Los Angeles Valley College Library: OER: Open Educational Resources: Theatre

Theater Textbooks

An Introduction to Technical Theatre by Tal Sanders (2018): Tualatin Books.

Introduction to Technical Theatre’s accessible format is ideal for students at all levels, including those studying technical theatre as an elective part of their education. The text’s modular format is also intended to assist teachers approach the subject at their own pace and structure, a necessity for those who may regularly rearrange their syllabi around productions and space scheduling.

Theatrical Worlds by Charles Mitchell (2014): University of Florida, Gainesville.

From the University of Florida College of Fine Arts, Charlie Mitchell and distinguished colleagues from across America present an introductory text for theatre and theoretical production. This book seeks to give insight into the people and processes that create theater. It does not strip away the feeling of magic but to add wonder for the artistry that make a production work well.

Technical Theatre Practicum by Christopher Boltz (2019): College of the Canyons.

Technical Theatre Practicum is an introduction to the exciting world of technical theatre. Studying this topic can lead to many different careers in several different sectors of the economy. The general skills needed for any of the careers or sectors have many things in common. Workers need to be dead-line oriented. Critical thinking and analysis are much needed skills. Almost every project in the field is unique and technicians and designers alike must discover the best way of reaching a project’s goal. Technicians draw on their vast experience of what worked in the past that can be adapted to be a solution to the current problems. Clear communication and collaboration round out the necessary skills. No technical theatre project is ever handled by one person on their own. Collaboration with many people is the norm, and successful collaboration requires clear written and verbal communication skills.

College of the Canyons

Actors and the Art of Performance by Susanne Valerie (2016): Palgrave Macmillan.

Acting on stage is a mode of performing an action, in the context of which the bodily aspects implicitly at work in acting reveal their own significance and power. This event can actualize a wound incarnated in human beings, because the actor acts and does not act at the same time and hence the concept of being ‘the doer’ unmasks itself as being illusionary. The book “Actors and the Art of Performance. Under Exposure” opens with a cascade of contradictory motives for becoming an actor. But, if theatre is no longer understood as a theatre of representation, then what takes place on stage is a transformation at play with truth, in which ethics are realized by the aesthetic. Insofar the book summarizes the attempt to explore and map guidelines of acting as being under the perspective of be-coming. That may sound fairly harmless in theory, but it feels anything but harmless when you experience it on your own body.

Playwriting by Nick Garcia (2020): Los Medanos College/LibreTexts.

This text covers the basics of writing scripts for stage performances, including the writing process, research and creativity, themes, conflict, story types, setting, characters and story archetypes, plot, dialogue, developing characters, scenes, and an overview of the entire process. Includes a collection of writing exercises to test students' skills and help them generate ideas.

LibreTexts

Theater OER Courses

The Craft of Costume Design (MIT OpenCourseWare)
This class provides an overview of some of the techniques used in creating costume pieces that are crafted rather than sewn. We will use a variety of materials and techniques to create specific costume pieces while at the same time exploring alternative applications possible for each material/technique.
Introduction to Drama (MIT OpenCourseWare)
This course is a study of the history of theater art and practice from its origins to the modern period, including its roles in non-western cultures. Special attention is given to the relationship between the literary and performative dimensions of drama, and the relationship between drama and its cultural context.
Introduction to Theatre (Linn-Benton Community College)
Course Objectives: Develop a working definition of theatre; Identify the roles of theatre practitioner; Identify the basic structure of a play script; Apply the basic criteria for theatre criticism; Identify the various theatre genres; Identify and describe the functions of different lighting and sound equipment.
Script Analysis (MIT OpenCourseWare)
This course focuses on reading a script theatrically with a view to mounting a coherent production. Through careful, intensive reading of a variety of plays from different periods and different aesthetics, a pattern emerges for discerning what options exist for interpretating a script.
Theatre & Drama Crash Course (Mike Rugnetta/YouTube)
In 50 videos, Mike Rugnetta teaches you theater and drama! This course is based on an introductory college level course in Theater and explores the history, theory, and technology that contributes to the art form most like life.By the end of this course, you will be able to: Describe the leading theories of the origins of theater; Understand how theater was produced and what it meant to audiences around the world; Analyze the historical and cultural contexts that lead to the creation of different movements in theater history; Argue for the importance of producing and understanding theater.
Physical Theatre: Exploring the Slap (University of Leeds/Future Learn)
This course introduces you to world-renowned Russian director Meyerhold’s technique of biomechanics. It invites you to study and experience first-hand his revolutionary biomechanical étude, ‘The Slap’. Through a mixture of video, animation, discussion forums and practical exercises you will begin to understand Meyerhold’s Russian actor training technique – a two-minute repeatable exercise used to develop balance, awareness and expression. You will be invited to explore your own response to this unique approach to training and will share these responses with your fellow learners.