General Theater Studies
A number of Theater Department classes are available to non-Academy students each term. There is no required application or audition for departmental classes. Students need only register through Los Angeles City College to participate.
Many departmental classes are also required as part of the regular Theatre Academy curriculum and are taught by Theatre Academy faculty.
General Theater Major - For Non-Academy, Associate in Arts Degree
Students studying in the Theater Department fall into three categories:
- Students planning to transfer to a four-year college, taking courses to satisfy lower division requirements.
- Students satisfying their elective and/or humanities requirements for the AA Degree.
- Students satisfying the eighteen-unit requirement for an AA Degree in Theater. No specific combination of classes is required.
Career and Academic Pathways (CAPs) visualize the sequence of coursework recommended by faculty to help you develop your educational plan, whether preparing for a career or for transfer.
The Faculty
Fourteen full-time and part-time faculty in Acting, Technical Theater and Costuming teach both Academy and Departmental Classes. All faculty are available to students for individual evaluation as well as career counseling and assistance.
The Theater Faculty are working professionals in all areas of theatrical performance and production.
Many are active in theater organizations and programs:
- Actor's Equity Association
- Southern California Educational Theatre Association
- California Educational Theatre Association
- United States Institute of Theatre Technology
- Kennedy Center/American College Theater Festival
Members of the full-time Faculty are also published authors on theater, the craft of acting, and entertainment technology.
Theater Faculty and Staff
General Theater Courses
3 Units (Lec 3 Hrs)
Transfer Credit: CSU (CSUGE Area C1), UC (IGETC Area 3A and 3B),
C-ID (THTR 111)
Advisory: ENGLISH 101
A survey study and analysis of the various elements that make up
the institution called the Theater. Subjects range from origins of
primitive drama to contemporary structure and direction of our
modern theater.
1 Unit (Lec 1 Hr)
Transfer Credit: CSU
The student learns about theater literature through an introduction
and survey or observation of regularly scheduled programs consist-
ing of acting scenes and exercises from the various theater classes.
The basic program is augmented by the appearance of guest artists
and theater groups. Students are required to attend live events out-
side campus and report on their observations of theater literature
through journal and essay writing assignments.
1 Unit (Lec 1 Hr)
Transfer Credit: CSU
The student learns theater performance through the survey and
observation of regularly scheduled programs consisting of acting
scenes and exercises from various theater classes. The basic pro-
gram is augmented by the appearance of guest artists and theater
groups. Students are required to attend live events outside cam-
pus and report on their observations of acting performance through
journal and essay writing assignments.
1 Unit (Lec 1 Hr)
Transfer Credit: CSU
The student learns theater design technology through the survey
and observation of regularly scheduled programs consisting of act-
ing scenes and exercises from various theater classes. The basic
program is augmented by the appearance of guest artists and the-
ater groups. Students are required to attend live events outside
campus and report on their observations of acting performance
through journal and essay writing assignments.
1 Unit (Lec 1 Hr)
Transfer Credit: CSU
The student learns theater audience experience through the survey
and observation of regularly scheduled programs consisting of act-
ing scenes and exercises from various theater classes. The basic
program is augmented by the appearance of guest artists and the-
ater groups. Students are required to attend live events outside
campus and report on their observations of acting performance
through journal and essay writing assignments.
3 Units (Lec 3 Hrs)
Transfer Credit: CSU (CSUGE Area C1), UC (IGETC Area 3A and 3B),
C-ID (THTR 113)
Advisory: ENGLISH 101
Students read, discuss, and analyze major works of dramatic lit-
erature from the Golden Age of Greece through contemporary.
They develop an understanding and appreciation of the dramatic
form, story arc, and character development throughout major artis-
tic movements in dramatic literature within the social and political
context they were written, and to express that appreciation in rea-
soned analyses.
3 Units (Lec 3 Hrs)
Transfer Credit: CSU, UC, C-ID (THTR 151)
Through lecture, discussion, demonstration, and various partici-
pation exercises, the student is introduced to the art and craft of
acting.
3 Units (Lec 3 Hrs)
Transfer Credit: CSU, UC
The student studies the techniques of oral interpretation—includ-
ing phrasing, inflection, word relish, verse scansion, tempo, and
rhythm—designed to develop the actor’s interpretative skills.
3 Units (Lec 3 Hrs)
Transfer Credit: CSU, UC
Students study and practice techniques of oral interpretation—
including phrasing, inflection, word relish, verse scansion, tempo,
and rhythm—designed to develop the actor’s interpretative skills of
Shakespearean text at an introductory level.
3 Units (Lec 3 Hrs)
Transfer Credit: CSU, UC, C-ID (THTR 171)
The student studies the theory and professional practices of
design and technical play production for scenery, properties, light-
ing, sound, costuming, and stage management.
3 Units (Lec 2 Hrs / Lab 2 Hrs)
Transfer Credit: CSU, UC
Students develop skills used in theatre scene painting, including
the use of equipment and materials, preparation of paint surfaces,
paint application techniques, and safety practices. Students will
paint projects that develop foundational skills, such as cartooning
and layout, color theory, paint mixing, brushwork (lining, lay-in, wet
blend), and accuracy in the reproduction of paint elevations.
3 Units (Lec 3 Hrs)
Transfer Credit: CSU (CSUGE Area C1), UC (IGETC Area 3A),
C-ID (THTR 172)
The student studies the design process for theatre, film, and TV.
Specific topics include the relationship between text and design
choices, recognition of basic compositional elements; color, mass,
line, texture, rhythm, balance as used in storytelling; and the cre-
ation of design presentations through collage. Additional lecture
topics include, architectural spaces of storytelling, from the pro-
scenium arch to the sound stage, business practices of design,
union affiliations for professional designers, and typical business
vocabulary.
3 Units (Lec 3 Hrs)
Transfer Credit: CSU (CSUGE Area C1), UC (IGETC Area 3A)
The student studies the changes in dress from ancient to modern
times, relating social and political forces influencing costuming for
stage, film, and television.