [+]

THEATER 176 Applied Theatrical Design 1 - 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2016, Fall 2015, Spring 2015
Students of technical theater design (possible specializations: lighting, set, costume, sound, video) are provided experience, structure, and support in the practical application of design to the stage in departmental productions. Interaction and team approach of the designers will be promoted from the earliest stages of conceptualization through the opening night and the run of the production(s).

Applied Theatrical Design: Read More [+]

THEATER 177 Sound Design for Performance 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Fall 2017, Spring 2017
In this course, undergraduate students will learn to construct sound cues and soundtracks for theater performances and videos using industry standard software, and will learn fundamental principles of incorporating video and sound into stage productions. Students will be exposed to the writings and works of prominent sound theorists, designers, and engineers and multimedia performance artists. The most successful students may be invited to participate in UC Berkeley theater productions as sound designers.
Sound Design for Performance: Read More [+]

THEATER 178 Video Production for Performance 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Spring 2016, Spring 2015
Video Production for Performance is a workshop class in which students will explore a broad range of video applications to performance. Through a series of exercise video shoots students learn the fundamentals of video production, including basic optics, camera angles and movement, sound recording, and editing. With an additional emphasis on concept and planning, students prepare for and execute a sustained video project—a detailed documentation of a staged performance, the development of a video component for a production, a documentary study of aspects of performance, or the generation of a freestanding video program. There is a lab fee of $60 for use of equipment and editing lab.
Video Production for Performance: Read More [+]

THEATER 179 Supervised Theatrical Design 1 - 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2016, Fall 2015, Spring 2015
Students are trained in the working methods of set or costume design; supervised preparation and implementation of designs in the department's production season, from initial discussions through opening night.
Supervised Theatrical Design: Read More [+]

THEATER 180 Theatrical Realization of Dance 1 - 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2016, Spring 2015, Spring 2014
This course relates choreography to theatrical presentation. Laboratory hours are spent in attendance at rehearsal, coaching sessions, and the performance of the dance concert. The course is taught by faculty choreographing the major dance production in the departmental season.
Theatrical Realization of Dance: Read More [+]

THEATER 181 Theatrical Realization of Dramatic Texts 1 - 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2016, Spring 2015, Fall 2014
This course relates dramatic texts or choreography to theatrical presentation. The lectures are based on the analysis of the work being presented. Laboratory hours are spent in attendance at rehearsal, coaching sessions, and the performance of the play or concert. The course will be taught by faculty involved in the major productions.
Theatrical Realization of Dramatic Texts: Read More [+]

THEATER C183A Performance: An African American Perspective 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2016, Fall 2003
Introduction to the Research-to Performance Method, African American aesthetics and dramatic performance techniques. Course will survey wide range of writings on performance and investigate applications through exercises and improvisations. Students will also assist in information gathering for works in progress.
Performance: An African American Perspective: Read More [+]

THEATER C183B Research-to-Performance Laboratory 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2007
Development of scholarly material for theatrical presentation and enhancement of dramatic performance techniques through discussions, improvisations and readings of work conceived by the class and/or writers in other African American Studies courses. All source material will be based on the research of scholars in the field of African American Studies.
Research-to-Performance Laboratory: Read More [+]

THEATER C183C Black Theatre Workshop 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2011, Spring 2004
Study and production of a play by an African American writer. The play will be studied within its social and historical context. Students will be introduced to the various aspects of theatre production.
Black Theatre Workshop: Read More [+]

THEATER H195A Honors Course 1 - 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2017
Independent study and conferences with faculty sponsor leading to preparation of a major research paper on a single aspect of theater, dance, or performance studies. May include a performance component.
Honors Course: Read More [+]

THEATER H195B Honors Course 1 - 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2017
Development of subject studied in H195A, either as a bachelor's thesis or a laboratory project in acting, directing, playwriting, design, or dance.
Honors Course: Read More [+]

THEATER 196 University Theater Workshop 1 - 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2017
Individual directorial projects for advanced undergraduates. Research, tryout, callbacks, and rehearsals which result in performing for the public will average 20 hours per week.
University Theater Workshop: Read More [+]

THEATER 197 Field Studies in Technical Theater 1 - 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Spring 2018, Spring 2017
Supervised experience, in connection with theatrical production in field of: scenic construction; costume construction and conservation; theatrical lighting; stage management; publicity; theatre management; production management.
Field Studies in Technical Theater: Read More [+]

THEATER 198 Directed Group Study for Undergraduates 0.5 - 5 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2015
Supervised group study of special topics, subject to approval by the chair.
Directed Group Study for Undergraduates: Read More [+]

