As the Fall 2026 term draws near, you may be looking for some courses to add to your schedule. Take a look at some upcoming THPERF courses below so be sure to enrol before the term starts; add period ends September 22nd.
*This page may continue to be updated as course information is confirmed.
THPERF 243: Technical Production 1
Description: Theatre production provides foundational training in all backstage disciplines. If you enjoy creative challenges and teamwork, then you will thrive through this skills-first, collaborative learning experience. Embark on a unique project each term.
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Pick up the tools and techniques of carpentry, painting, props, and wardrobe.
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Operate technologies of lighting, sound, and video.
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Develop masterful communication and professionalism
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Gain practical working experience guided by personalized mentorship.
Find your place in a welcoming community, and make your mark on a meaningful show!
Schedule: Tuesdays 3PM to 3:50PM and Fridays 9:30AM to 5:50PMInstructor: Shaw Forgeron
THPERF 271: Performance History
Description: Throughout history and around the world, people have used performance for a dazzling array of purposes and effects. In ancient Athens, citizens debated democratic ideals at week-long drama festivals; in colonial Brazil, capoeiristas used group combat games to defy their enslavers. Early Kabuki performers crossed-dressed to subvert the social strictures of 17th C. Japan; and since the 1980s, people have (inexplicably) flocked to New York City to see a Broadway musical about cats. Surveying these and other case studies, this course invites students to engage with the theatrical past as a site of cultural analysis, critical reflection, and creative inspiration. We will interpret scripts, sketches, newspaper reviews and other traces of past performance, and we will ask how both theatre makers and historians have decided whose stories to tell, and why.
- Whether you are a theatre maker, a theatre fan, or just curious about how people express themselves in public, this course will allow you to:
- Familiarize yourself with a range of performance texts, technologies, techniques, and genres.
- Analyze the relationship between theatrical performances and their social, cultural, and historical conditions.
- Reflect on the social, ethical, and political implications of both theatrical performance, and historical interpretations of the theatrical past.
- Discover how primary and secondary research can enrich the performances you make or attend.
- Develop new ways to express yourself – onstage, at work, online, and beyond – by experimenting with historical practices.
Instructor: Jordana Cox
THPERF 490-003: Production Dramaturgy
Description: The dramaturg is the contextual lifeblood of any theatre production, offering support, research, resistance, and ingenuity to the director, designer, actors, and publicity personnel, in order to improve the collaborative process and creative impact of the production. In this course you will create the following, in support of the Theatre and Performance program’s production of William Shakespeare’s play Twelfth Night:
- Online Dramaturgy Hub (a website that offers important information as well as thematic context to the production).
- Audience Outreach (activation of a plan of outreach to a target audience for the production).
- Engagement Space (the creation of an inter-active installation and environment in the ML Gallery that provides an introduction of the ‘world of the play’ for our audience.
Dramaturgy as a discipline is defined in multiple ways, and you will be encouraged to explore the possibilities of the field of greatest interest to you, but mainly in this course you will learn how to provide the contextual foundation for the production; that is to say, you will be challenged to create a rich collection of materials and events that will develop a meaningful framework of outreach and engagement for this production to our potential audience. You will learn the best practices of production dramaturgy in the creation of evocative and relevant theatre.
Schedule: Thursdays, 2:30PM to 4:20PM
Instructor: Andy Houston
THPERF 343: Stage Management
Description: This course is not just for those who want to stage manage the department's production. Any student who wants to understand the inner workings of the production process and learn project management and life skills will benefit from it.
In this course you will:
- Improve essential life skills, like communication, scheduling and organization.
- Further understand and appreciate the “behind the scenes” of theatre.
- Engage in problem-solving and critical thinking.
Instructor: Janelle Rainville
THPERF 343 teaches more than what it takes to be a stage manager. The adaptability, organizational, problem-solving and critical thinking skills I have learned in this class are ones that I implement into my everyday life, in both my studies and work. As a theatre student, learning the role of a stage manager and developing an appreciation for the work they do is valuable to anyone who hopes to find a career in production. Take THPERF 343- the stage manager you work with in the future will thank you for it.
Stage Management (aka organizational boot camp!) is a course that should be required for all theatre students and anybody who wants to work in theatre, especially those who wish to pursue careers as actors. This course will give you so many beneficial tools for your theatre toolbox, and helps you appreciate the value of every single body working "behind the scenes". Please do not miss out on an opportunity to enrich your education with this course.
THPERF 301: Performance Creation
Description: Archives have shaped the contemporary art and performance scene. This course prepares students to create performance projects using archival materials from museums, family albums, wardrobes, home libraries, and more. Students will identify source material and explore how archives are central to performance addressing urgent social and political issues.
By the end of semester, groups will stage a micro-performance. This course develops performance creation strategies by which students gain a critical perspective on co-relations between archival research and performance making.
Schedule: Mondays, 2:30PM to 5:20PM
Instructor: Nazli Akhtari