THEA 27
Performance with Purpose: Introduction to Applied Theatre Winter 2025

Unlike product-driven commercial theatre forms, Applied Theatre is invested more in process and exploring the Who/What/Where/When/Why/How the ensemble crafts a performance together. Community is absolutely essential to this work and the boundaries between artist and audience can be fluid. In this course, students will collaboratively devise an original piece of theatre to be shared with the Williams community that amplifies the students’ own voices and experiences. Applied Theatre can often be therapeutic in nature, so this class will feature guest lecturers with a background in Drama Therapy and Social Work to discuss real-world applications, activist self-care, and navigating potentially activating subject matter that may arise. In this course, the students will collectively author a Group Agreement to guide their creative explorations and integrate Consent-Forward rehearsal practices. This class will strive to find a balance between playfulness and rigor, introspection and collaboration, and aesthetics and impact. The class will culminate with performances on and off-campus to showcase the students’ work and share their message with the community.