FALL 2009
Prerequisites: Four semesters of studio training or equivalent.
All students enroll in an 8-point advanced studio track consisting of training in Chinese opera. Additionally, students engage in intensive study of Mandarin and take a lecture course on Chinese arts and culture conducted in English for a total of 18 points. Independent study on television documentary making is also a possibility.
Chinese Opera Training Workshop
H31.1800 • 8 POINTS.
Instructor: Shanghai Theatre Academy.
Training in Chinese opera is normally comprised of four parts—singing, speaking, gesturing, and fighting—but the emphasis of this course will be mostly on stylized and highly expressive movement and on design for stage and television (stage design, lighting, costume, and set). This course aims to equip students with the physical and intellectual skills necessary to perform Chinese opera, through workshops covering topics such as movement (steps, arms, fingers, and eyes), breathing techniques, singing, percussion and other musical instruments, prop work (sword, fan, etc.), and improvisation, through a combination of various stage conventions. In the process of training, students are asked to master the performing arts basics of Chinese opera and to create a piece of Chinese opera for today’s audiences. The instructors teach students in accordance with their aptitude. Students are enriched throughout the course with knowledge of various forms of Chinese opera (e.g., Peking opera, Kun opera, etc.) as well as traditional Chinese arts and culture and stage design.
Introduction to Mandarin
H39.0800 • 6 POINTS.
Instructor: Shanghai Theatre Academy.
Designed for beginners, this course introduces learning phonetics and use of the Pinyin romanization system. The focus is on listening and speaking exercises, supplemented with reading and writing lessons of the most essential characters. The main objective is for students to develop oral communication skills to help them overcome language barriers in their major theatre courses.
Arts and Culture of China
H39.0954 • 4 POINTS.
Instructor: Shanghai Theatre Academy.
This interdisciplinary course examines the cultural and arts traditions of China and how traditions have been adapted into modern day contemporary life as the country emerges to the forefront of the international arts and political scene. The course is supplemented with guest lecturers, field trips, and visits to artists’ workshops and museums in and around Shanghai.
