ObjectivesThe Specialization in Theatre and Development (TDEV) focuses on the history, theory, and practice of drama and theatre from the perspective of art’s capacity to inform and effect social change. On a personal level, specific applications such as developmental drama, drama in education, and drama therapy are examined for their educational, therapeutic, and rehabilitative efficacy. On a broader social level, the program is concerned with points of intersection between traditional theatre, and popular forms such as: collective and collaborative approaches to play-building; theatrical events specifically created by, for, and about particular communities or populations; participatory and celebratory forms which use a multidisciplinary approach to define and affirm particular groups or communities; and political or educational theatre which is either overtly interventionist or educational in intent. TDEV is also vitally concerned with developing group skills and leadership, and preparing students to assume entrepreneurial roles within the Canadian theatre milieu.
Practical experienceStudents have access to a wide range of practical classes in areas such as acting, design, playwriting, production and administration. In the upper levels, TDEV supports fieldwork in areas of personal Specialization such as working in schools, working with populations with special needs, developing large-scale community arts projects, and apprenticeships with community-based theatre companies.
Academic titleBachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre and Development
Course descriptionSpecialization in Theatre and Development — 60 credits
Courses may include:
* The Artist in Community
* The Audience and the Performance Event
* Theatre with Diverse Populations
* Storytelling: Oral Histories and Identities
* Popular Theatre: Theory and Practice
* Theatre with Young People
TDEV 201 Telling Tales (3 credits)
The telling of stories and tales. Students tell their own stories and those of other people. They explore individual and collective storytelling and the world’s narrative storytelling. Students work on their feet to create different tales told in different ways.
NOTE: Students enrolled in a Major or Specialization program in the Department of Theatre may not take this course for credit.
NOTE: Students who have received credit for this topic under a TDEV 298 number may not take this course for credit.
TDEV 209 The Artist in Community (3 credits)
Prerequisite: Enrolment in a program of the Department of Theatre or written permission of the Department of Theatre. This course introduces students to the developmental aspects of the field, including therapeutic and social applications as they relate to personal and group development, and provides students with diverse perspectives on the artist’s role in society. With an emphasis on experiential learning, opportunities are provided for practical work in the creation of original narratives, improvised role plays, and sensory and image work, towards an understanding of students’ entrepreneurial potential in theatre making.
NOTE: Students who have received credit for DFHD 209 or DINE 200 may not take this course for credit.
TDEV 210 The Audience and the Performance Event (3 credits)
Prerequisite: TDEV 209 or written permission of the Department of Theatre. This course introduces students to theories and practical skills informing a wide range of theatre and development approaches including agit prop, group workshop, collective creation, documentary drama, issue-based theatre, and collaborative community plays. Both theory and practice will be examined in the context of the relationship of the performance to its audience. Practical work will focus on collaborative group processes and the exploration of social issues through theatre.
NOTE: Students who have received credit for DFHD 210 or DINE 200 may not take this course for credit.
TDEV 298 Special Topics in Theatre and Development (3 credits)
Prerequisite: Written permission of the Department of Theatre. The study of specialized aspects of theatre and development.
NOTE: Specific topics, and additional prerequisites if required, will be stated in the Undergraduate Class Schedule.
TDEV 299 Special Topics in Theatre and Development (6 credits)
Prerequisite: Written permission of the Department of Theatre. The study of specialized aspects of theatre and development.
NOTE: Specific topics, and additional prerequisites if required, will be stated in the Undergraduate Class Schedule.
TDEV 302 Theatre with Diverse Populations (3 credits)
Prerequisite: TDEV 209 or written permission of the Department of Theatre. Design and preparation of appropriate drama or theatre activities with specific populations. Working as a team, students will learn to employ community development principles in planning and implementing a theatre program with a targeted population or community group. Topics include specialized learning and teaching strategies, animation skills, needs assessment, and program evaluation. This course will prepare students to carry out independent projects in upperlevel courses.
NOTE: Students who have received credit for DFHD or DINE 302 may not take this course for credit.
