Department of Dramatic Art

Introduction

The study of dramatic art focuses upon the dramatic texts of the classical and modern periods from across the globe and introduces the student to the variety of artistic endeavors necessary to realize the text in theatrical performance. Majors concentrate on the literature and history of the theatre while investigating the processes involved in acting, directing, design, costume, and technical production.

Courses focus on the connections between theatre and society, between theatrical performance and the visual arts, and between dramatic literature and philosophy, history, and other literary forms. The study of theatre embraces a range of subjects in the humanities and fine arts, including literature, language, aesthetics, culture, and performance.

Advising

All majors and minors have a primary academic advisor from the Academic Advising Program. Students are strongly encouraged to meet regularly with their advisor and review their Tar Heel Tracker each semester. Every student whose primary major is dramatic art will also be assigned a departmental advisor, beginning in the semester that 60 hours will be completed. The department’s director of undergraduate studies and undergraduate advisor work with current and prospective majors by appointment. Please contact the department at CB# 3230, (919) 962-1132. Further information on courses, undergraduate research opportunities, the honors program, careers, and graduate schools may be obtained from the department’s website.

Facilities

The Department of Dramatic Art’s offices, classrooms, studios, rehearsal hall, and construction shops are located in the Joan H. Gillings Center for Dramatic Art. Each year the Department of Dramatic Art’s Kenan Theatre Company (KTC) supports four full productions in the Elizabeth Price Kenan Theatre. The Department also sponsors a variety of other productions such as student-directed work in the smaller classroom environment. The department provides showcase venues for new student writing, including readings and fully produced plays.

Graduate School and Career Opportunities

The dramatic art major is associated with a variety of career opportunities, including graduate study, public relations, communications, arts management, public service, teaching, and theatre-related careers, including literary management, stage management, acting, design, publicity, marketing, fund-raising, technical production, sound and lighting technology, box office management, costuming, electrics, and stage craft.

Professors

Janet A. Chambers, McKay Coble, David Navalinsky, Michael J. Rolleri, Adam N. Versényi.

Associate Professors

Julia Gibson, Jacqueline Lawton.

Assistant Professors

Tracy Bersley, Samuel Gates, Tia James, Gwendolyn Schwinke, Kathryn Williams.

Professors of the Practice

Vivienne Benesch, Triffin Morris.

Teaching Professors

Jeffrey Blair Cornell, Gregory Kable.

Teaching Assistant Professors

Laura Pates, Mark Perry, Rachel Pollock, Aubrey Snowden.

Professors Emeriti

Judith L. Adamson, Raymond E. Dooley, David A. Hammond, Roberta A. (Bobbi) Owen (Michael R. McVaugh Distinguished Professor in Dramatic Art), Kathy Perkins, Bonnie N. Raphael, Craig W. Turner.  

DRAM–Dramatic Art

Undergraduate-level Courses

IDEAs in Action General Education logoDRAM 79.  First-Year Seminar: The Heart of the Play: Fundamentals of Acting, Playwriting, and Collaboration.  3 Credits.  

This seminar is designed to get the student doing theatre, sparking creativity, and making connections with the deeper lessons of this dynamic art form. Students will write, stage, and perform their own 10-minute plays.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FY-SEMINAR, FC-CREATE.
Making Connections Gen Ed: VP, CI.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoDRAM 80.  First-Year Seminar: Psychology of Clothes: Motivations for Dressing Up and Dressing Down.  3 Credits.  

The course seeks to help students find ways to articulate their own motivations for dress and then apply the ideas they have discovered to the ways in which individuality as well as group attitudes are expressed through clothing. Honors version available.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FY-SEMINAR, FC-GLOBAL.
Making Connections Gen Ed: VP, CI.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoDRAM 81.  First-Year Seminar: Staging America: The American Drama.  3 Credits.  

This seminar examines American drama from its colonial origins to the present as both a literary and commercial art form. The focus throughout will be on the forces that shaped American drama as well as drama's ability to shed light on the national experience. Honors version available.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FY-SEMINAR, FC-AESTH.
Making Connections Gen Ed: VP, CI, NA.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoDRAM 83.  First-Year Seminar: Spectacle in the Theatre.  3 Credits.  