THEATER 199 Supervised Independent Study and Research 1 - 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Spring 2018, Spring 2017
Reading and conference with an instructor in an area not corresponding with any regular course.
Supervised Independent Study and Research: Read More [+]

THEATER 200A Introductory Colloquium on Interdisciplinary Research in Performance 2 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Fall 2017, Fall 2016
This course is designed to introduce graduate students to the research resources of the University, to the methodologies and research interests of the faculty affiliated with the Ph.D. program, to the demands of a professional academic career, and to trends and developments in theater, dance, and performance studies.
Introductory Colloquium on Interdisciplinary Research in Performance: Read More [+]

THEATER 200B Research Colloquium 2 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Spring 2017, Spring 2016
This course is designed to provide an opportunity for graduate students to work with one another to advance their individual research projects and present their ongoing work.
Research Colloquium: Read More [+]

THEATER 201A Foundations in Performance Theory 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Fall 2017
Part one of a two-semester core sequence on performance theory, required of first-year Performance Studies PhD students. This course focuses on the foundations of Performance Studies as a field, with special emphasis on its key philosophical and disciplinary antecedents. Topics will include the emergence of performance studies from the confluence of theater and literary studies, anthropology, art history, sociology, and cultural studies, and will include readings on central theoretical concepts such as performativity, the performance of everyday life, and the interventions of the 1990s regarding the role of performance in the formation of race, gender, sexuality, national identity, colonialism and more.
Foundations in Performance Theory: Read More [+]

THEATER 201B Current Topics in Performance Study 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018
Part two of a two-semester core sequence on performance theory, required of first-year Performance Studies PhD students. This course will explore prominent contemporary debates in Performance Studies, roughly from the year 2000 to the present. Precise topics will vary by instructor, but may include theoretical investigations in corporeality, digital cultures, transnationalism/globalization, performance and economics, as well as ongoing disciplinary debates regarding race, nationality, gender and sexuality, and on the nature and social role of performance more generally. Prerequisites: 201A or consent of instructor.
Current Topics in Performance Study: Read More [+]

THEATER 202 Methodologies in Performance Studies 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Fall 2016, Fall 2015
The study of different approaches and contemporary methodologies for analyzing performances of various kinds within their cultural and historical context. Specific methodologies can include archival research, field methods, etc. The specific focus in any one course is contingent upon the focus of the instructor.
Methodologies in Performance Studies: Read More [+]

THEATER 203 Performance Practicum: Bodies, Space, and Time 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Spring 2017, Spring 2016
Students in this course will engage in performance practice as: epistemology, methodology, and mode of research; explore the relationship between bodies, spaces, and temporality as a fundamental aspect of performance; and understand "performance as research" in Performance Studies as a field.
Performance Practicum: Bodies, Space, and Time: Read More [+]

THEATER 266 Special Topics: Theater Arts 1 - 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2017
Topics vary from semester to semester and have included The Power of Music and Poetry in the Theater; Modern Drama and Theater, 1940 to the Present; Theaters, Tricksters, and Cultural Exchange; Art as Social Action; and The Invisible World (Process Seminar).
Special Topics: Theater Arts: Read More [+]

THEATER 277 Special Studies in Directing 1 - 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2012, Spring 2011, Fall 2010
Advanced practice in play direction.
Special Studies in Directing: Read More [+]

THEATER 294 Directed Research 1 - 12 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Spring 2015, Spring 2012
Meetings to be arranged, either individually or as a group to explore fields not covered in courses listed elsewhere in Dramatic Art's offerings. May be taken by students engaged in writing dissertations.
Directed Research: Read More [+]

THEATER 299 Special Study 1 - 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Fall 2017, Fall 2016
May be taken when preparing prospectus, graduate portfolio, and/or oral presentation before qualifying oral examination. May not be substituted for available seminars.
Special Study: Read More [+]

THEATER 300 Professional Preparation: Supervised Teaching in Dramatic Art 2 - 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2014, Spring 2013, Spring 2012
Discussion, problem review and development, course development, supervised practice of teaching.
Professional Preparation: Supervised Teaching in Dramatic Art: Read More [+]

THEATER 340 Pedagogy for Movement Based Classes - Graduate Level 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2015
This course studies pedagogical theories and methods. It is designed to prepare graduate students to teach practice-based dance and movement courses. In class teaching exercises will be supported by readings, research projects and assignments on the subject of pedagogy. Development of professional teaching documents such as a teaching philosophy, a sample course syllabus, sample lesson plans, and self-evaluation statements are required.
Pedagogy for Movement Based Classes - Graduate Level: Read More [+]

THEATER 602 Individual Study for Doctoral Students 1 - 12 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2014, Fall 2013, Spring 2013
Individual study in consultation with the major field adviser, intended to provide an opportunity for qualified students to prepare themselves for the various examinations required of candidates for the Ph.D.
Individual Study for Doctoral Students: Read More [+]

Faculty

Faculty

Brandi Wilkins Catanese, Associate Professor. African American drama and theater.
Faculty Profile

Abigail De Kosnik, Associate Professor. Performance and technology, new media.
Faculty Profile

Julia Fawcett, Assistant Professor. Restoration and 18th century theater and performance.  

