95 courses with the subject THEA, each shown exactly as we captured it from the college's catalog, with every element we hold. Where the wording looks broken, that is our reading of the catalog, not the college's text.
THEA 001Theater and Performance1
An introduction to the art form and practice(s) of theater and live performance. We will study a variety of approaches, theories, genres and critiques of live performance. This study will focus on contemporary, as well as historic practice(s). This course should provide the student with exposure to a wide variety of live performance across genres and time periods. The student will develop an understanding and appreciation of the importance of theater and live performance to the ever-changing world at large, and how the art form explores the nature and complexities of the human condition and can be a mirror to society. The course will also provide basic knowledge and context for all disciplines of live performance including, playwriting, dramaturgy, directing, choreography, performance and design, thus encouraging students to identify areas of interest so they can pursue them further. We will study live performances inside as well as outside of class. In addition, we will read plays, librettos, and critical theory. Ultimately, the student will focus on the process of writing effectively about theater and performance by cultivating a point of view on each work covered that is both analytical as well as personal. Fulfills a general requirement for all theater majors and minors. Humanities. Writing course. 1 credit. Fall 2026. Stevens. Matsushima. Fall 2027 Staff.
What is acting? How do actors make stories come alive in the company of an audience? What skills and methods do we draw on to create authentic, informed and imaginative performances? In this beginning studio course, we will explore foundational practices of theatrical play and performance. Coursework will focus on techniques for developing each student’s unique interpretive and expressive capacities within a context of contemporary theater. Participants will be led through a progression of physical, vocal, creative, and reflective practices while working through original and existing texts. The semester’s work will culminate in short scenes and monologues performed for our peers. This course welcomes all levels and abilities, whether you are seeking to develop interpersonal and presentational skills, a curious first-time actor, or an experienced performer seeking your first engagement with the department. Fulfills a general requirement for all theater majors and minors. Humanities. 1 credit. Fall 2026. Kerrigan. Walton. Spring 2027. Staff. Fall 2027 Staff. Spring 2028 Staff.
MUSI 093A In this course the student-artist will awaken their unique voice through the body, breath, and imagination. The bounds of vocal expression will be explored using a variety of techniques and methodologies, through poetry and theatrical monologues. This course will consider why we vocalize, and how we can do it with respect to health, creativity, honesty, and purpose. 1 credit.
By individual arrangement with the directing or acting faculty for performance work in connection with department directing workshops, honors thesis projects, or Senior Company. CR/NC grade. 0.5 or 1 credit.
This course offers an introduction to creative aspects of designing scenery, costumes, lighting, and sound for theater and performance with emphasis on the correlation of text, imagination, and space. In a collaborative classroom setting, the students will have the opportunity to explore individual ideas and transform these into a design that is cohesive and relevant to a production. The lab component of the course will provide a broad introduction to the technical aspects of theater production. The course is designed to serve all students regardless of prior experience in theater production. Fulfills a general requirement for all theater majors and minors. Humanities. 1 credit.
This course will focus on set design and introduce methods that apply to designing for stage. In class, we will take a look at the set designer’s responsibilities as an artist and collaborator and explore the relationship between text, concept, and production in addition to learning the basic skills of drafting and model making. In addition, we will discuss the relationship between scenery, costumes, and light in performance. A lab component of this class will include an introduction to computer drafting and model making. The course is designed to serve all students regardless of prior experience in theater production. Fulfills a general requirement for all theater majors and minors. Humanities. 1 credit. Spring 2027. Saunders. Spring 2028 Staff.
This class explores the fundamentals of lighting design. The course objective is to introduce lighting concepts and how to express them for both theater and dance. It is intended to demystify an enormously powerful medium. Reading and class discussion provide a theoretical basis for such creativity while the assignments and projects provide the practice for this artistic endeavor. The course is designed to serve all students regardless of prior experience in theater production. Fulfills a general requirement for all theater majors and minors. Humanities. 1 credit. Fall 2026. Staff. Fall 2027 Staff.
This course will focus on costume design and introduce methods that apply to designing for stage and performance. In the studio, we will take a look at the costume designer’s responsibilities as an artist and collaborator, and we’ll explore the relationship between text, concept, and production. In addition, we will explore different mediums and techniques for presentation of a design. A lab component of this class will introduce the student to costume shop management and give ample opportunities for hands-on sewing projects. The course is designed to serve all students regardless of prior experience in performing arts production. Fulfills a general requirement for all theater majors and minors. Humanities. 1 credit. Spring 2027. Swanson. Spring 2028 Staff.