This course examines how the theatrical designer uses scenery, costumes, and lighting to help create a production. Students will apply these techniques in creating their own design projects.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FY-SEMINAR, FC-CREATE.
Making Connections Gen Ed: VP.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoDRAM 85.  First-Year Seminar: Documentary Theatre.  3 Credits.  

This course explores the political and social ramifications of documentary theatre in the United States. Students will investigate a local community of their choosing and create an interview-based performance. Honors version available.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FY-SEMINAR, HI-PERFORM.
Making Connections Gen Ed: VP, EE- Performing Arts, NA.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoDRAM 87.  First-Year Seminar: Style: A Mode of Expression.  3 Credits.  

This seminar studies the elements of design in their pure form, surveys a history of period styles and theatre, and identifies their causes. Honors version available.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FY-SEMINAR.
Making Connections Gen Ed: VP, CI, NA.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoDRAM 89.  First Year Seminar: Special Topics.  3 Credits.  

This is a special topics course. Content will vary.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FY-SEMINAR.
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoDRAM 115.  Perspectives in Drama.  3 Credits.  

A survey of plays from the Greeks to the present, analyzed through such elements of the dramatic text as action, character, structure, and language. Honors version available.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-AESTH.
Making Connections Gen Ed: LA, NA.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoDRAM 116.  Perspectives in the Theatre: Page to Stage.  3 Credits.  

A survey of the interrelationships of acting, directing, designing, and playwriting through the study of major periods of theatrical expression and representative plays. Honors version available.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-AESTH.
Making Connections Gen Ed: VP.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
DRAM 117.  Perspectives in World Drama.  3 Credits.  

A survey of non-Western drama and theatre with emphasis on the historical and aesthetic development of those regions. Honors version available.

Rules & Requirements  
Making Connections Gen Ed: LA, BN.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoDRAM 120.  Play Analysis.  3 Credits.  

Development of the skill to analyze plays for academic and production purposes through the intensive study of representative plays. DRAM 120 is the first course in the major and the minor in dramatic art. Honors version available.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FY-LAUNCH (only designated sections), FC-AESTH.
Making Connections Gen Ed: VP, CI, NA.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
DRAM 131.  Writing for the Screen and Stage.  3 Credits.  

Restricted course. Dramatic writing workshop open only to students in the writing for the screen and stage minor.

Rules & Requirements  
Making Connections Gen Ed: VP, CI.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: COMM 131.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoDRAM 135.  Acting for Nonmajors.  3 Credits.  

Introduction to basic processes and techniques of acting for the stage.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-CREATE.
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
DRAM 140.  Voice Training I.  3 Credits.  

Fundamental principles underlying the effective use of voice and speech in performance.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
DRAM 144.  Acting the Song.  3 Credits.  

The course explores how to gain facility in expression and truthfulness in action while communicating through a dramatic song. Challenges include how to navigate a scene that moves into song and how to manage breath and vulnerability in performance. Permission of the instructor required.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoDRAM 150.  Beginning Acting for the Major.  3 Credits.  

Introduction to acting tools, emphasizing playing actions and pursuing an objective by personalized given circumstances. Performance work drawn from short scripted, improvised, and contemporary scenes.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-CREATE.
Requisites: Prerequisite, DRAM 120.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoDRAM 151.  Introduction to the American Stage Musical.  3 Credits.  

A topical survey of musical theater repertoire from its early inception in 18th-century Europe to current 21st-century incarnations. Various stylistic approaches, historical periods, and creative contributions to the genre will be explored. Examination of case studies through diverse perspectives of class, gender and race will situate the repertoire in a broad artistic and social context.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-AESTH.
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: MUSC 151.  
DRAM 154.  Performers' Awareness.  3 Credits.  

This course focuses on developing body and mind awareness and undoing habits (including habits of thought) which restrict the performer. The class explores strategies for reducing tension, re-discovering natural alignment, and replacing self-judgement with self-confidence.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
DRAM 155.  Movement for the Actor.  3 Credits.  

