This introductory course combines theoretical knowledge with practical artistic applications and is intended for students who wish to acquire a broad understanding of the main dimensions of theatrical practice. The course explores the nature of the actor’s work in theatre in comparison with film and television, the director’s relationship to dramaturgical material from textual analysis to character development, the basic principles of stage semiotics and theatrical narration, and the organization of rehearsals and performance preparation. It also introduces students to collaboration among the various artistic contributors to a theatrical production from the perspectives of both the director and the actor. In addition, students are introduced to fundamental principles of theatrical speech and the performative presentation of song.

After the successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

• distinguish between the actor’s work in theatre and in audiovisual media, with regard to time, space, and expressive means such as voice, face, and body;
• demonstrate familiarity with key approaches to actor training and the pedagogical theories of major theatre practitioners, including Stanislavski, Meyerhold, Grotowski, Brook, Oida, and Barba;
• understand the role of the theatre director from the analysis of dramaturgical material to the realization of a performance;
• recognize the principles governing collaboration among artistic contributors in the rehearsal and production process;
• apply basic skills of stage presence through improvisation exercises;
• use introductory techniques of theatrical narration, speech, and song performance;
• identify and evaluate fundamental dramaturgical structures at the level of both the dramatic work and the individual scene;
• recognize basic tools and methods of actor training.