THEA 004DIntegrated Media Design for Live Performance1
Cross-Listed with FMST 004. The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the application of various visual technologies in live theater and dance performance. Discussion of the historical and theoretical context of contemporary mixed-media performance will be combined with an orientation to the available technologies found at Swarthmore and beyond. The class will include the conceptualization and preparation of a series of individual studio projects. The course is designed to serve all students regardless of prior experience in theater production. Fulfills a general requirement for all theater majors and minors. Humanities. 1 credit. Eligible for FMST
MUSI 004E This course will provide an introduction to sound design concepts for live performance. Course work will emphasize research, design development, collaboration, and the creative process. Laboratory work will focus on basic audio engineering, software, field recording, and documentation in a theatrical context. The course is designed to serve all students regardless of prior experience in theater production. Fulfills a general requirement for all theater majors and minors. Humanities. 1 credit. Spring 2027. Atkinson. Spring 2028 Staff.
THEA 005ASpecial Project in Interdisciplinary Performance0.5-1
By individual arrangement with directing, acting, or design faculty in Theater for interdisciplinary performance projects under department faculty mentorship and advising. Graded CR/NC. 0.5 - 1 credit.
DANC 014 , ENVS 046 This introductory course focuses on creative opportunities for students wishing to explore ecology, environmental studies, and the performing arts, specifically focusing on eco-performance and design. Class goals will aim to support a better understanding of environmental studies via an artistic lens, allowing students to combine creative processes with environmental sciences. Emphasis will be placed on interdisciplinary skills and experiences that raise awareness around environmental studies and simultaneously engage culture and community. Humanities.
This course will focus on playwriting and introduce methods that apply to writing for live performance. Weekly writing assignments will lead to the development of scenes, characters, and dramatic worlds culminating in the creation of two short plays. Weekly readings and discussion of 21st century plays will introduce and explore a wide range of stylistic approaches to playmaking. Students will hear their work read aloud in class, and will develop their own theatrical voice through the creation of characters, images, and stories for the stage. Fulfills a general requirement for all theater majors and minors. Humanities. 1 credit. Spring 2027. Shaplin. Spring 2028 Staff.
THEA 007Performing Latinidad: Latinx Theater, Film and Performance Art
SPAN 057 This course will introduce students to Latinx performance in the U.S., from the mid-20th century to today. Students will study different modes of performances such as theater, film, the work of performance artists and everyday performances (such as political events) through the lens of perfomance studies theory and different perspectives on Latinidad. Following a critical performative pedagogy, the class will combine seminar-style discussions with performance workshops. Topics covered will include the representation and embodiment of gender and race, acts of decolonization, memory construction and diasporic experiences, citizenship and community building, and the politics of Latinidad. By analyzing these and other relevant issues through readings, discussion, and performance exercises, we will be able to survey the state of contemporary Latinx performance in the U.S. while gaining a better understanding of the connection between performance theory and practice, as well as the relevance of performance in everyday aesthetics and life. HU Eligible for LALS, ESCH Catalog chapter: Theater
(Cross-listed as DANC 049) This course will invite students to explore tools and strategies that activate and engage the body as source and resource for creating and exploring meaning, connection, and artistic expression. Using movement (pedestrian, gestural, cultural/habitual, and codified), text (spoken/written), imagery, and theater tools, along with healing centered practices, students will investigate how sensing and noticing can be a pathway to empower the imagination and expression of the body. Class explorations, experiments, and performances, will invite students to deepen their awareness of the body and movement as essential parts of both the creative and performance process.
THEA 002A , any dance course numbered 040-044, or consent of the instructor. Humanities. 1 credit. Catalog chapter: Theater Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/department-theater Access the class schedule to search for sections.
THEA 009Performing Feminist and Queer Repair
GSST 024 This hybrid practice and discussion based seminar draws on vernacular and everyday performances of repair to ground the work of intellectual inquiry. Although repair and reparations seem increasingly like impossible societal goals and foregone political ideals, feminist and queer cultural life nonetheless persists in its pursuit of mending what’s broken. This hybrid seminar will introduce to students to small-to-mid-scale practices of repair sourced from seemingly-mundane practices of feminist and queer everyday life (cosmetology, textile work, culinary arts, collage, repotting) as they offer different embodied ways of navigating a collapsing social world. Together we will practice feminist/queer intellectual repair by contextualizing and re-narrating the force of these practices within denigrated and disregarded global-south histories of labor, memory, and world-making. While previous experience with art practice and/or theory is appreciated, it is not required as long as you come with an open mind. Final projects can take the form of traditional papers or more creative projects with instructor consultation. HU 1 Eligible for GSST Fall 2026. Li. Access the class schedule to search for sections.
THEA 009AA History of Gender Binary and Non-Binary Clothing
This course will explore the evolution of clothing from the ancient times to the current and offer a deep insight into fashion trends through the lens of gender. We will make a stop at the late 18th Century, when modern gender binary fashion took root, then continue our journey through alternative trends, including androgynous and unisex fashions, before ultimately ending at the current and a commentary on the future of clothing. This course is open to all without prerequisite. Humanities. 1 CR Eligible for GSST. Spring 2027. Swanson. Access the class schedule to search for sections.
