The courses listed below are provided by the JHU Public Course Search. This listing provides a snapshot of immediately available courses and may not be complete.
Course registration information can be found on the Student Information Services (SIS) website. Please consult the online course catalog for cross-listed courses and full course information.
Investigations into some of the many histories in the development of the drama, from Greek origins to today's global theatre. An introduction to interpretive concepts, as well as to practical elements of playmaking. This course is a good way to explore and appreciate the art of theatre, and is required for the minor.
An exploration of foundational exercises and techniques in the art of acting. Practice in voice, movement, listening, and improvisation. Students will read plays and develop interpretive and storytelling skills, building toward scene work. This class is for both new and experienced actors, and offers preparation for advanced acting and performance classes.
An exploration of foundational exercises and techniques in the art of acting. Practice in voice, movement, listening, and improvisation. Students will read plays and develop interpretive and storytelling skills, building toward scene work. This class is for both new and experienced actors, and offers preparation for advanced acting and performance classes.
Effective performance in musical theatre demands a committed analysis of the musical and dramatic values of the song and the libretto from which it springs, in order to develop a fresh, organic interpretation. This course will provide you with the training to both analyze and interpret musical theatre scenes and songs and to make the most of them in performance. Instructor Permission Only.
A hands-on approach to the technical and theoretical elements of production. Meets in the Merrick Barn Scene Shop. Permission Required.
An introduction to Technical Direction including pre-production and production with an overview of materials, tools, rigging and safety, together with design and its implementation.
This course explores the rich and diverse landscape of modern Jewish theater, examining how playwrights have used the stage to navigate questions of identity, history, faith, and cultural memory. From Yiddish theater traditions to contemporary works on Broadway and beyond, students will analyze plays that grapple with themes of exile, assimilation, trauma, resistance, and renewal. The course involves close readings of key texts, performance analysis, and historical context. Students will engage with the plays through discussion, creative projects, and critical writing, considering how theater serves as a space for storytelling, cultural preservation, and social commentary.
An introduction to Shakespeare, in which every play we read we will also see performed. Close textual work and a focus on historical context will be accompanied by visits to local theatres, recordings of live performances, and Shakespeare films.
A workshop in playwriting, designed for both experienced playmakers and those first exploring the art. Students will investigate the creative process, from the initial imaginative impetus, to drafts and revisions, to presentation of the work. The course will explore fundamental playwriting techniques, such as writing effective dialogue, attending to story, and delineating character.
We will create a short but dense piece of theatre for invited performance using Moment Work, the method of devising used by Tectonic Theater Project. By removing text as the focus of creating theatre, we will utilize the theatrical elements to produce unique theatrical forms while cultivating a sense of play and active engagement. Class will feature a guest appearance by a Tectonic Theater Project Member. Actors, designers, directors and playwrights are welcome, as well as those who are curious with little to no theatre experience.
In this cutting-edge course, an acting class designed for pre-med students who are interested in a career in either clinical work or research, we will explore ways in which collaboration, curiosity, and connection can enhance your understanding and ability to be an effective medical professional. Empathy, perspective-taking, analysis of dramatic literature with medical themes, and devising a piece around medical ethics will be the focus of the activities. No acting experience is required, just a willingness to explore your creativity in an inclusive environment.
William Shakespeare and Henrik Ibsen are the two most frequently performed playwrights in history, and both have been credited with reinventing drama: Shakespeare for the Elizabethan stage and Ibsen for the modern. In this course we will pair plays by each author – those that stand in an explicit relation of influence as well as those that share a significant set of concerns – in order to investigate how each takes up and transform key problems in Updated description: the literary, political, and philosophical tradition for their own historical moment. Plays to be studied by Shakespeare: Hamlet, King Lear, Coriolanus, The Tempest; by Ibsen: Hedda Gabler, The Wild Duck, An Enemy of the People, The Master Builder. As part of the course, we will try to organize at least one excursion to a Shakespeare or Ibsen performance in the Baltimore-D.C. area. This class counts towards the requirement of text-based courses for the minor in comparative thought and literature.
