Classes You Didn't Know You Could Take: "Theories and Styles of Acting and Directing"
In this series, we’ve asked instructors to talk about their new, unusual, or little-known PSFA classes that you can take in Fall 2021.
Q&A with Randy Reinholz
Theories and Styles of Acting and Directing. THEA 532
Units: 3
Are there any Prerequisites?:Yes, but I can waive them for graduate students.
Online or Face to Face:Face to Face
How I would describe this class to someone I met in line at the coffee cart:
We will explore three classic texts and three contemporary adaptations of those texts by leading BIPOC playwrights and discuss how contemporary adaptations bring attention to social injustice in the early part of 21st century America. Then we will stage and present work from one of the six texts and then present new written work that brings attention to social injustices. New scripts can be generated in class or students may find work that focuses on social justice that they want to explore in the class.
Who should definitely take this class?
People looking for ways to connect classic literature to contemporary BIPOC and or Social Justice issues.
Who should not take this class?
People afraid of theatre.
Why I’m enthusiastic about teaching this class:
The students and I have amazing, meaningful discourses about both classic literature and form and how those rhetorical devices can open doors for insight into contemporary issues.
Why I love this subject:
The connection between classic form and contemporary social justice has been the center of my professional career for decades.
How I’m preparing for this class:
Modifying the projects based on past student comments. The class is very highly evaluated by students in the class.
Three things you’ll learn/do in this class:
Apply theoretical knowledge to real-world theatre development and production.
Top two reasons you should study with me:
I am connected professionally to theatre, television, and film.
I can facilitate students being seen in the industry and in top graduate programs nationally.
The content within this article has been edited by Lizbeth Persons.
