STATEMENT OF MISSION, GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

MISSION

The Hope College Department of Theatre is committed to offering an academic/artistic program of recognized excellence which fosters the intellectual and aesthetic development of students as theatre artists and as audience members.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

The Student Audience Member

A. The student audience member will experience the interactive nature of theatre.

1. The student audience member will encounter the "aliveness" of a stage production (its existence in the here and now, in the perpetual present tense).

2. The student audience member will experience the active role spectators play in a theatre performance.

3. The student audience member will be able to discern the degree to which s/he was involved in this living interaction between stage and auditorium.

The Core Student (Intro. to Theatre, Art of the Cinema, Acting for the Non-Major)
In addition to the above:

B. The student will understand the artistic value and cultural significance of theatre and/or cinema.

1. The student will discern the natural human impulses and aesthetic imagination underlying the creation and appreciation of theatre and/or cinema.

2. The student will understand the interdependent relationships between contemporary culture and theatre and/or cinema.

C. The student will recognize and understand (some of) the creative processes essential to the collaborative nature of theatre and/or cinema.

1. The student will acquire a basic knowledge of the working vocabulary of the theatre and/or cinema (as it applies to her/his particular course's focus).

2. The student will understand the function and responsibilities of theatre and/or cinema directing, design, crafts, and/or acting.

3. The student will become familiar with the principles of visual communication as applied in play/screenwriting, directing, design, and/or performance.

D. The student will read and respond to a playscript as a blueprint for a three-dimensional performance with increasing perception and imagination (in Intro. to Theatre and Acting for the Non-Major classes).

1. The student will acquire the basic skills of script analysis.

2. The student will develop the ability to "hear" and "see" imaginatively the aural and visual signs of a playscript.

3. The student will demonstrate the ability to communicate her/his responses to playscripts in both written and oral forms.

E. The student will attend performances and/or screenings and communicate critically about theatre and/or cinema with increasing responsiveness and depth.

1. The student will apply the above objectives in response to theatre performances and/or film screenings, i.e., to an embodied script.

2. The student will recognize and begin to evaluate the artistic choices made by a performance's and/or film's production team.

The Minor/Composite Major
In addition to the above:

F. The student will be able to approach and engage performances and performance texts from a sound critical base.

1. The student will strengthen her/his knowledge of and skill in script analysis and the various approaches that can be employed in such analysis.

2. The student will understand the fundamental historical context of a performance and/or performance text.

3. The student will enhance her/his knowledge of visual communication and her/his acuity in discerning/imagining visual and aural elements within a performance and/or performance text.

4. The student will develop the aptitude to recognize and work with the dramaturgical and theatrical complexities, ambiguities, and aesthetics of a performance and/or performance text.

G. The student will acquire a fundamental working understanding of the crafts essential to effective stage production.

1. The student will comprehend the basic methodologies and processes involved in theatre directing, design, crafts, performance, and stage management.

2. The student will demonstrate rudimentary abilities in areas of costume, lighting, and scenic technology; acting; and directing.

The Major
In addition to the above:

H. The student will be conversant with the historical traditions which influence and enrich contemporary theatre understanding and practice.

1. The student will acquire knowledge of the major traditions and developments in Western theatre history.

2. The student will understand and apply the basic principles involved in historical theatre research.

3. The student will begin to integrate growing knowledge of historical theatre practice with growing knowledge of contemporary theatre practice and her/his own developing approach to theatre.

4. The student will effectively communicate awareness of historical/contemporary contexts and connections in both written and oral form.

I. The student will participate in the collaborative process of theatre production and be proficient in one or more of its crafts.

1. The student will demonstrate advanced skills in acting, design, directing, dramaturgy, playwriting, stage management, theatre crafts, and/or historical research.

2. The student will fulfill an integral role within a theatrical collaboration.

J. The student will cultivate "habits of the artist":

1. The student will develop a personal artistic philosophy.

2. The student will gain a vocabulary which will enable meaningful exchanges of ideas.

3. The student will obtain skills in collaborative work.

4. The student will assimilate means to achieve critical independence.

5. The student will learn to value a standard of excellence and to become critical of her/his own work.

6. The student will hone her/his powers of meaningful observation.

7. The student will become aware of the contemporary arts scene and find ways to interact with that culture.

8. The student will realize the importance of discipline as an essential trait of the artist.