THEA 009DEast Asian Performing Arts on the Intercultural Stage
DANC 019 In the wake of American anti-Chinese sentiment surrounding the COVID-19 global pandemic as well as political turmoil in Hong Kong and Taiwan, it is important to ask: What does “Chinese” signify? The label of Chinese has often been ascribed to bodily features and behaviors as grounds for social exclusion or inclusion, both in the US and in Asia. This course considers embodied Chinese performance from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Asian America in order to examine plural notions of Chineseness. As a hybrid course, taught in the seminar room and the dance studio, students will learn Chinese classical dance, Han folk dance, ethnic minority folk dance, and martial arts forms. As we explore the fundamental movements of these forms, we will also investigate the role they have played in China’s nation-building projects and have functioned in diaspora to create feelings of community belonging. Moreover, we will consider how these symbols of Chineseness get produced and consumed in global markets. In addition, reading analyses of historical Yellow Face performance and viewing videos of Asian American performances-ranging from Vaudeville, to Broadway musicals, to contemporary dance-students will investigate how dance provides a lens for thinking through the ways in which Chineseness is represented, stereotyped, and even contested. Assignments will include an ethnographic assignment of Chinatown and a final research paper. Eligible for GLBL Access the class schedule to search for sections.
This course examines Black theater and performance traditions in the United States - from William Alexander Brown’s African Grove to the era of “Post-Black” plays. We will survey and analyze aesthetic innovations and transformations in the Black theatrical and dramaturgical imaginations and carefully consider the crucial role the stage has played in shaping perceptions and understandings of race. Access the class schedule to search for sections.
THEA 011BSpecial Topic: Performance in Early Modern Europe1
DANC 021 How do we define performance in early modern Europe? This course explores multi-genre traditions through forms including court ballet, comedy-ballet, opera, bourgeois drama, and ballet d’action in order to raise questions that are equally relevant for us today: How do we study something that is fleeting? What is the relationship between “text” and performance? This course explores the hybrid genres of dance, mime, music, and drama from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries in order to analyze their present relevance as “art.” Artists and theorists studied will include Angiolini, Diderot, Noverre, Molière, Garrick, Goldoni, Sulzer, Weaver, and others, with a view on developing a transnational understanding of theater and dance in France, Germany, Italy, and England. Special attention will be paid to cross-casting (drag) and Orientalism. A version of this course has been offered in the past as a First-Year Seminar, Dance 002. If you have taken Dance 002, you are not able to enroll in DANC 021. Writing course. 1 credit. Eligible for GLBL-paired, FRST Access the class schedule to search for sections.
This course is designed to deepen a student’s comfort and ability with the principles, techniques, and tools of acting developed in THEA 002A . To do so, the actor will engage in exercises and assignments to evolve their ability to be “present” on stage, to work as an ensemble, to take risks, to work with text, and to fully engage the body and voice in the creative process. Actors will be asked to perform frequently in front of the class, at times improvising, and at times using existing text. The course provides an opportunity for students to deepen the practice of the actor by engaging with challenging material that requires a large, risk-taking performance style.
THEA 002A Humanities. 1 credit. Spring 2027. Stevens. Spring 2028 Staff. Catalog chapter: Theater Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/department-theater Access the class schedule to search for sections.
THEA 012AIntermediate Special Project in Acting0.5-1
By individual arrangement with the acting or directing faculty for performance work in connection with department directing projects, honors thesis projects, or Senior Company. May be taken concurrently with THEA 008 or THEA 012 . Graded CR/NC.
THEA 002A , THEA 002C , and THEA 008 or THEA 012 or THEA 022 . 0.5 - 1 credit. Catalog chapter: Theater Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/department-theater Access the class schedule to search for sections.
THEA 012BActing II: Voice Workshop1.0
MUSI 093A This course provides foundations for opening possibilities in the full range of the human voice-from speaking to singing to raw sound expression-to help students cultivate an integrative personal practice, unlock creative potential, and connect with what their unique voices have to say. Themes to explore: vocal mechanics and self-care; the voice as a bridge between body, emotion, and imagination; working with song and text; tools for improvisation and composition. The class is strongly recommended to all acting students and may be taken without prerequisite. 1.0 credit.
By individual arrangement with the design or directing faculty for production work in connection with department directing workshops, honors thesis productions, Production Ensemble, or Senior Company. Graded CR/NC.
Any 004 design class 0.5 - 1 credit. Catalog chapter: Theater Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/department-theater Access the class schedule to search for sections.
THEA 014Special Project in Stage Management
By individual arrangement for a production project in connection with department directing workshops, Production Ensemble, honors thesis projects, or Senior Company. 0.5 or 1 credit.
By individual arrangement with instructor for a portfolio project or a production project in connection with department directing workshops, Production Ensemble, honors thesis projects, or Senior Company.
THEA 004A . 0.5 or 1 credit. Catalog chapter: Theater Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/department-theater Access the class schedule to search for sections.
THEA 014BSpecial Project in Lighting Design
By individual arrangement with instructor for a portfolio project or a production project in connection with department directing workshops, Production Ensemble, honors thesis projects, or Senior Company.