Introduction to physical training. Individual/group exercises explore relaxation, breath, concentration, flexibility, and imaginative response that become physical tools for acting. May include stage combat, juggling, mime, improvisation, games, and yoga.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
DRAM 156.  Physical Comedy, Farce Techniques, and Clown.  3 Credits.  

Beginning with a history of physical comedy and performance techniques, this experiential class will explore vulnerability and self-discovery through clown. Students will learn farce techniques which strengthen physical agility and comic timing. Through a process of rediscovering innocence in sound and movement, the student will begin to forget the filter of the socialized body, achieving a heightened presence.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
DRAM 160.  Stagecraft.  3 Credits.  

General survey of materials, equipment, and processes used in technical theatre.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
DRAM 170.  The Playful Actor: Theatre Games and Improvisation.  3 Credits.  

This course seeks to strengthen the powers of imagination, courage, spontaneity, and presence of the actor through theatre games and improvisation.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoDRAM 191.  Technical Methods: Scenery.  3 Credits.  

DRAM 191 or 192 required for dramatic art majors. Permission of the instructor for nonmajors. Introduction to equipment, procedures, and personnel in the design and execution of plans for scenery, lighting, properties, and sound for theatrical productions.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-CREATE, HI-PERFORM.
Making Connections Gen Ed: EE- Performing Arts.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoDRAM 192.  Technical Methods: Costume.  3 Credits.  

DRAM 191 or 192 required for dramatic art majors. Introduction to equipment, procedures, and personnel in the design and execution of costumes for theatrical productions. Permission of the instructor for nonmajors.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-CREATE, HI-PERFORM.
Making Connections Gen Ed: VP, EE- Performing Arts.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoDRAM 193.  Production Practicum.  3 Credits.  

Permission of the instructor for nonmajors. Required for the dramatic art major. Practicum in production with PlayMakers Repertory Company in costuming, scenery, lighting, sound, or theatre management.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: HI-PERFORM.
Making Connections Gen Ed: EE- Performing Arts.  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit. 6 total credits. 2 total completions.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoDRAM 196.  Dramatic Art Projects.  1-3 Credits.  

Permission of the department. May be repeated for credit. Restricted to juniors and seniors majoring in dramatic art. Intensive individual work in major areas of theatrical production: design, technical, directing, acting, playwriting, management.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: HI-PERFORM.
Making Connections Gen Ed: EE- Performing Arts.  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit; may be repeated in the same term for different topics; 6 total credits. 6 total completions.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoDRAM 220.  Theatre Histories.  3 Credits.  

This course introduces students to theatre histories and cultures from India, Asia, Africa, and Latin America, with reference to Western European/North American traditions. Students will investigate how drama, theatre, and performance develops both within individual cultural milieus and through contact with other cultures.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-AESTH.
Requisites: Prerequisite, DRAM 120.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoDRAM 230.  Theatre of the Word.  3 Credits.  

This course, with a theatre and social justice theme, is structured to give students an understanding of the role of the speaker before the public, the logical and sequential development of an idea, and the methodology for organizing and presenting materials and information. The course will cover information gathering, speech outlining, small group discussion, and provide extemporaneous, informative, and persuasive speaking opportunities.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: COMMBEYOND.
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
DRAM 231.  Playwriting I.  3 Credits.  

Permission of the department. A practical course in writing for the stage with studio productions of selected works.

Rules & Requirements  
Making Connections Gen Ed: VP, CI.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
DRAM 240.  Voice Training II.  3 Credits.  

A continuation of DRAM 140.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, DRAM 140.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoDRAM 245.  Acting for the Camera.  3 Credits.  

The process of acting and its relationship to the technical and artistic demands of television/film production. Problems of continuity and out-of-sequence filming. Concentration and thinking on camera.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-CREATE.
Requisites: Prerequisite, DRAM 135 or 150; permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
DRAM 250.  Intermediate Acting for the Major.  3 Credits.  

A deeper exploration of fulfilled actions prompted by an objective, with emphasis on developing techniques required by more formally structured texts such as Sophocles, Molière, Ibsen, Shaw, and Chekhov.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, DRAM 150.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
DRAM 255.  Movement for the Actor II.  3 Credits.  

