A practical introduction to the art and craft of performance, intended for students with little or no previous experience or training. The course uses a range of acting exercises to teach critical thinking, active listening, specificity of action, intention of thought, and team building. Students will engage in text analysis, collective creation, storytelling, physical and vocal exercises, and character development, in the process cultivating skills transferable to their chosen career path. This course is ideally suited for any student seeking to enhance their interpersonal and presentation skills.

In this course, students with some experience of acting (as acquired in DRE201H5) will learn to deepen their empathetic engagement with the world around them, using theatre as a catalyst. Students will develop essential skills such as critical thinking, active listening, specificity of action and intention of thought through scene study and will practice more advanced techniques of script analysis, character development, and monologue work. The course is designed to hone transferrable skills and is ideally suited for any student seeking to enhance their interpersonal and presentation skills. Not open to students in the Theatre and Drama Studies specialist (TDS). Note: additional rehearsal hours may be required beyond scheduled course sessions.

A study of about twelve plays by Shakespeare, representing the different periods of his career and the different genres he worked in (comedy, history, tragedy). Such plays as: Romeo and Juliet; A Midsummer Night's Dream; Richard II; Henry IV, parts I and II; Henry V; Twelfth Night; Measure for Measure; Hamlet; King Lear; Antony and Cleopatra; The Tempest. The course provides an in-depth theatre-historical and practical introduction to Shakespeare's work and gives students the opportunity to engage with a wide range of approaches to the staging of his plays.

An introduction to the techniques of dramaturgical analysis, through the study of a range of texts to which students might be exposed as theatre practitioners and audience members. Focus will be on the relationship between the performance event and its associated written text. Examples will emphasize modern and contemporary drama, as well as a range of styles, and will include one or more Theatre Erindale productions, and other appropriate productions, as well as a practical workshop component.

This course introduces students to Shakespeare’s plays as works of theatre. We will study the spaces and performance practices for which these texts were originally written and explore how subsequent generations of theatre makers approached, adapted, and repurposed them for different performance venues and styles, and from different aesthetic, cultural, and political perspectives, from the seventeenth century to our own time, in Britain, North America, and beyond the English-speaking world. The course will include screenings of select landmark productions.

This course provides a richly rewarding opportunity for students in their second year to work in the research project of a professor. Students enrolled have an opportunity to become involved in original research, learn research methods and share in the excitement and discovery of acquiring new knowledge. Project descriptions for the following fall-winter session are posted on the ROP website in mid-February and students are invited to apply at that time. See Experiential and International Opportunities for more details.

Why are we so attracted to (and often unnerved by) objects that come to life? This course introduces students to puppetry and object performance through a combination of practice (construction, operation, staging), history, and analysis. Though they are staples of children’s entertainment, puppets have long appeared in rituals, popular and avant-garde theatre, political protest, and, more recently, on television, in movies, and on Broadway. This course offers an exploration of puppetry forms, materials, and techniques across centuries and continents, as well as an examination of how puppetry relates to and differs from other lifelike technology (e.g., robots, avatars, chatbots).

Topic for this course vary from year to year, depending on faculty research interests. The course may cover such matters as interdisciplinary approaches to Indigenous storytelling in experimental film, new media, digital arts and performance, including community collaboration, public spaces, archival or historical content, participatory performance, and decentralized theatre. It may include a practical workshop component and attending a rehearsal for an Indigenous lead production in Toronto.

A seminar on a topic chosen by the instructor, having a particular focus on twentieth century theories of performance. Includes optional practical workshop component.

Topic varies from year to year, depending on faculty research interests.

Topic varies from year to year, depending on faculty research interests.

Topic varies from year to year, depending on faculty research interests.

Plays from the Western theatrical tradition in contemporary productions.

A theoretical and historical study of the relationship between live and recorded media, with special consideration of the translation/adaption from theatrical production to film and television production. Discussion will focus on case studies. Includes optional practical workshop component.

A study of theories of drama, theatre and performance, with a special emphasis on semiotics. Topics will include the relationship between theatre and other modes of social interaction (the fashion show, the political convention), theatre and other performing arts, and theatre/drama as a literary genre. May include one or more Theatre Erindale and other productions in the syllabus.

A theoretical and historical examination of the theatrical performance with a focus on the role of the audience. Topics will include the shifting relationship with performers, both collaborative and manipulative, a reflection on what makes theatre audiences different from other audiences, and what precisely happens at various stages of the playgoing experience. The second part of the semester will be devoted to a series of historical case studies, ranging from ancient Greece through Shakespearian England to 17th-century Spain and 20th-century Germany.