THEA 004B . 0.5 or 1 credit. Catalog chapter: Theater Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/department-theater Access the class schedule to search for sections.
THEA 014CSpecial Project in Costume Design
By individual arrangement with instructor for a portfolio project or a production project in connection with department directing workshops, Production Ensemble, honors thesis projects, or Senior Company.
THEA 004C . 0.5 or 1 credit. Catalog chapter: Theater Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/department-theater Access the class schedule to search for sections.
THEA 014DSpecial Project in Integrated Media Design
By individual arrangement with instructor for a portfolio project or a production project in connection with department directing workshops, Production Ensemble, honors thesis projects, or Senior Company.
THEA 004D . 0.5 or 1 credit. Catalog chapter: Theater Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/department-theater Access the class schedule to search for sections.
THEA 014ESpecial Project in Sound Design
By individual arrangement with instructor for a portfolio project or a production project in connection with department directing workshops, Production Ensemble, honors thesis projects, or Senior Company.
THEA 004E . 0.5 or 1 credit. Catalog chapter: Theater Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/department-theater Access the class schedule to search for sections.
THEA 015Performance Theory and Practice1
What is performance? How does it mean what it means? This course provides an overview of some of the key theories and practices animating the study and embodiment of performance across various sites. Examining an array of critical, cultural, and expressive texts-from staged events to visual art to examples of performance in everyday life-we will sharpen particular focus on the ideas and strategies that scholars, artists, activists, and ordinary figures alike have developed and deployed to expand understandings of performance as a lens, methodology, object of analysis, and mode of critical and creative inquiry. Through class discussions, presentations, writing assignments, and viewings, students in this course will enhance their understanding of dramatic and performance theory, deepen their knowledge of the disciplines of theater and performance studies, and develop a greater appreciation for the ways theory and practice are often mutually constitutive and inextricably linked. Fulfills a general requirement for all theater majors and minors.
THEA 001 or consent of instructor. Humanities. Writing course. 1 credit. Eligible for GLBL-Core Fall 2027 Staff. Catalog chapter: Theater Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/department-theater Access the class schedule to search for sections.
THEA 016Special Project in Playwriting1
An independent study in playwriting taken either as a tutorial or in connection with a production project in the department. By individual arrangement between the student and department faculty.
THEA 006 . Humanities. 1 credit. Catalog chapter: Theater Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/department-theater Access the class schedule to search for sections.
THEA 021AFundamentals of Dramaturgy1
This course offers a comprehensive introduction to the art and practice of dramaturgy. Students will historical development and key theoretical frameworks and also gain an understanding of how dramaturgy has evolved across cultural and institutional contexts. In addition to examining important case studies, the course will explore the vital role of the dramaturg in the theater-making process. Students can expect to investigate the dramaturg’s contributions at every stage of production, from research and contextual analysis, new play development, and script evaluation, to season planning, institutional visioning, community engagement, and audience enrichment initiatives.
THEA 001 helpful but not required. Humanities Writing course. 1 credit. Fall 2026. Witt. Catalog chapter: Theater Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/department-theater Access the class schedule to search for sections.
THEA 022Production Ensemble I1
This course offers students an opportunity to participate in a professionally directed and designed production. With particular emphasis on experiential learning and ensemble, students will rehearse a formally inventive and thematically complex theatrical project and work collaboratively to stage it for audiences. Required for all course majors and honors majors in acting, directing, and dramaturgy; also required for course minors in acting, directing, and dramaturgy. Fulfills a general requirement for all theater majors and minors. Humanities. 1 credit. Fall 2026. Walton. Fall 2027 Staff.
By individual arrangement with the design or directing faculty for production work in connection with department directing workshops, honors thesis productions, Production Ensemble, or Senior Company. Graded CR/NC.
Any 004 design class and THEA 013 0.5 - 1 credit. Catalog chapter: Theater Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/department-theater Access the class schedule to search for sections.
By individual arrangement for a production project in connection with department directing workshops, honors thesis projects, Acting III, or Senior Company.
THEA 004B or THEA 035 0.5 or 1 credit. Catalog chapter: Theater Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/department-theater Access the class schedule to search for sections.
THEA 025Solo Performance1
This course serves as both a study and practice of different forms of solo performance including the first-person autobiographical monologue, multiple-characters played by a single performer, and performance art. Part-survey course, part-performance workshop, students will be asked to intellectually engage with the work of renowned solo performance makers and to create their own work, generating original performance material on a weekly basis. Over the course of the semester, students will create 3-4 individual solo performance pieces, culminating in a final showing for the public. The work made during the course will explore personal storytelling, devising, the body as subject, and the transformative actor. This class is rooted in empowering artists to articulate what matters to them and finding a translation of that into performance. Fulfills a general requirement for all theater majors and minors. Humanities. 1 credit.