Development of balance, flexibility, strength, focus, grace, and precision through martial art of T'ai Chi Ch'uan. Emphasis on applying T'ai Chi principles to acting. Chinese philosophical bases for T'ai Chi explored.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, DRAM 155; permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoDRAM 260.  Advanced Stagecraft.  3 Credits.  

The course provides practical applications of principles and techniques used in technical theatre. Lectures are supported by individually scheduled workshop sessions where techniques are applied to a theatrical production.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-CREATE, HI-PERFORM.
Making Connections Gen Ed: VP, EE- Performing Arts.  
Requisites: Prerequisite, DRAM 160; permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoDRAM 277.  Introduction to Theatrical Design.  3 Credits.  

General principles of scenic, costume, and lighting design for the theatre.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-AESTH or FC-CREATE.
Making Connections Gen Ed: VP.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
DRAM 279.  Introduction to Theatre Management.  3 Credits.  

An overview of the major functions of management in the American nonprofit theatre including marketing, fundraising, finances, strategy and operations. Presentation skills will be practiced.

Rules & Requirements  
Making Connections Gen Ed: CI.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoDRAM 281.  Theatre History and Literature I.  3 Credits.  

Survey of theatre practice and writing from the Greeks to 1700.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-AESTH or FC-PAST.
Making Connections Gen Ed: VP, WB.  
Requisites: Prerequisite, DRAM 120 and 220.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoDRAM 282.  Theatre History and Literature II.  3 Credits.  

Survey of theatre practice and writing from 1700 to 1920.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-AESTH or FC-PAST.
Making Connections Gen Ed: LA, CI, NA.  
Requisites: Prerequisites, DRAM 120 and 220.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoDRAM 283.  Theatre History and Literature III.  3 Credits.  

Survey of theatre practice and writing from 1930 to the present.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-AESTH.
Making Connections Gen Ed: VP, CI, NA.  
Requisites: Prerequisite, DRAM 120.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
DRAM 284.  Studies in Dramatic Theory and Criticism.  3 Credits.  

May be repeated for credit. Seminar in dramatic theory and criticism with emphasis on the modern period. Honors version available.

Rules & Requirements  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit. 6 total credits. 2 total completions.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoDRAM 285.  Modern British Drama.  3 Credits.  

Evolution of modern British drama from 1956 through the present. Honors version available.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-AESTH.
Making Connections Gen Ed: LA, CI, NA.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoDRAM 287.  African American Theatre.  3 Credits.  

This course investigates the history and legacy of African American drama through the study of its literary texts, performance styles, and cultural history.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-AESTH.
Making Connections Gen Ed: VP, CI.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoDRAM 288.  Theatre for Social Change.  3 Credits.  

This course assesses different models of theatre for social change through change theory, playwriting, and collaboration. Students will be guided through the process of creating new works.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-POWER.
Making Connections Gen Ed: CI.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
DRAM 290.  Special Topics in Dramatic Art.  0.5-3 Credits.  

The study of a topic in dramaturgy, theatrical design, or theatrical production. Content and instructor will vary. May be repeated for credit.

Rules & Requirements  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit; may be repeated in the same term for different topics; 6 total credits. 2 total completions.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoDRAM 292.  "Corner of the Sky": The American Musical.  3 Credits.  

This course considers the anatomy and diversity of the American musical, exploring its history and aesthetics and employing an interdisciplinary approach to examining and celebrating its shows, sounds, stars, structures, styles, and sensibilities, within the genre's dominant contexts of Broadway, Hollywood, and Utopia.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-AESTH.
Making Connections Gen Ed: VP.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoDRAM 294.  Arts Criticism.  3 Credits.  

An introduction to the principles of arts criticism through study of the work of a variety of critics, by distinguishing between the nature of criticism and reviewing the arts (both performing and plastic), and through the students' own practice of critical writing by means of a series of short essays.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-AESTH.
Making Connections Gen Ed: VP, CI.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoDRAM 300.  Directing.  3 Credits.  