| Course # (Section) | Title | Day/Times | Instructor | Location | Term | Course Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AS.225.100 (01) | Theatre Histories | TTh 1:30PM - 2:45PM | Stoll, Abraham D | Gilman 217 | Fall 2025 | Investigations into some of the many histories in the development of the drama, from Greek origins to today's global theatre. An introduction to interpretive concepts, as well as to practical elements of playmaking. This course is a good way to explore and appreciate the art of theatre, and is required for the minor. |
| AS.225.101 (01) | Acting Foundations | MW 1:30PM - 2:45PM | McClendon, Forrest | Krieger 103 | Fall 2025 | An exploration of foundational exercises and techniques in the art of acting. Practice in voice, movement, listening, and improvisation. Students will read plays and develop interpretive and storytelling skills, building toward scene work. This class is for both new and experienced actors, and offers preparation for advanced acting and performance classes. |
| AS.225.101 (02) | Acting Foundations | TTh 3:00PM - 4:15PM | Moores, Molly J | Krieger 103 | Fall 2025 | An exploration of foundational exercises and techniques in the art of acting. Practice in voice, movement, listening, and improvisation. Students will read plays and develop interpretive and storytelling skills, building toward scene work. This class is for both new and experienced actors, and offers preparation for advanced acting and performance classes. |
| AS.225.215 (01) | Performing Musical Theatre | M 4:30PM - 7:00PM | McClendon, Forrest | Krieger 103 | Fall 2025 | Effective performance in musical theatre demands a committed analysis of the musical and dramatic values of the song and the libretto from which it springs, in order to develop a fresh, organic interpretation. This course will provide you with the training to both analyze and interpret musical theatre scenes and songs and to make the most of them in performance. Instructor Permission Only. |
| AS.225.310 (01) | Stagecraft | TTh 10:30AM - 11:45AM | Roche, William C | Levering Arellano | Fall 2025 | A hands-on approach to the technical and theoretical elements of production. Meets in the Merrick Barn Scene Shop. Permission Required. |
| AS.225.314 (01) | Theatre: Tech Direction | MW 12:00PM - 1:15PM | Roche, William C | Krieger 103 | Fall 2025 | An introduction to Technical Direction including pre-production and production with an overview of materials, tools, rigging and safety, together with design and its implementation. |
| AS.225.316 (01) | Modern Jewish Plays | TTh 9:00AM - 10:15AM | Gruenhut, Johanna | Gilman 55 | Fall 2025 | This course explores the rich and diverse landscape of modern Jewish theater, examining how playwrights have used the stage to navigate questions of identity, history, faith, and cultural memory. From Yiddish theater traditions to contemporary works on Broadway and beyond, students will analyze plays that grapple with themes of exile, assimilation, trauma, resistance, and renewal. The course involves close readings of key texts, performance analysis, and historical context. Students will engage with the plays through discussion, creative projects, and critical writing, considering how theater serves as a space for storytelling, cultural preservation, and social commentary. |
| AS.225.325 (01) | Shakespeare: Page, Stage, Screen | TTh 4:30PM - 5:45PM | Stoll, Abraham D | Gilman 313 | Fall 2025 | An introduction to Shakespeare, in which every play we read we will also see performed. Close textual work and a focus on historical context will be accompanied by visits to local theatres, recordings of live performances, and Shakespeare films. |
| AS.225.330 (01) | Playwriting Strategies | MW 1:30PM - 2:45PM | Staff | Gilman 10 | Fall 2025 | A workshop in playwriting, designed for both experienced playmakers and those first exploring the art. Students will investigate the creative process, from the initial imaginative impetus, to drafts and revisions, to presentation of the work. The course will explore fundamental playwriting techniques, such as writing effective dialogue, attending to story, and delineating character. |
| AS.225.340 (01) | Moment Work | W 3:00PM - 5:30PM | Vincent, Michael P | Krieger 103 | Fall 2025 | We will create a short but dense piece of theatre for invited performance using Moment Work, the method of devising used by Tectonic Theater Project. By removing text as the focus of creating theatre, we will utilize the theatrical elements to produce unique theatrical forms while cultivating a sense of play and active engagement. Class will feature a guest appearance by a Tectonic Theater Project Member. Actors, designers, directors and playwrights are welcome, as well as those who are curious with little to no theatre experience. |
| AS.225.350 (01) | Acting for Doctors | TTh 10:30AM - 11:45AM | Rome, Susan R | Krieger 103 | Fall 2025 | In this cutting-edge course, an acting class designed for pre-med students who are interested in a career in either clinical work or research, we will explore ways in which collaboration, curiosity, and connection can enhance your understanding and ability to be an effective medical professional. Empathy, perspective-taking, analysis of dramatic literature with medical themes, and devising a piece around medical ethics will be the focus of the activities. No acting experience is required, just a willingness to explore your creativity in an inclusive environment. |
| AS.300.323 (01) | Shakespeare and Ibsen | TTh 1:30PM - 4:00PM | Lisi, Leonardo | Gilman 208 | Fall 2025 | William Shakespeare and Henrik Ibsen are the two most frequently performed playwrights in history, and both have been credited with reinventing drama: Shakespeare for the Elizabethan stage and Ibsen for the modern. In this course we will pair plays by each author – those that stand in an explicit relation of influence as well as those that share a significant set of concerns – in order to investigate how each takes up and transform key problems in Updated description: the literary, political, and philosophical tradition for their own historical moment. Plays to be studied by Shakespeare: Hamlet, King Lear, Coriolanus, The Tempest; by Ibsen: Hedda Gabler, The Wild Duck, An Enemy of the People, The Master Builder. As part of the course, we will try to organize at least one excursion to a Shakespeare or Ibsen performance in the Baltimore-D.C. area. This class counts towards the requirement of text-based courses for the minor in comparative thought and literature. |