Jonathan Dent

Rehearsing Liberation: Applied Theatre for Revolutionary Change. How can theatre serve as a rehearsal for liberation? What does it mean to make art in the midst of systemic violence, political unrest, or cultural transformation? In this course, we will explore applied theatre as a tool for social intervention, collective healing, and revolutionary imagination. Blending theory and practice, students will examine how performance has been used across the globe to resist oppression, foster community, and envision new worlds. Rooted in traditions of Theatre of the Oppressed, Black radical performance, ritual practices, and community-based storytelling, the course invites students to become both scholars and practitioners of liberation. Together, we will engage in embodied exercises, critical readings, and collaborative creation - rehearsing not only performance, but the very possibilities of justice, joy, and collective survival. Students will develop their own short performance projects in dialogue with urgent social issues, ancestral wisdoms, and local communities. No prior performance experience is required - just a willingness to experiment, listen, and transform.

In this course you'll develop the skills in staging stories as both actors and directors. Through intensive scene work, you'll either be working as an actor within the scene with partner(s) or you'll be serving as the director of the scene, helping to shape and sculpt it. We'll read the work of contemporary directors in which they describe their own directing process and we'll also read about various acting methodologies that can help assist actors in stepping into and embodying characters with care, authenticity, and nuance. This course will require substantial rehearsal time outside of the classroom with your groups. Enrollment priority will be given to students who have previously taken an acting or directing course with me. Keywords:acting, directing, theater, storytelling, embodiment

This course explores the dynamic interplay between performance, ritual, and astrology, examining how these practices shape and reflect cultural beliefs and individual identities. Through an interdisciplinary lens, we will analyze historical and contemporary rituals that utilize astrological concepts, investigating their significance in various cultures. Students will engage with key texts, performance art, and case studies, exploring how astrology influences ritual practices and how these rituals, in turn, inform our understanding of the cosmos..We will discuss themes such as symbolism, narrative, and the role of community in these practices, as well as the impact of modernity on traditional beliefs. Through hands-on projects, discussions, and collaborative performances, students will develop a deeper understanding of how astrology and ritual can serve as powerful tools for self-exploration and collective expression. Keywords:spirituality, performance, theater, astrology, ritual

This course is a continuation of the work begun in Intro to Playwriting. We'll deepen our understanding of playwriting through the exploration of character development, thematic complexity, and dramatic structure. Building on foundational skills, this course will engage in intensive workshops, analyzing contemporary and classical texts to uncover what makes a compelling narrative. Students will experiment with different forms and styles, from one-act plays to full-length works, honing their unique voice while receiving constructive feedback from the creative ensemble. An emphasis will be placed on creating authentic dialogue, crafting engaging plots, and exploring the nuances of staging and performance. Keywords:writing, playwriting, plays, drama, dramaturgy

This studio course provides a foundation in acting for the stage, giving the student basic techniques in freeing the imagination, body, and voice. Techniques include relaxation, focus, sense memory, physical awareness, vocalization, improvisation, and character analysis. Using acting principles drawn from Stanislavski and movement exercises from Viewpoints students will interpret classic and contemporary scenes from underrepresented playwrights of color not typically found in the traditional canon. Keywords:acting, studio, stage

This studio course introduces and examines principles of directing for the stage. We explore the world of a play, conflicts, staging, and learning the language of designers. We also explore different modes of communicating with actors. We will look at the work of current directors. How do they approach a script? What is their rehearsal process? How do they collaborate with designers in producing the work on stage? Students will keep a directing journal, analyze plays, and review productions throughout the semester. Keywords:directing, plays, actors, staging

This course is an exploration into the ways that Black artists from around the diaspora have used the stage and the art of storytelling as a vehicle for liberation and self-determination. We'll be looking at Black playwrights and storytellers from different time periods and investigating how they each explored themes of race, gender, sexuality, politics, joy, love, and liberation. We'll also spend time imagining what we hope the future of Black storytelling and performance looks like, and what contributions we think that the Black artist has to offer a world in need of healing and collective liberation. We will read work by playwrights included but not limited to: August Wilson, Katori Hall, Lynn Nottage, Tarell Alvin-McCraney, Brandon Jacobs-Jenkins, Robert O'Hara, Suzan Lori-Parks, Amiri Baraka.

This course will give you the opportunity to learn how to write stories for the stage through both practice and discussion. We will explore the major elements of playwriting, including conflict, character, dialogue and action and we will deepen our understanding of these various elements by completing and workshopping writing assignments, and giving and receiving feedback with our ensemble members. We will also be reading the work of some of the most exciting contemporary playwrights who are using their voices to tell stories about people and groups often underrepresented by the traditional canon. Over the course of the semester, we'll write pieces of varying lengths and by the completion of the course you will have written and revised at least one ten-minute play. We all have stories to tell, and this class will help you unearth the stories that you may not have previously known were living within you. keywords: The content of this course deals with issues of race and power.