THEA 026Resisting the Apocalypse: Activism, Theater, and Envisioning a Good Future (Performance Research Workshop)1
(Cross-listed as ENVS 054 ) Many of us are just…tired. We’re exhausted, frustrated, or we’ve grown numb to the state of the world. It’s hard to continuously and repeatedly summon the strength and the will to practice optimism. How do we, as artists, as activists, as humans living on this planet, find ways to imagine a future where things work out? Where suffering and disaster aren’t the inevitable end-state? This course explores how we build emotional, collective resilience in the face of the many crises of our time. Working through the lens of climate crisis, students will engage with: 1) the work of local activists (e.g. The Sunrise Movement, PhillyThrive, the Earth Quaker Action Team), 2) the writings of facilitators/authors working on collective action and building a sustainable future (e.g. Joanna Macy, Adrienne Maree Brown, Robin Wall Kimmerer), and 3) the tools of theater (e.g. vulnerability, creativity, embodiment) to explore: How do we process our intense, exhausted, or numbed feelings? What do we mean by collective power, and how will we fuel movements for the future together? How do we begin to dream of our future with practicality, hope, and even joy? No prior experience in activism or theater required. 1 credit.
LING 063 In this course, we will develop ebooks for young deaf children. Adults can “read” these books with the children regardless of their knowledge of American Sign Language (or lack thereof). Working from beloved picture books, we will add video clips of actors signing the stories as well as voice-overs and questions about sign language that the interested reader can click on to find information. Students from Gallaudet University will join Swarthmore College students in this jointly taught course. We will travel to Gallaudet University three times and students from Gallaudet University will travel to Swarthmore College three times over the semester. A background in linguistics, theater, film, early childhood development, or education would be helpful.
Students must have a rudimentary knowledge of American Sign Language or concurrently take an attachment in ASL language. Social sciences. 1 credit. Eligible for INTP, GLBL - Core Catalog chapter: Theater Access the class schedule to search for sections.
THEA 034ASpecial Project: Intermediate Set Design
By individual arrangement with instructor for a portfolio project or a production project in connection with department directing workshops, Production Ensemble, honors thesis projects, or Senior Company.
THEA 004A and THEA 014A . 0.5 or 1 credit. Catalog chapter: Theater Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/department-theater Access the class schedule to search for sections.
By individual arrangement with instructor for a portfolio project or a production project in connection with department directing workshops, Production Ensemble, honors thesis projects, or Senior Company.
THEA 004B and THEA 014B . 0.5 or 1 credit. Catalog chapter: Theater Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/department-theater Access the class schedule to search for sections.
By individual arrangement with instructor for a portfolio project or a production project in connection with department directing workshops, Production Ensemble, honors thesis projects, or Senior Company.
THEA 004C and THEA 014C . 0.5 or 1 credit. Catalog chapter: Theater Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/department-theater Access the class schedule to search for sections.
THEA 034DSpecial Project: Intermediate Integrated Media Design
By individual arrangement with instructor for a portfolio project or a production project in connection with department directing workshops, Production Ensemble, honors thesis projects, or Senior Company.
THEA 004D and THEA 014D . 0.5 or 1 credit. Catalog chapter: Theater Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/department-theater Access the class schedule to search for sections.
By individual arrangement for a production project in connection with department directing workshops, Production Ensemble, honors thesis projects, or Senior Company.
THEA 004E and THEA 014E . 0.5 or 1 credit. Catalog chapter: Theater Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/department-theater Access the class schedule to search for sections.
THEA 035Directing I: Directors’ Lab1
This course introduces students to the theater director’s role in a rehearsal and production process, exploring directing tools, the responsibilities of leadership, and the values/principles one might use to guide processes towards performance. Set up as a studio-based, laboratory-styled class, the course will be broken up into units that include the director’s work with playscripts, staging, actors, staff, and designers. The course’s final project consists of an extended scene to be performed as part of a public presentation. Fulfills a general requirement for all theater majors and minors.
THEA 001 , THEA 002A Humanities. 1 credit. Fall 2026. Torra. Fall 2027 Staff. Catalog chapter: Theater Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/department-theater Access the class schedule to search for sections.
THEA 036Theater From Scratch: An Introduction to Devised Performance1
This course offers an immersive introduction to devised theater, a dynamic art form where artists collaboratively craft original performances. Unlike traditional theater that centers the interpretation of existing scripts, devised theater empowers artists to build something entirely new from the ground up. Throughout the course, students will be introduced to diverse methods of creating original performance by studying the work of devised theater artists, participating in classroom exercises, and, most importantly, making work of their own. Students will explore creating original work through the lens of various theatrical genres including political theater, dance theater, site-specific theater, and adaptation, while also learning about the role of the director, actor, dramaturg, and designer in devised processes. Additionally, the course invites students to consider the ways devised theater-making can build community, create a space for collective processing, and challenge artists to create new ways to be in relationship with audiences. Students will participate in various devising experiments throughout the semester and, as their final assignment, students will present a public work-in-progress showing of their original work.
