Theatre

Academics at Hanover:

Watch an audience erupt in laughter as you deliver your line perfectly. Write a scene that draws tears from a full house. Create a set that places the viewer in another world. With Hanover’s Theatre program, you have the opportunity to be a multifaceted producer/playwright/actor and director.

Four main-stage productions, numerous student written and directed pieces, and hands-on experience will help you discover your talent in the world of the stage. Non-majors receive class credit and are encouraged to participate in productions as well.

Hanover’s Theatre department, together with its play-production arm, the Hanover College Theatre, will involve and educate you in all aspects of theatre in the context of a liberal arts education. You can:

Take courses in everything from acting, directing, design and playwriting, to stage combat, global theatre and theatre management. You can even study-abroad in London and Stratford-on-Avon.
Major or minor in theatre, or simply participate in it as extra-curricular activity.
Be involved in four to five main stage productions during the season, as well as many additional student-originated shows, including an all-student-run comedy improv troupe.
Not just act, but direct, design, and write for the main stage as well.
Take advantage of internships and assisted summer-work activities in theatre.

See a list of our current productions.

What do theatre majors study?
Acting, Directing, and Stagecraft
Play and Screenwriting Stage
Combat, Voice & Movement
Global Theatre, and World Cinema
Shakespeare in England

Theatres where graduates have become company members:
Chicago Dramatists
Roundabout Theatre Company
American Repertory Theatre
Writers Theatre in Chicago
Actors Theatre of Louisville
Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati
Tennessee Repertory Theatre
Boston Improv
Atlanta Shakespeare Co.
South Carolina Repertory Co.
Cincinnati Shakespeare
Celtic Arts Theatre, Los Angeles
Cirque du Soleil
Kentucky Shakespeare Festival
Blue Apple Players
Other Career Opportunities:
Entertainment law
Film & TV production
Event planning
Marketing & fundraising
Nonprofit management
Teaching Ministry & counseling

TRAVEL AND STUDY ABROAD OPPORTUNITIES

Take advantage of immersive spring travel courses on subjects such as Shakespeare in England. Semester-long study abroad programs are also available in several different countries including Australia, Turkey and Spain. Foreign university programs approved for credit can be applied toward your Hanover course requirements.

Recent Internships:
Berkshire Theatre Festival
Seattle Children’s Theatre
Warehouse Theatre
People’s Light & Theatre Co.
New Jersey Shakespeare Festival
Arden Theatre Company
Smokey Mountain Shakespeare Festival
High School Institute at Northwestern
Actors Theatre of Louisville
Kentucky Shakespeare Festival
Millbrook Playhouse
Marin County Shakespeare

Recent Graduate School Placements:
Harvard University
Northwestern University
Arizona State University
Yale University
University of Birmingham – Shakespeare Institute
Florida State University – Asolo Theatre
Boston University
American Repertory Theatre
Moscow Art Theatre School
Shakespeare Institute, Stratford-Upon-Avon
Purdue University
University of Nevada – Las Vegas
Tisch School of the Arts – NYU
Florida Central University

COURSES

Number

Name

Units

Description

THR 051 Theatre Laboratory .25 Practicum credit given to students participating in official Hanover Theatre Department productions, with focus in either performance, directing, dramaturgy, technical, or management aspects of a production. May be repeated for up to 1 unit. Permission of Instructor required. .25 unit.

THR 114 Introduction to the Theatre 1.00 The processes by which theatre artists from Ancient Greece to the present have transformed dramatic literature into stage reality. Partially satisfies the LA CCR.

THR 115 Film As Art 1.00 A study of film in which students learn to evaluate films, recognize cinematic techniques, write critically about films, and identify various film genres. Partially satisfies the LA CCR and satisfies W1 ACE.

THR 121 Elements of Stagecraft 1.00 Theory and practice of the technical elements of theatre production. Out of class studio work is required. Satisfies QL ACE.

THR 122 Theatre History and Culture I 1.00 An introduction to the varied histories of world drama and theater as an art form, as a profession, as a social event, and as an agent of cultural definition and change through the ages. Theatre History and Culture I examines select theatrical cultures, performance practices, and dramatic texts to 1700. Partially satisfies LA CCR and satisfies W1 ACE.

THR 125 Acting: Principles 1.00 This course is designed to introduce the student to the skills ofacting and creating a realistic performance. Emphasis is placed on ensemble improvisation, movement, vocal production, body awareness, character analysis, and monologue work. Partially satisfies the LA CCR.

THR 201 Theatre Practicum .50 Practical experience in the technical crafts of theatre. .50 unit. May be repeated once for credit.

THR 215 World Cinema 1.00 Screening, analysis and comparison of films from Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America along with some European and North American films. Satisfies the Other Cultures LADR. Spring Term. May count towards the major in Theatre.

