Journalism's Drama Department
Taught by Cynthia Bruckman, who has worked both as an actor and as a playwright, the Drama class at Journalism immerses students in theater history and performance. Students are encouraged to take risks both in their written and performed work. The semester begins with ensemble-building exercises and theater games that introduce theater vocabulary and encourage students to cultivate empathy and be "human observers", bringing in theire observations for both rehearsed and improvisatory work. Much attention is given to creating a character, culminating in a performance of student monologues. Specific theatrical plays and texts are read and analyzed, and students also hone their critiquing skills during class presentations. Career opportunities are explored not only as performers but also as technical designers. Students are introduced to various theater-related genres, such as performance art, poetry slams, puppetry, solo shows, and television and film. The class culminates with a deconstruction of a Shakespearean text, and a project in which students become Shakespeare's "collaborators", engaging their original writing with some of his most famous characters.