Theatre at Barnard: The Major

Welcome to a series on theatre at Barnard, both academic and cocurricular! This first post is an introduction to theatre on campus, mainly through the academic department – aka the Barnard Theatre Major (known at Columbia as the Drama & Theatre Arts major – huh? I’ll explain)/. Stay tuned in for more posts detailing all theatre/performance arts clubs on campus, as well as other information. Plus, check out some other blog posts about theatre here, here, & here. And if there’s anything specific you’d like to know about, feel free to submit a question to AskAStudent, with “Theatre Series” in the subject line, and I’ll answer it as part of the series!

First things first: both the major and most of the student groups on campus spell theatre with an -re.

Okay, blog post done!

JK.

Let’s get down to business – that is … SHOW business!

photo by Steven Yang/Barnard College: Jeune Terre

The theatre major is housed at Barnard, meaning it is a (relatively) small department with about twenty to thirty full majors per class, so splitting its resources – classes, space, faculty, performances – between Barnard and Columbia’s two campuses wouldn’t make sense. Most classes are taught at Barnard by Barnard faculty, with some exceptions for English classes that overlap with theatre (for example, I am currently fulfilling a major requirement with a Shakespeare class in Columbia’s English department).

However, students from all four undergraduate colleges may take theatre department classes and perform in theatre department productions, and students from Barnard College, Columbia College, and the School of General Studies may major in theatre (students from the School of Engineering & Applied Sciences can’t be full majors).

Below is my broad overview of the department. Here’s a link to their website to find out more. And again, if there’s anything you’d like to know more about, send us a question, and I can fill you in.

CLASSES

Some preference is given to upperclassmen theatre majors in smaller classes where registration is limited. For example, Directing I is a requirement for the major, so senior theatre majors who have to take that in order to graduate will be allowed into the class before first years who are undeclared. However, I have found overall it is not at all difficult to get into classes that interest me. For example, I got to take Performing Women, a small upperclassmen seminar, as a first semester first year! And I took Directing I as a first semester sophomore, so don’t fret if you are an underclassman.

Classes in the department are divided into a few main categories: theory/history, dramatic literature, and practice.

Theory and history classes focus on theatre as an academic study – for example, our main required courses in this area are Western Theatre Traditions and Theatre Traditions in a Global Context. These courses give an overview of theatre as it has developed from the beginning of civilization. These classes are the only lecture classes in the department, and the only classes with more than twenty students (usually, around forty). Even so, both professors encourage a lot of discussion and participation. In Global, as it is sometimes referred, you study six different practices, and are required to engage in a performance for one of them. Other courses in this category include Drama, Theatre, & Theory and Performing Women.

Dramatic literature is just what it sounds like: lectures and seminars based around the reading and discussion of major dramatic texts. The major has a requirement that you take one Shakespeare literature class, as well as another dramatic literature. Courses that fall in this category include Bertolt Brecht and the Making of Theatre, Ibsen & Pinter, and Theatre in the 21st Century, which is a personal favorite.

I also mentioned Directing I, which is a good example of a major requirement that falls under the practice category – its main focus is on training students to direct theatre, and most class time (and time outside of class) is spent learning how to direct and critiquing your classmates’ work. Other classes in this category are all acting, design (lighting, sound, costumes, set), and other directing courses, plus a couple of classes in producing, stage and production management, and technical direction.

Photo by Stephen Yang/Barnard College: Jeune Terre

PRODUCTIONS

            The department puts on two full productions in the fall semester and one full production in the spring. Senior thesis festivals for directing, solo performance, and playwriting take up the second spring performance. Each of these rehearsal processes last half of a semester.

If you decide to major in theatre, welcome! The theatre major includes a requirement to work on department productions in both a pre-production and backstage capacity. You can fulfill this by working on two productions in different capacities (as in, you can’t just act in department productions, or just operate the light board, etc.), or by stage managing/assistant stage managing one production. Stage managing/assistant stage managing is considered to span both aspects of the requirement, and because of your time commitment, you receive 3 credits, the typical amount for any class. You also receive 3 credits for acting a production, again because of the time you spend in the rehearsal room. Rehearsals for department productions are four hours a day, six days a week, and tech week is a larger time commitment. During auditions, you will be told the exact dates of tech week and performances so that you are aware of the commitment. PS: you will also receive class credit for your time working on a production even as a non-major, it just likely won’t fulfill any major requirements.

photo by Edward Morris

The photo above was a tech table shot from my first time stage managing – our spring 2019 production of Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again by Alice Birch. Also, repping Barnard #asperusual. Stacey Derosier, our lighting designer, is giving me some notes on the timing for me when calling light cues. Designers and directors for full productions are hired theatre artists, which means working on Barnard department productions is a great way to start connecting with and learning from theatre professionals. Edward Morris, who took the photo, was set & projections designer. Here are some more photos of their work on the production, which was directed by Colette Robert, with costumes by Deepsikha Chatterjee and sound by Broken Chord.

photo by Edward Morris: Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again.

photo by Edward Morris: Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again.

SENIOR THESIS

photo by Steven Yang/Barnard College: Trifles

            Theatre majors complete their learning with a senior thesis in either performance or theory. Performance thesis candidates work on the senior thesis festivals for their given area if they are directing, dramaturgy, playwriting, production management, or solo performance candidates, or on a full production in the case of acting, stage management, and design thesis candidates. Theory thesis candidates write a more typical research paper thesis.

photo by Steven Yang/Barnard College: The Spirit of Man

            The photos in this section are taken from the senior thesis festival of 2019. For senior directing thesis productions, all positions are filled by students, including the directors and designers. And again, you do not need to be a major to participate in these productions – except if you’d like to have a senior thesis yourself, that is!

photos by Steven Yang/Barnard College: pool (no water)