Generally limited to majors. An introductory course in the principles of stage directing; analysis for concept, organization of production, and methodology of staging.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-AESTH or FC-CREATE.
Making Connections Gen Ed: CI.  
Requisites: Prerequisite, DRAM 120; permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
DRAM 331.  Playwriting II.  3 Credits.  

A practical course in writing for the theatre, taught at an advanced level.

Rules & Requirements  
Making Connections Gen Ed: VP.  
Requisites: Prerequisite, DRAM 231; permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
DRAM 334.  Theatrical Auditions.  3 Credits.  

Practice in the techniques necessary for successful auditions for the theatre. Previously offered as DRAM 134. Permission of the instructor.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, DRAM 150.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoDRAM 350.  Advanced Acting for the Major.  3 Credits.  

Development of the actor's technique in verse drama with emphasis on scansion and textual analysis as guidelines for actions, characterization, and given circumstances. Scene and monologue work drawn from the works of Shakespeare.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-AESTH.
Requisites: Prerequisite, DRAM 250; permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoDRAM 365.  Introduction to Projection Design and Mapping.  3 Credits.  

This course aims to provide an in-depth understanding of projection mapping in the context of theatre and entertainment design. Through a combination of theoretical and hands-on learning, students will gain the skills necessary to conceptualize, design, and implement projection mapping projects.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-CREATE.
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoDRAM 393.  Professional Theatre Laboratory.  1-12 Credits.  

Permission of the department. Individual programs or internship in acting, directing, design, management, and playwriting under the guidance of professional practitioners in conjunction with PlayMakers Repertory Company or other professional theatre organizations.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: HI-INTERN.
Making Connections Gen Ed: EE- Academic Internship.  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit; may be repeated in the same term for different topics; 12 total credits. 12 total completions.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  

Advanced Undergraduate and Graduate-level Courses

DRAM 431.  Playwriting Workshop.  3 Credits.  

As image makers, the work we do has a powerful and lasting impact on perception. When writing beyond ourselves and our experience, special care must be given the development of characters and exploration of the world of the play. This class explores the impact of social identity on playwriting and how we can use the power of storytelling to reflect a greater vision for humanity.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisites, DRAM 231 and DRAM 331.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoDRAM 460.  Stage Management.  3 Credits.  

Permission of the department. A study of the basic principles and practices of modern stage management.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: HI-PERFORM.
Making Connections Gen Ed: EE- Performing Arts.  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit. 6 total credits. 2 total completions.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoDRAM 465.  Sound Design.  3 Credits.  

The study of general principles of sound design for the theatre. Theory and application of sound design techniques for the stage, including script analysis, staging concepts, special effects, sound plots, and technology.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-CREATE.
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoDRAM 466.  Scene Design.  3 Credits.  

Permission of the instructor. General principles of visual design as applied to scenery for the theatre. Instruction in standard techniques of planning and rendering scene design.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-AESTH or FC-CREATE.
Making Connections Gen Ed: VP.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoDRAM 467.  Costume Design I.  3 Credits.  

Permission of the instructor. Studies and practicum in play analysis and costume design for the theatre. Instruction in techniques of planning and rendering costume design.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-AESTH or FC-CREATE.
Making Connections Gen Ed: VP.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoDRAM 468.  Lighting Design I.  3 Credits.  

Permission of the instructor. General principles of lighting design as applied to the performing arts. Theory and instruction in standard techniques of lighting for the stage.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-CREATE.
Making Connections Gen Ed: VP.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
DRAM 470.  Survey of Costume History.  3 Credits.  

A survey of historic costume forms from ancient Egypt to the present time. Honors version available.

Rules & Requirements  
Making Connections Gen Ed: HS, NA.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
DRAM 484.  Studies in Dramaturgy and Criticism.  3 Credits.  

This seminar seeks to introduce students to the principles of arts criticism through study of the work of a variety of different critics, by distinguishing between the nature of criticism and reviewing the arts, and through the students' own practice of critical writing.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoDRAM 486.  Latin American Theatre.  3 Credits.  