A theoretical, historical, and practical study of the process of developmental dramaturgy. The course will include a survey and analysis of historical and contemporary interpretations of the role of dramaturgy in the creation of new work. Students will also participate in the practical application of dramaturgical strategies and techniques.

An introduction to the art and craft of writing for the stage. Through a variety of practical exercises, students will be encouraged to explore the unique properties of the theatrical environment. Topics for investigation will include general issues (such as language, plot structure, characterization, metaphor, and symbolism, etc.) as well as issues specific to the theatrical context (such as theatrical time and space, movement, engagement with an audience, relationship to other theatre practitioners, etc.). The class will involve writing in and out of class, as well as exercises in effective and constructive critique of one another's work.

This course is a continued exploration in writing for the stage for students who have already written one act or solo plays. Participant playwrights will complete a full-length play, incorporate complex structures and anti-structure, and advance their voices and skills as playwrights. The class will workshop scenes and prepare staged readings of participant work. A major focus of this course will be processes of development and revision while working with directors, actors, dramaturgs, and other collaborators.

Topics in the history of women in English-language theatre. Topics will vary from year to year, depending on available faculty. May include a practical workshop component.

In this course, students will be introduced to contemporary theatrical approaches to the most canonical of dramatists. Through selected theoretical readings, interviews, practical exercises, and screenings of recent productions, we will explore tensions between reverential and radical treatments of the Shakespearean text, including topics such as the politics of casting, the role of the director, and the authority of the actor. The course will ask what it means to stage Shakespeare now and will equip students to develop their own and conceptual and theatrical responses to that question.

A study of the role of repertory theatre in the historical and current development of dramatic literature and performance practices, held-on-site at the Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. Students will attend productions and lectures, interview actors, directors, designers, and administrators, and collaborate on a staged reading with the assistance of company members. Topics may include the performance history of plays by George Bernard Shaw, Anton Chekhov, Henrik Ibsen, Oscar Wilde, and other playwrights within the Festival's mandate, the analysis of production elements from the perspectives of directors, actors, and designers, and the relevance of "classical" drama for the modern world. 

An independent project in theatre and drama studies, chosen by the student and supervised by a member of the faculty. The form of the project will be determined in consultation with the supervisor. A written proposal, signed by the supervisor, must be submitted for approval to the Program Director by May 15 if an "F" course, by November 1 if an "S" course. Proposal forms are available from the Undergraduate Advisor. Independent Study courses may not be taken simultaneously.

An independent project in theatre and drama studies, chosen by the student and supervised by a member of the faculty. The form of the project will be determined in consultation with the supervisor. A written proposal, signed by the supervisor, must be submitted for approval to the Program Director by May 15 if an "F" course, by November 1 if an "S" course. Proposal forms are available from the Undergraduate Advisor. Independent Study courses may not be taken simultaneously.

For senior undergraduate students who have developed some knowledge of a discipline and its research methods, this course offers an opportunity to work on the research project of a professor. Students enrolled have an opportunity to become involved in original research, develop their research skills and share in the excitement and discovery of acquiring new knowledge. Project descriptions for the following fall-winter session are posted on the ROP website in mid-February and students are invited to apply at that time. See Experiential and International Opportunities for more details.

This senior research and creation seminar will explore topics in contemporary Indigenous performance. These topics will vary with faculty research interests; course may cover such matters as intergenerational cross-cultural collaboration, Anishinaabe star and land knowledge, working with culturally-codified objects, contextualizing projects in non-institutional spaces, international inter-indigenous productions, community outreach, and Indigenous feminisms and futurisms. The course may include a practical workshop component or a capstone research or performance project.

A senior research seminar in Theatre and Performance. Topic will vary with instructor.

A senior research seminar in Theatre and Performance. Topic will vary with instructor.

A senior research seminar in performance and popular culture. Topic will vary with instructor.

(Offered at Sheridan College) This course will introduce the elements of practical Vocal, Physical, Textual, and Improvisational training for the novice actor, together with an Introduction to Theatre Organization, with an emphasis on releasing the natural impulse. In addition, the student will spend a minimum of 3 hours per week (averaged) in Stagecraft Labs gaining basic backstage and front-of-house skills, and in production-related duties. Typical production tasks are concentrated in 3- to 9-week periods and may include evenings and/or Saturdays.