Course Descriptions
THTR 1101  Introduction to Film   3.0 cr Helps students understand, appreciate, and enjoy motion pictures from their inception to the present as an art form. A beginning approach to the history, theory, and criticism of the cinema and film industry. The relationship between form and contents is basic to this course.
THTR 1103  International Cinema   3.0 cr Introduces the student to a study of major world cinemas, including influential filmmakers, screen personalities, and motion pictures. Important films are screened, discussed, and critically evaluated.
THTR 1105  Introduction to Theater   3.0 cr Helps increase students' understanding of the performing arts. Introduces the student to the history and theory of plays, playwrights, and the various arts and crafts of the theatre. Students will attend three (3) play productions selected by the instructor. Two will be off-campus and one will be the production at the Inver Hills Theatre which will be free for IHCC students.
THTR 1107  Film History I   3.0 cr Surveys the History of Film from the silent era through the sound era of Classical Hollywood, with special focus on filmmakers, genres, and styles. Influential films are viewed and discussed.
THTR 1108  Film History II   3.0 cr Surveys the History of Film from the classical studio system to the contemporary American Independents. The focus of the course is on analysis and interpretation of films and evolving national traditions of cinema. Influential films are viewed and discussed.
THTR 1152  Beginning Acting   3.0 cr Develops student understanding of and skills in the theories and practices of stage acting.
THTR 1157  Theatre Makeup   3.0 cr Introduces the student to the theory, technique, and application of makeup for the theatre. Emphasis placed on practical application of the makeup.
THTR 1158  Creative Dramatics   3.0 cr Helps students develop skills in the use of creative drama activities. Skills are to be applied to guide children in the creation and dramatization of poems, stories, historical events, and other literature. Units on children's theatre and puppetry are included.
THTR 1161  Theatre Activities   1.0 cr Provides students opportunities to participate in a theatre production on campus through acting, set construction, scene painting, lighting, props, makeup, publicity, costuming, and/or stage management. May be repeated to a maximum of four times. Students will engage in a minimum of 30 hours on aspects of play production arranged with the instructor.
THTR 1185  Directing/Acting   2.0 cr In this practicuum course, students will have the opportunity to learn the basics of directing actors, including choosing scripts, defining character motivation, and working with stage movement and composition. Actors will have the opportunity to practice and develop their skills with novice directors. Students will have the opportunity to both act and direct under the guidance of the Director/Acting instructor. The final project of the course will be an in-class or public performance. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.
THTR 2109  Theatre History I   3.0 cr Surveys theatrical history from its origins to 1700. Major periods and movements of theatre are discussed as they occurred chronologically. Analysis of the period's practices, practitioners, playing space and audience. Prerequisites: Recommended THTR 1105.
THTR 2153  Advanced Acting   3.0 cr Develops student understanding of and skills in more advanced theories and practices of stage acting. Prerequisites: THTR 1152 or permission from instructor.
THTR 2154  Design for the Theatre   3.0 cr Introduces the concepts, process, and practices common to the design of scenery, lighting and costume. The study and application of the aesthetic principles and graphic skills involved in all areas of theatrical design. Development of the student's abilities in research methodology, as it applies to design for the theatre. Emphasis on design skills (including CAD programs) as a communication tool in the collaborative process of theatrical production. Prerequisites: Recommended THTR 1105.
THTR 2210  Hitchcock, The Master of Suspense   3.0 cr Examines the work of Alfred Hitchcock, a film director known world-wide for his artistry with a camera, his craftsmanship with story structure, and his ability to hold the audience in a state of edge-of-the-seat suspense.
THTR 2220  Documentary Films   3.0 cr Explores the nature and history of documentary film. Students will understand, appreciate, and enjoy documentary motion pictures as a form of communication, a method of persuasion, a reflection of culture, and as an art form. The course provides a beginning approach to the theory and criticism of documentary film. The relationship between form and content is basic to this course.

The Theatre department has articulation agreements with Minnesota State University, Mankato, and ugsburg University. The department is pursuing articulation agreements with the following four-year institutions:

• Hamline University
• Southwest Minnesota State University
• Minnesota State University Moorhead

Student Clubs

Film Club

Purpose: Provide a safe and comfortable environment for students to express themselves through the film.

To learn more, contact:

Christina Pippa
Theatre and Film Studies Instructor
Film Club Faculty Advisor
651-450-3668

Theater Club

Purpose: Provide a safe and comfortable environment for students to express themselves through the dramatic arts; the club also provides opportunities for those interested in theater production, acting, costuming, stage management, lighting, directing and more.

To learn more, contact:

George Roesler
Theatre and Film Studies Instructor
Theatre Club Faculty Advisor
651-450-3588

Improv Club

Purpose: Provide students with improvisational performance opportunities where dialogue, action, story line and characters are developed collaboratively by actors or players in present time.

To learn more, contact:

George Roesler
Theatre and Film Studies Instructor
Improv Club Faculty Advisor
651-450-3588

Professional organizations

Playwrights’ Center

MSP Film Society

Minnesota Playlist

Building a career in theatre

Theatre arts date back more than 2,500 years to the city-state of Athens in ancient Greece. Modern theatre in the English-speaking world is exemplified by Broadway, which features 40 professional theatres with 500 seats or more. Dozens and dozens of theatre companies across the U.S. produce plays of all kinds, including dramas, tragedies, musicals, comedies and improv.

Potential jobs in the theatre arts, including pre-production, production and staff

• Producer
• Director
• Dramaturge
• Playwright
• Scenic designer
• Lighting designer
• Costume designer
• Sound designer
• Property master
• Production manager
• Technical director
• Choreographer
• Makeup designer
• Charge artist
• Scenic artist
• Electrician
• Carpenter
• Wardrobe supervisor
• Publicist
• Stage manager
• Stagehands
• Artistic director
• Costume director
• Marketing director
• House manager
• Ticketing agent
• Grip

Below are just a few examples of possible career paths that can start by earning an A.F.A. in Theatre from at Inver Hills.

• Producers and Directors
• Actors
• Dancers and Choreographers

Additional resources

Field of Study: Directing, Theater Production, and Arts Management

Completing your freshman and sophomore theatre obligations at Inver Hills is smart on several key levels:

1. Be part of opening night and tell a story that creates memorable audience experiences
2. Stretch your creativity and discover what it takes to bring a character to life on stage
3. Construct sets, design lighting, and contribute to a full-scale theater production
4. Receive an excellent education with one-on-one interactions with theatre faculty
5. Get live-performance experience in superb theatre facilities
6. Save money and continue your academic and professional careers with less student debt *

* On a national scale, student loan debt has mushroomed to $1.2 trillion, which is greater than credit card debt and auto loan debt combined. In Minnesota, the average debt for four-year grads tops $30,000; 70 percent carry a student debt load.

Tuition and fees for one year at Inver Hills costs a little less than $5,300. Compare that to $15,000 to $20,000 at a for-profit college, or $40,000 to $50,000 at a private college or university. You can complete your first two years at Inver getting a topflight education firsthand from Ph.D. instructors and then transfer to a four-year as a junior all while saving thousands of dollars. It's a no-brainer.

Additional resources

• Scholarship Information
• Cost of Attendance
• Inver Hills Foundation
• Financial Aid Office

Theatre Facilities

Black Box Theatre