Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies

Why take courses in this discipline?

In the Grinnell College Department of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies, students develop as artist-scholars who are learning and practicing an integrated and holistic approach to making performance. We value a balance of knowing and doing, collaboration, active pedagogy, invention, multiplicity and diversity, experimentation, humane practices, and welcoming every body.

Productions and performances — as well as scholarship about them— are placed at the center of what we do as a department. Learning in the classroom leads to and informs performances, and is informed by what is learned on stage and in the process of production in a cycle of reciprocal advancement.

Everyone is invited to be involved in the theatre, dance, and performance studies department, whether it is your major or not. And no matter your level of experience, there is always a place for you.

How does this discipline contribute to the liberal arts?

Courses in the theatre, dance, and performance studies department involve creative expression, communication/writing, and the study of human behavior and society.

What kinds of questions are asked in this discipline?

In the practice and study of performance, the Department of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies is committed to high standards of artistic expression and creative scholarship within the context of a liberal arts education. In the expansive fields within our department, students study the literature, history, and theory of theatre, dance, and performance. We also study the practices of performance making, of design, acting and directing, dance and choreography in European, American, postcolonial and other non-Western forms.

How does a student get started?

There are five 100-level courses open to first-year students: Introduction to Movement for the Performer (THD 110), Introduction to Acting (THD 120), Behind the Curtain: Performance Design & Technology (THD 130), Introduction to Performance Studies (THD 140), and World Dance Traditions (THD 115). We also often offer Special Topics courses (THD 195) such as Intro to Theatre. Students interested in majoring in theatre and dance should take two of these 100-level courses.

We also offer to two technical dance courses: Introduction to Dance Technique and Contemporary Dance Practices in Motion.

We study the practices of performance making, design, acting, directing, dance and choreography in from a global perspective including European, American, African diaspora and the Global South.

Courses in Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies

All Courses in Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies

Regular 200-Level Courses

200 level: Creative Inquiry (8 credits)

THD 203: Dance Ensemble
THD 210: Choreography: Movement Design for the Stage
THD 220: Performing Possibilities: The Art of Performance
THD 221: Directing
THD 230: Design for Performance
THD 231: Lighting for the Stage
THD 232: Digital Media Design for Performance

200 level: Performance Theory, History, Critical Approaches (8 credits)

THD 240: Interdisciplinary Performance Theory and Practice
THD 242: Why Do Humans Dance?
THD 250: Historical Theatre and Dance Contexts I
THD 251: Historical Theatre and Dance Contexts II
THD 253: Theatre & Identity

Regular 300-Level Courses

THD 310: Critical Approaches in Dance
THD 320: Solo Performance
THD 330: Critical Approaches in Performance Design
THD 340: Performance Studies Workshop: Performance as Research
THD 350: Critical Approaches to Theatre Methods
THD 353: Critical Approaches to Theatre Perspectives

Recent Special Topics

History of Comedy
BIPOC TV
Stage Management
Studies in Performance Art
Developing Performance Content from Environmental Data
Global Disabilities: Art, Architecture, and Activism
Tap Dance
Medical Humanities
Music and Dance in Bollywood: Critical Transformations

Practicum Requirements: Students are required to earn at least four practicum credits for the major by working with faculty and staff on mainstage productions, with 2 credits minimum of Live Performance (100 or 200) and 2 credits minimum of Production Process (101 or 201).

Sample Four-Year Plan for a Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies Major

We believe in a holistic education in theatre, dance and performance studies. Students are encouraged to take courses in all areas offered by the department, as each area informs the other — this includes courses in acting, directing, dance, choreography, performance studies and design.

Sample Four Year Plan Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies Major
Year	Fall	Spring
First	THD 1XX	THD 1XX THD 100 or 101 (Practicum)
Second	THD 2XX in Creative Inquiry or Performance Theory, History, Critical Approaches Level One or Two Practicum	THD 2XX in Creative Inquiry or Performance Theory, History, Critical Approaches (whichever was not taken in the fall) Level One or Two Practicum (if not taken in fall)
Third	THD 2XX in Creative Inquiry or Performance Theory, History, Critical Approaches Level One or Two Practicum	THD 2XX in Creative Inquiry or Performance Theory, History, Critical Approaches (whichever was not taken in the fall) Level One or Two Practicum (if not taken in fall)
Fourth	THD 3XX Level One or Two Practicum	THD 3XX Level One or Two Practicum (if not taken in fall)

Off-Campus Study

Many theatre, dance, and performance studies majors have studied at Grinnell-in-London, The London Dramatic Academy, the National Theatre Institute, and the Trinity/La Mama Performing Arts Semester in New York. Students can petition to have one class from their off-campus study count towards their theatre, dance, and performance studies major if the course’s requirements are comparable to the required classes.

Contributions to Other Majors/Concentrations

Courses in theatre, dance, and performance studies contribute to majors in:

Department Events and Opportunities

Beyond coursework and the five main stage productions, students have numerous opportunities to engage in creative performance works including staging a production as part of the Open Space Performance Series (recent shows include True West, Godspell, and an adaptation of Lord of the Flies), writing a one-act for the McClenon Clark Playwriting Contest, and conducting creative research with support from the Moffett Award. Students also can work part time in the scene shop, costume shop, and box office, providing hands-on experience in behind-the-scenes work.

Students also have the opportunity to work with faculty on mentored advanced projects during the academic year or the summer. Recent projects include assistant-designing The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, students directing Spring Awakening, Next to Normal, and The Royale, community engagement dance work in Georgia, interviewing members of the community and devising a verbatim theatre production, and staging Das Rheingold in Taiwan.