THEA 001 OR THEA 002A Humanities. 1 credit. Spring 2027. Torra. Catalog chapter: Theater Department website: https://www.swarthmore.edu/department-theater Access the class schedule to search for sections.
THEA 045Special Project: Solo Performance1
An independent study in solo performance by individual arrangement between the student and department faculty.
THEA 025 Humanities. 1 credit. Catalog chapter: Theater Department website: https://www.swarthmore.edu/department-theater Access the class schedule to search for sections.
THEA 046Intermediate Special Project In Playwriting
An independent study in playwriting by individual arrangement between the student and department faculty.
THEA 006 and THEA 016 . Humanities. 1.0 Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/department-theater Access the class schedule to search for sections.
THEA 052Production Ensemble III1
Available by audition or consent of instructor to students who have successfully completed THEA 022 and THEA 042 . Humanities. 1 credit.
By individual arrangement with the design or directing faculty for production work in connection with department directing workshops, honors thesis productions, Production Ensemble, or Senior Company. Graded CR/NC.
Any 004 design class, THEA 013 , THEA 023 0.5 - 1 credit. Catalog chapter: Theater Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/department-theater Access the class schedule to search for sections.
THEA 054ASpecial Project: Advanced Set Design
By individual arrangement with instructor for a portfolio project or a production project in connection with department directing workshops, Production Ensemble, honors thesis projects, or Senior Company.
THEA 004A and THEA 014A and THEA 034A . 0.5 or 1 credit. Catalog chapter: Theater Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/department-theater Access the class schedule to search for sections.
By individual arrangement with instructor for a portfolio project or a production project in connection with department directing workshops, Production Ensemble, honors thesis projects, or Senior Company.
THEA 004B and THEA 014B and THEA 034B . 0.5 or 1 credit. Catalog chapter: Theater Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/department-theater Access the class schedule to search for sections.
THEA 054CSpecial Project: Advanced Costume Design
By individual arrangement with instructor for a portfolio project or a production project in connection with department directing workshops, Production Ensemble, honors thesis projects, or Senior Company.
THEA 004C and THEA 014C THEA 034C . 0.5 or 1 credit. Catalog chapter: Theater Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/department-theater Access the class schedule to search for sections.
THEA 054DSpecial Project: Advanced Integrated Media Design
By individual arrangement with instructor for a portfolio project or a production project in connection with department directing workshops, Production Ensemble, honors thesis projects, or Senior Company.
THEA 004D and THEA 014D and THEA 034D . 0.5 or 1 credit. Catalog chapter: Theater Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/department-theater Access the class schedule to search for sections.
THEA 054ESpecial Project: Advanced Sound Design
By individual arrangement with instructor for a portfolio project or a production project in connection with department directing workshops, Production Ensemble, honors thesis projects, or Senior Company.
THEA 004E and THEA 014E and THEA 034E . 0.5 or 1 credit. Catalog chapter: Theater Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/department-theater Access the class schedule to search for sections.
THEA 054FSpecial Project: Adv Stage Mgt
By individual arrangement for a production project in connection with department directing workshops, honors thesis projects, Senior Company, or Capstone.
THEA 014 and THEA 024 0.5 or 1 credit Catalog chapter: Theater Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/theater.xml Access the class schedule to search for sections.
Directing II requires students to apply the exercises from THEA 035: Directing I to a variety of scene assignments. These will address a variety of theatrical genres (farce, epic theater, verse drama, etc.) and various approaches to dramatic text (improvisation, cutting, and/or augmentation of play scripts, adaptation of nondramatic texts for performance, etc.). Projects will usually be presented for public performance.
THEA 001, 002A, 015, THEA 035, and any class in design. Humanities. 1 credit. Spring 2027. Torra. Spring 2028 Staff. Catalog chapter: Theater Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/department-theater Access the class schedule to search for sections.
THEA 062Production Ensemble IV1
Available by audition or consent of instructor to students who have successfully completed THEA 022 , THEA 042 , and THEA 052 . Humanities. 1 credit.
THEA 064Advanced Special Project in Scenography, Sound, and Technology
A portfolio design or other design project in connection with a production completed on or off campus. To be taken concurrently or following THEA 054A , THEA 054B , THEA 054C , THEA 054D , or THEA 054E . By individual arrangement between the student and the department faculty.
Any THEA 004 group, THEA 014 group, and THEA 034 group 0.5 or 1 credit. Catalog chapter: Theater Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/department-theater Access the class schedule to search for sections.
THEA 065Advanced Special Project in Solo Performance
An independent study in solo performance by individual arrangement between the student and department faculty.
THEA 025 and THEA 045 Humanities. Catalog chapter: Theater Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/department-theater Access the class schedule to search for sections.
THEA 072Advanced Special Project in Acting0.5-1
By individual arrangement with the acting or directing faculty for performance work in connection with department directing projects, honors thesis projects, or Senior Company. With faculty approval, acting in a production off campus may qualify for this credit. Graded CR/NC.