This course explores the historical and aesthetic development of Latin American theatre, focusing on particular factors that distinguish this theatre from the Western European tradition.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-AESTH or FC-GLOBAL.
Making Connections Gen Ed: VP, BN.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoDRAM 488.  United States Latino/a Theatre.  3 Credits.  

Investigation of United States Latino/a theatre texts and performance practices as a discreet genre. United States Latino/a theatre will be distinguished from the dominant culture, and the diversity of forms and styles will be discussed.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-AESTH or FC-POWER.
Making Connections Gen Ed: VP, CI.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
DRAM 491.  Issues in Arts Management.  3 Credits.  

Arts management issues taught through analysis of case studies. Course includes management theories, organizational structures, and current issues.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoDRAM 493.  Theatre Management.  3 Credits.  

Practicum in theatre management procedures and business of the theatre involving box office, audience development, research, publicity, operational, and contract procedures in regard to artists, technicians, managers, and producers. Students actively engage in management areas of the PlayMakers Repertory Company and productions of the Department of Dramatic Art.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: HI-INTERN.
Making Connections Gen Ed: CI, EE- Academic Internship.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
DRAM 586.  Costume Seminars I: Dyeing and Painting.  1-3 Credits.  

Permission of the instructor. Taught in a four-semester rotation. May be repeated for credit for a total of six hours for undergraduates and 12 hours for graduate students. Series of topics in costume for use in design and production for the stage.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, DRAM 192.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
DRAM 587.  Costume Seminars II: Millinery.  1-3 Credits.  

Advanced costume production techniques with an emphasis on millinery. Undergraduates-Instructor permission only. Permission of the instructor.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, DRAM 192.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
DRAM 588.  Costume Seminars III: Masks and Armor.  1-3 Credits.  

Permission of the instructor. Advanced costume production techniques with an emphasis on creating masks and armor.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
DRAM 589.  Costume Seminars IV: Decorative Arts.  1-3 Credits.  

Advanced costume production techniques with an emphasis on decorative arts, with an emphasis on fans and shoes. This class requires permission of the instructor.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
DRAM 590.  Advanced Special Topics in Dramatic Art.  0.5-3 Credits.  

The study of a topic in dramaturgy, theatrical design, or theatrical production for advanced undergraduates and graduate students. Content and instructor will vary. May be repeated for credit.

Rules & Requirements  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit; may be repeated in the same term for different topics; 6 total credits. 2 total completions.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoDRAM 666.  Media in Performance.  3 Credits.  

Required preparation, one performance studies course above COMM 400. Permission of the instructor for students lacking the required preparation. Project-based class where students acquire skills and critical approaches to create collaborative, professional, multimedia works.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: HI-PERFORM.
Making Connections Gen Ed: VP, EE- Performing Arts.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: COMM 666.  
DRAM 667.  Costume Design for the Body.  3 Credits.  

Study of proportions and the effects of corsetry and body padding to body proportions. This class requires permission of the instructor.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, DRAM 192 or permission of the instructor.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoDRAM 691H.  Honors Project in Dramatic Art.  3 Credits.  

Required preparation, 3.3 cumulative grade point average and permission of the department. The commencement of a special project (essay or creative endeavor), approved by the department, by a student who has been designated a candidate for undergraduate honors.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: RESEARCH.
Making Connections Gen Ed: EE- Mentored Research.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoDRAM 692H.  Honors Project in Dramatic Art.  3 Credits.  

Permission of the department. The completion of a special project by a student who has been designated a candidate for undergraduate honors.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: RESEARCH.
Making Connections Gen Ed: EE- Mentored Research.  
Requisites: Prerequisite, DRAM 691H.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
DRAM 697.  Senior Seminar.  3 Credits.  

Close study of the interrelationships between theory and practice in contemporary world theatre, placing developments in their cultural contexts, and exploring current theatrical trends in an international framework.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  

Department of Dramatic Art

Visit Program Website

Center for Dramatic Art, CB# 3230

(919) 962-1132

Chair

Kathy Williams

khwillia@email.unc.edu

Director of Undergraduate Studies

David Navalinsky

dbnav@email.unc.edu