Peter Glazer, Associate Professor. Stage directing, 20th-century drama, adaptation.
Faculty Profile

Joe Goode, Professor. Dance, choreography.
Faculty Profile

Philip Kan Gotanda, Professor. Playwriting, Asian American Theater, Contemporary American Drama.
Faculty Profile

Mark Griffith, Professor. Classical Greek drama.
Faculty Profile

Shannon Jackson, Professor. Performance theory, 20th-century drama.
Faculty Profile

Sansan Kwan​, Associate Professor. Dance studies, performance studies, Asian American studies.
Faculty Profile

Angela Marino, Assistant Professor. Theatre and performance studies, Latin American and US Chicana/Latino performance, festivals and carnival, political cultures.
Faculty Profile

Alan Read, Professor. UC Berkeley Global Edge Program.
Faculty Profile

Shannon Steen, Associate Professor. American Studies, race theory, performance studies.
Faculty Profile

Elizabeth Wymore, Assistant Professor. Modern dance technique, choreography.
Faculty Profile

Lecturers

Sima Belmar, Lecturer.
Faculty Profile

Kwame Braun, Lecturer. Filmmaking.
Faculty Profile

Jack Carpenter, Lecturer. Lighting design.
Faculty Profile

Lura Dolas, Lecturer. Acting.
Faculty Profile

Katie Faulkner, Lecturer.
Faculty Profile

Srijani Ghosh, Lecturer. Dance, choreography.
Faculty Profile

James Graham, Lecturer. 
Faculty Profile

Samuel Haley-Hill, Lecturer. Acting, public speaking.
Faculty Profile

Margo Hall, Lecturer. Acting, directing.
Faculty Profile

Christopher Herold, Lecturer. Acting and directing.
Faculty Profile

Jenefer Johnson, Lecturer. Dance history.
Faculty Profile

Laxmi Kumaran, Lecturer. Stage management.
Faculty Profile

Domenique Lozano, Lecturer. Intermediate Acting.
Faculty Profile

Mo Miner, Lecturer.
Faculty Profile

Lisa Anne Porter, Lecturer. Acting, public speaking.
Faculty Profile

Sean San José, Lecturer.
Faculty Profile

Annie Smart, Lecturer. Set, costume design.
Faculty Profile

Michelle Summmers, Lecturer. Dance.
Faculty Profile

Amara Tabor-Smith, Lecturer. Dance.
Faculty Profile

Maura Tang, Lecturer. Acting.
Faculty Profile

Emeritus 

Martin Berman, Senior Lecturer Emeritus. 
Faculty Profile

Robert W. Goldsby, Professor Emeritus. 
Faculty Profile

Mel Gordon, Professor Emeritus. Stanislavsky, directing, acting.
Faculty Profile

Carol Murota, Senior Lecturer Emerita.
Faculty Profile

Dunbar Ogden III, Professor Emeritus.
Faculty Profile

Deborah Sussel, Senior Lecturer Emerita. 
Faculty Profile

John Warren Travis, Professor Emeritus. 
Faculty Profile

Margaret B. Wilkerson, Professor Emerita.
Faculty Profile

Marni Thomas Wood, Professor Emerita. 
Faculty Profile

*Professor of the Graduate School +Recipient of Distinguished Teaching Award

Contact Information

Department of Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies

15 Dwinelle Hall

Phone: 510-664-9012

Fax: 510-643-9956

tdps@berkeley.edu

Visit Department Website

Department Chair

Lisa Wymore, MFA

15E Dwinelle Hall

lisawymore@berkeley.edu

Department Vice-Chair

Abigail De Kosnik, PhD

15M Dwinelle Hall

adekosnik@berkeley.edu

Undergraduate Student Academic Adviser

Michael Mansfield, MFA, DMin

15B Dwinelle Hall

Phone: 510-643-4050

tdpsugadvisor@berkeley.edu

Graduate Student Services Adviser

Robin Davidson

15A Dwinelle Hall

Phone: 510-664-7613

performancestudies@berkeley.edu

Back to Top