TDEV 303 Storytelling, Oral Histories, and Identity (3 credits)
Prerequisite: TDEV 209 or written permission of the Department of Theatre. A course in the study and practice of the narrative tradition, from its roots in the past to today. Stories from the student’s own past and that of other cultures will be examined, leading to the creation and crafting of new stories and/or oral histories. Oral processes such as learning, embodying, and giving will be examined in the context of audience, desired effect, and ownership. Students will also gain a greater understanding of the power of listening: of hearing not only what a story says, but what it can do.
NOTE: Students who have received credit for DFHD or DINE 303 may not take this course for credit.
TDEV 311 Popular Theatre: Theory and Practice (3 credits)
Prerequisite: TDEV 209 or written permission of the Department of Theatre. An examination of the principles on which popular theatre is based, including objectives, approaches, and evaluation. The course will provide an overview of the work of various founders (e.g. Freire, Boal), as well as pertinent theatre companies around the world engaged in social activism and the creation of opportunities for social change. Topics are approached through a mix of academic studies and the practice of specific techniques. Students may also prepare a work of popular theatre.
NOTE: Students who have received credit for DFHD 311 or for this topic under a DINE 498 number may not take this course for credit.
TDEV 312 Theatre with Young People (3 credits)
Prerequisite: TDEV 209 or written permission of the Department of Theatre. Using both national and international contexts, students will look at various approaches to drama and theatre activities in work with children and adolescents, and examine these with reference to differences between performing for and creating with. The course will provide an overview of contemporary participatory practices, both within and outside a classroom setting, and will look at these practices in the larger context of theatre for young audiences in Canada. The course has a practical component, and students will have opportunities to learn and implement age-appropriate activities.
NOTE: Students who have received credit for DFHD 312, DINE 412, or DINE 413 may take this course for credit.
TDEV 398 Special Topics in Theatre and Development (3 credits)
Prerequisite: Written permission of the Department of Theatre. The study of specialized aspects of theatre and development.
NOTE: Specific topics, and additional prerequisites if required, will be stated in the Undergraduate Class Schedule.
TDEV 399 Special Topics in Theatre and Development (6 credits)
Prerequisite: Written permission of the Department of Theatre. The study of specialized aspects of theatre and development.
NOTE: Specific topics, and additional prerequisites if required, will be stated in the Undergraduate Class Schedule.
TDEV 405 Independent Study I (3 credits)
Prerequisite: 48 credits in degree program and written permission of the Department of Theatre. Independent projects in Theatre and Development supervised by a faculty member.
NOTE: Students who have received credit for DFHD 405 may not take this course for credit.
TDEV 415 Independent Study II (3 credits)
Prerequisite: 48 credits in degree program and written permission of the Department of Theatre. A continuation of TDEV 405. Independent projects in Theatre and Development supervised by a faculty member.
NOTE: Students who have received credit for DFHD 415 may not take this course for credit.
TDEV 431 Special Projects in Theatre and Development I (3 credits)
Prerequisite: TDEV 302 and written permission of the coordinator of Theatre and Development. An lecture/lab in observing, evaluating, planning and implementing drama curricula in various locations such as innercity schools, prisons, homes for the elderly, and women’s shelters. Students shall engage in wide-ranging and intensive fieldwork in various placements, reporting back to classmates and receiving lectures, feedback and observations on their progress from the instructor of the course.
NOTE: Students who have received credit for DFHD 431 may not take this course for credit.
TDEV 432 Special Projects in Theatre and Development II (3 credits)
Prerequisite: TDEV 431 and written permission of the coordinator of Theatre and Development. Continuation of TDEV 431 with a different topic.
NOTE: Students who have received credit for DFHD 432 may not take this course for credit.
TDEV 498 Special Topics in Theatre and Development (3 credits)
Prerequisite: Written permission of the Department of Theatre. The study of specialized aspects of theatre and development.
NOTE: Specific topics, and additional prerequisites if required, will be stated in the Undergraduate Class Schedule.
TDEV 499 Special Topics in Theatre and Development (6 credits)
Prerequisite: Written permission of the Department of Theatre. The study of specialized aspects of theatre and development.
NOTE: Specific topics, and additional prerequisites if required, will be stated in the Undergraduate Class Schedule.