Shopping made easy: a foolproof guide to classes for those new to CU’s theater department

Interested in theater classes at Columbia, but not sure which ones to take? Follow this guide to the best classes CU has to offer aspiring thespians.

Calling all Directors

History and the Practice of Directing is an incredibly valuable class if you are interested in directing or theater in general. In this class, students explore the evolution of the role of “director” from an outsider’s perspective and then later develop basic directing skills themselevs. Students examine different aspects of the craft, such as how to use a theater space and how to communicate with actors. Most importantly, students gain firsthand experience in how to effectively execute your own directorial vision.
-Anna Weinstein

Musical Theater for All

If you are a musical theater actor looking to flex your muscles, “Acting the Musical Scene” is the perfect workout. Wendy Waterman works with students on vocal technique, but the real focus of the class is how to tell a story through song. Professor Waterman emphasizes that singers must approach each song like a monologue. Although much of the class is spent watching others rather than performing oneself, Waterman tries to structure her lessons so that everyone learns from watching as well as by doing. If you’re an actor who has no intention of auditioning for the next Columbia Musical Theater Society musical, don’t shy away just yet. Actors with no prior vocal experience develop the valuable skill of learning how to sing and use one’s voice properly. So start warming up those vocal chords!
-Louisa Levy

Rigor Meets Chekhov

Acting Chekhov, taught by Rebecca Guy, approximates a conservatory environment more closely than any other theater class in the department. As opposed to some other acting or directing classes, rigorous homework assignments—which include extensive memorization and dramaturgical research—accompany a great deal of outside rehearsal. The class’s demands, however, fall far short of its benefits. By the end of the semester, Anton Chekhov had become my favorite playwright, his plays having been illuminated through my shared experience with them. As Guy would say, it isn’t the words that one says to Yelena or Masha or Trigorin that matters, it is what one does to these characters with those words. Guy’s teaching craft mirrors this creative mantra—we didn’t realize at the time that she was bestowing us all with a sense of responsibility necessary for a serious student of acting. I often take this acquired discipline for granted, but then I remember Acting Chekhov.
-Tobin Mitnick