THR 222 Theatre History and Culture II 1.00 An introduction to the varied histories of world drama and theater as an art form, as a profession, as a social event, and as an agent of cultural definition and change through the ages. Theatre History and Culture II examines select theatrical cultures, performance practices, and dramatic texts from 1700 to the present. Partially satisfies LA CCR. Satisfies W2 ACE.

THR 225 Advanced Acting: Scene Study 1.00 This course is an advanced acting course with a focus on scene and partner work, from a variety of modern styles and texts. Emphasis is placed on character development, scene analysis, and the process of creating a realistic performance. Prerequisite: THR125

THR 232 Theatrical Design 1.00 Creative exploration of the design elements in theatre production. May be repeated for additional credit with permission of instructor.

THR 233 Voice & Movement for the Stage 1.00 A studio course for the actor in the fundamentals of training and achieving an expressive voice and body. Students explore many exercises and activities that lead to deeper self-awareness and control over their vocal and physical instrument, and to remedy poor habits that may be limiting their full range of vocal and physical expressiveness in the portrayal of emotions and characters on the stage. Participants will be encouraged to develop a personal regimen for continuing growth in their vocal and physical skills after the course is done. Offered alternate years. Prerequisite of THR125.

THR 248 Acting and Stage Combat 1.00 Principles of safety and theatrical effectiveness in physical expression. Techniques addressed include unarmed combat, falls and rapier/dagger work. Emphasis on physical acting skills, and development of sound rehearsal processes. Offered alternate years. Prerequisites: 131.

THR 305 Theatre: Professions and Pathways .50 An exploration of pathways in the professional theatre, as well as other career opportunities supported by theatrical training. Topics may include resume writing and portfolio building, interview and audition techniques, networking, and preparation for graduate-level programs. .5 unit

THR 311 Global Theatre 1.00 A survey of plays and theatrical performance traditions of Africa, Asia, the Middle East, the Caribbean, Latin America and Indigenous peoples. Satisfies the CP ACE.

THR 312 Western Drama: Greeks to Realism 1.00 Survey of foundational plays of the western theatre tradition, from the classical Greeks to the dawn of Realism and the modern era. Includes plays by Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, and Aristophanes; Rome’s Seneca and Plautus; and representative work from the Medievals, Elizabethans (other than Shakespeare), the French and the Spanish classicists; the English Restoration and the 18th-century; and concludes with Romanticism and Goethe’s Faust. Offered alternate years. Partially satisfies the LA CCR and satisfies W2 ACE.

THR 325 Advanced Acting: Period Styles 1.00 This course is an advanced acting course with a focus on period styles, including Greek, Roman, Elizabethan, Commedia, and Restoration texts. Emphasis is placed on physicality, mask work, character development, appropriate vocal production, and creating an appropriate stylized performance. Prerequisite: THR125.

THR 331 Directing for the Stage 1.00 Theory and practice; student direction of two scenes of different styles for rehearsal/performance, and a one-act play for public performance. Prerequisites: 121, 131. Partially satisfies the LA CCR.

THR 332 Contemporary Theatre 1.00 Theatre and its role in the world today. May be repeated for credit. Partially satisfies the LA CCR and satisfies CP ACE.

THR 343 Screenwriting 1.00 Writing for narrative film. Emphasis on structure, character development, meaning, and professional format. Identical to ENG 343.

THR 345 Playwriting 1.00 Theory and practice. Beginning with a basis in dramatic structure derived from Aristotle’s Poetics, students will write four short plays and produce a revision. Plays are read aloud in a workshop setting and then responded to by other playwrights and the instructor in structured feedback sessions. Emphasis is upon sustained action, character development, and creating in dialogue. Partially satisfies the LA CCR.

THR 346 Advanced Playwriting 1.00 Builds upon the knowledge and skills gained in 345, now applied to writing a full-length play. Focus on structure and pacing, point of attack, and character development in plays one hour or more in length. Workshop method, with readings and feedback from peers and instructor. Each student will write at least one full-length play and the course culminates in a public reading of student work. Prerequisite: 345.

THR 348 Shakespeare in England 1.00 Selected plays of Shakespeare in performance, together with the cultural settings from which they emerged. Identical to Eng 348. Offered in Stratford-upon-Avon in Spring Term alternate years. Permission of the instructor is required. May be repeated for credit. Partially satisfies the LA CCR.

THR 349 Advanced Stage Combat 1.00 Students will practice advanced techniques for physical acting, with emphasis on safety and clarity of nonverbal expression, with script analysis and rehearsal processes. Students may have the opportunity to test for credentials with The Society of American Fight Directors. Prerequisite: 248

Faculty and Staff

Christian Bowyer Technical Director 812-866-6191 bowyer@hanover.edu View Profile

Jennifer Schmidt Assistant Professor of Theatre 812-866-7262 schmidtj@hanover.edu View Profile

Gabriel Vanover Assistant Professor of Theatre and Theatre Department Chair 812-866-7355 vanover@hanover.edu View Profile

Academics at Hanover:

TRAVEL AND STUDY ABROAD OPPORTUNITIES

COURSES

Faculty and Staff

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