THEA 002A , THEA 002C , THEA 008 or THEA 012 or THEA 022 , THEA 012A . 0.5 - 1 credit. Catalog chapter: Theater Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/department-theater Access the class schedule to search for sections.
THEA 074ASpecial Project: Senior Project in Set Design0.5-1
This course is an independent study in Set design. This special project will examine the forms and techniques of design applied in actual production. By individual arrangement under the mentorship of the design faculty for work in connection with department directing workshops, honors thesis productions, Production Ensemble, or Senior Company.
THEA 004A , THEA 014A , THEA 034A , and THEA 054A . 0.5-1 credit. Catalog chapter: Theater Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/department-theater Access the class schedule to search for sections.
THEA 074BSpecial Project: Senior Project in Lighting Design
This course is an independent study in lighting design. This special project will examine the forms and techniques of design applied in actual production. By individual arrangement under the mentorship of the design faculty for work in connection with department directing workshops, honors thesis productions, Production Ensemble, or Senior Company.
THEA 004B , THEA 014B , THEA 034B , and THEA 054B . 0.5 or 1 credit. Catalog chapter: Theater Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/department-theater Access the class schedule to search for sections.
THEA 074CSpecial Project: Senior Project in Costume Design
This course is an independent study in costume design. This special project will examine the forms and techniques of design applied in actual production. By individual arrangement under the mentorship of the design faculty for work in connection with department directing workshops, honors thesis productions, Production Ensemble, or Senior Company.
THEA 004C , THEA 014C , THEA 034C , and THEA 054C . 0.5 or 1 credit. Catalog chapter: Theater Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/department-theater Access the class schedule to search for sections.
THEA 074DSpecial Project: Senior Project in Integrated Media Design
This course is an independent study in integrated media design. This special project will examine the forms and techniques of design applied in actual production. By individual arrangement under the mentorship of the design faculty for work in connection with department directing workshops, honors thesis productions, Production Ensemble, or Senior Company.
THEA 004D , THEA 014D , THEA 034D , and THEA 054D . 0.5 or 1 credit. Catalog chapter: Theater Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/department-theater Access the class schedule to search for sections.
THEA 074ESpecial Project: Senior Project in Sound Design
This course is an independent study in sound design. This special project will examine the forms and techniques of design applied in actual production. By individual arrangement under the mentorship of the design faculty for work in connection with department directing workshops, honors thesis productions, Production Ensemble, or Senior Company.
THEA 004E , THEA 014E , THEA 034E , and THEA 054E . 0.5 or 1 credit. Catalog chapter: Theater Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/department-theater Access the class schedule to search for sections.
THEA 075Advanced Special Project in Directing
By individual arrangement with the directing faculty. With faculty approval, directing or assistant directing off campus may qualify for this credit.
THEA 006 , THEA 016 , and THEA 046 . Humanities. 1.0 Catalog chapter: Theater Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/department-theater Access the class schedule to search for sections.
THEA 091Corporeality in Storytelling
INTP 091 LING 091 We will examine silent narrative in films, in stage plays, in mime, in stand-up comedy, in sign language visual vernacular, and in dance. We will have three foci: the narrator’s entire body as it takes on roles in the story - so complete embodiment of characters; the narrator’s limbs as articulators of communication; and the narrator’s facial gestures as articulators of communication. We will be examining the limitations of each of these foci on conveying factual (that is, truth-conditional) information versus affective information. Open to INTP seniors and juniors, and other juniors and seniors by approval of instructors. HU 1.0 CR Access the class schedule to search for sections.
Residence at local arts organizations and theaters. Fields include management, financial and audience development, community outreach, and stage and house management.
appropriate preparation in the major. Humanities. 1 credit. Catalog chapter: Theater Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/department-theater Access the class schedule to search for sections.
THEA 093Directed Reading1
Independent work for advanced students under the supervision of an instructor. 1 credit.
A workshop course emphasizing issues of collaborative play making across lines of specialization, ensemble development of performance projects, and the collective dynamics of forming the prototype of a theater company. Work with an audience in performance of a single project or a series of projects. This course is required of all theater majors in their senior year and can not be taken for external examination in the Honors Program. Class members will consult with the instructor during spring semester of their junior year, before registration, to organize and make preparations. Course and honors minors may petition to enroll, provided they have met the prerequisites. Fulfills a general requirement for all theater majors and minors.
THEA 001 , THEA 002A ; any course in design; THEA 015 ; THEA 006 , THEA 025 , or THEA 035 ; THEA 022 ; a 100-level seminar; and the completion of one three-course sequence in theater. Humanities. 1 credit. Fall 2026. Torra. Fall 2027 Staff. Catalog chapter: Theater Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/department-theater Access the class schedule to search for sections.
THEA 102AActing Capstone
Originally designed as a two-semester project for Honors Acting majors, this course has become an opportunity for all theater majors and minors who are focusing on acting to synthesize and showcase their cumulative knowledge and skills attained in the Theater Department. The course will culminate in a spring semester production of a play directed by the acting faculty. It will continue to be offered as a two-semester course when Honors majors are involved and will otherwise be a one-semester course in the spring. Students will be expected to meet with the faculty director during the fall semester to discuss the process. By arrangement with the theater faculty. Humanities. 1.0 Fall 2026. Stevens. Fall 2027 Staff.
Originally designed as a two-semester project for Honors Acting majors, this course has become an opportunity for all theater majors and minors who are focusing on acting to synthesize and showcase their cumulative knowledge and skills attained in the Theater Department. The course will culminate in a spring semester production of a play directed by the acting faculty. It will continue to be offered as a two-semester course when Honors majors are involved and will otherwise be a one-semester course in the spring. Students will be expected to meet with the faculty director during the fall semester to discuss the process. By arrangement with the theater faculty. 1.0 Spring 2027. Stevens. Spring 2028 Staff.
This seminar offers a comprehensive examination of the history of theater from its inception to the present day. Exploring dramatic literature and theatrical traditions from across the globe, we will sharpen particular focus on the ways diverse communities and cultures have harnessed the power of theater to express, represent, and interrogate the complexity of the human condition and experience. In addition to surveying and analyzing dramaturgical innovations and formal transformations, we will situate theatrical texts and practices within socio-historical contexts and contemplate what they perhaps reveal about the societies out of which they emerged. The course will also consider how theater has been mobilized across time to inspire fresh imaginings of a more just world.
THEA 015 . Humanities. Writing course. 2 credits. Eligible for GLBL-Core Catalog chapter: Theater Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/department-theater Access the class schedule to search for sections.
THEA 121Dramaturgy Seminar2
Fulfills a general requirement for all theater majors and minors.
By permission of instructor. Humanities. Writing course. 2 credits. Spring 2027. Witt. Spring 2028 Staff. Catalog chapter: Theater Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/department-theater Access the class schedule to search for sections.
THEA 180AHonors Thesis Preparation in Acting
Credit either for honors attachments to courses or for honors thesis projects in directing, design, acting, and so on. By arrangement with the student’s faculty adviser in theater.
Credit either for honors attachments to courses or for honors thesis projects in directing, design, acting, and so on. By arrangement with the student’s faculty adviser in theater.
Credit either for honors attachments to courses or for honors thesis projects in directing, design, acting, and so on. By arrangement with the student’s faculty adviser in theater.
Credit either for honors attachments to courses or for honors thesis projects in directing, design, acting, and so on. By arrangement with the student’s faculty adviser in theater.
Credit either for honors attachments to courses or for honors thesis projects in directing, design, acting, and so on. By arrangement with the student’s faculty adviser in theater.
THEA 180FHonors Thesis Preparation in Solo Performance
Credit either for honors attachments to courses or for honors thesis projects in directing, design, acting, and so on. By arrangement with the student’s faculty adviser in theater.
THEA 180GHonors Thesis Preparation in Performance Theory
Fall and spring semesters. Staff. Credit either for honors attachments to courses or for honors thesis projects in directing, design, acting, and so on. By arrangement with the student’s faculty adviser in theater.
THEA 180HHonors Thesis Preparation in Choreography for Live Performance
Credit either for honors attachments to courses or for honors thesis projects in directing, design, acting, choreography, and so on. By arrangement with the student’s faculty advisor in Theater.
THEA 180JHonors Thesis Preparation in Stage Management
Credit for honors attachments to honors thesis projects in directing, acting, and so on. By arrangement with the student’s faculty adviser in theater. 1.0
Honors Thesis Project Credit for honors thesis projects in directing, design, acting, and so on. By arrangement with the student’s faculty adviser in theater.
Honors Thesis Project Credit for honors thesis projects in directing, design, acting, and so on. By arrangement with the student’s faculty adviser in theater.
Honors Thesis Project Credit for honors thesis projects in directing, design, acting, and so on. By arrangement with the student’s faculty adviser in theater.
Honors Thesis Project Credit for honors thesis projects in directing, design, acting, and so on. By arrangement with the student’s faculty adviser in theater.
Honors Thesis Project Credit for honors thesis projects in directing, design, acting, and so on. By arrangement with the student’s faculty adviser in theater.
THEA 181FHonors Thesis Production in Solo Performance
Honors Thesis Project Credit for honors thesis projects in directing, design, acting, and so on. By arrangement with the student’s faculty adviser in theater.
THEA 181GHonors Thesis Production in Performance Theory
Honors Thesis Project Credit for honors thesis projects in directing, design, acting, and so on. By arrangement with the student’s faculty adviser in theater.
THEA 181HHonors Thesis Production in Choreography for Live Performance
Honors Thesis Project credit for honors thesis projects in directing, design, acting, choreography, and so on. By arrangement with the student’s faculty advisor in Theater.
THEA 181JHonors Thesis Production in Stage Management
Honors Thesis Project credit for honors thesis projects in directing, design, acting, choreography, stage management, and so on. By arrangement with the student’s faculty advisor in Theater. Humanities.
