THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA

BENJAMIN T. ROME SCHOOL OF MUSIC/MUSICAL THEATRE PROGRAM

MUS 310b: Musical Theatre Topics
Summer, 2015

Credit Hours: 1
Prerequisites/Department consent: None- Department Consent Required.

Classroom: Ward Hall

Days and hours of class meetings: Monday/Wednesday, 5:10-7:40PM and outside rehearsal

Instructor contact information:

Jay D. Brock, Clinical Assistant Professor
Phone: 202-319-5852 (Office)
805-403-3479 (Mobile)
E-mail: brock@cua.edu
Office: Ward Room 124
Office Hours: By appointment

Course Description
This course is designed to cover a variety of topics that are supplementary to the required education of
students in the school of music. Topics may include but are not limited to monologue coaching, advanced
vocal styles, stage directing, stage management, musical direction, and various acting techniques.
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.

Instructional Methods
Practicum and Workshop

Required Text:
None

Recommended Text:
None.

Reading materials:
Script

Other materials:
Scenic elements, props, lighting, and costume pieces, are the sole responsibility of the student. Students
will also have to procure rights for their plays

Course Goals
Introduce the student to the basic practices and techniques of working with actors in a directorial capacity

Goals for Student Learning

At the conclusion of this course the student will have the ability to:

a) Direct a one-act play

 b) Communicate with actors using appropriate vocabulary.
c) Collaborate with designers on realizing a full production
d) Cast a play

Course Requirements
Assignments: Your sole assignment in this course is to produce and direct a full realized One-Act Play

Rehearsal: Time outside the classroom is expected to rehearse scenes with actors

Attendance: Being that the majority of this course is completed in-class it is imperative that you attend
every class in the semester. Your grade will significantly depend on your attendance and participation
throughout the semester. If illness or other emergency arises students are EXPECTED to contact the
instructor via phone call to discuss the issue PRIOR to missing a class, otherwise the absence will not be
excused. Every absence that has not been cleared by the instructor will result in a 5% loss of your final
grade. Coming to class late or leaving early will constitute a tardy; two tardies equals one absence. If
you accrue five absences for any reason you will automatically fail the course or constitute an incomplete if
appropriate.

Expectations and policies

Academic Integrity Academic integrity is not merely avoiding plagiarism or cheating, but it
certainly includes those things. More than anything, having academic integrity means taking
responsibility for your work, your ideas, and your effort, and giving credit to others for their work,
ideas and effort. If you submit work that is not your own whether test answers, whole papers or
something in-between I have a responsibility to hold you accountable for that action. The faculty
have a responsibility to treat you with respect and dignity while doing so.

The following sanctions are presented in the University procedures related to Student Academic
Dishonesty:

The presumed sanction for undergraduate students for academic dishonesty will be failure for the
course. There may be circumstances, however, where, perhaps because of an undergraduate
students past record, a more serious sanction, such as suspension or expulsion, would be
appropriate. ...In the more unusual case, mitigating circumstances may exist that would warrant a
lesser sanction than the presumed sanction.

At times, you may be asked do group work for an in-class presentation or group project. For that
specific assignment, you are allowed to share material, ideas and information; however, for any
related work that is to be submitted on an individual basis, your submission is expected to be your
own in its entirety.

For more information about what academic integrity means at CUA, including your
responsibilities and rights, visit http://integrity.cua.edu.

Accommodations for students with disabilities: Any student who feels s/he may need an
accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact the instructor privately to
discuss specific needs. Please contact Disability Support (dss.cua.edu) to coordinate reasonable
accommodations for students with documented disabilities.

Final Exams: A student having an exam scheduling conflict such as:

-Two or more exams scheduled for the same time period
-Three or more exams scheduled for one day
must report to her/his school's Academic Dean's Office no later than fourteen calendar days before
the end of classes. The dean will assist the student in rescheduling the exam(s) for the courses
 having the lowest enrollment(s). All make-up exams must be completed at the earliest possible
time during the final examination period.

Academic Support Services

The universitys primary academic support resources are located on the 2nd floor of the Pryzbyla
Center. These affiliated offices and services include:

The Undergraduate Advising Center offers guidance to all undergraduates, especially first-year
students, as they move toward their academic goals.
Phone: (202) 319-5545 Email: cua-advising@cua.edu Web: advising.cua.edu

The Center for Academic Success provides academic support services for all students through a
broad base of programs and services, including Tutoring Services, Workshops, Academic
Coaching, Individual Skills Meetings, Peer Mentoring, and more.
Phone: (202) 319-5655 Email: cua-academicsuccess@cua.edu Web: success.cua.edu

The Writing Center provides free, one-on-one consultations with trained graduate instructors for
writing projects across all disciplines at any stage of the process, from brainstorming to revising.
Appointments in the main location, 202 Pryz, can be scheduled in advance online
(http://english.cua.edu/wc/). Drop-in appointments are also welcome based on availability in the
Pryz and at the satellite location in the Mullen Library Lobby (see website for days and hours).
Phone: (202) 319-4286 Email: cua-writingcenter@cua.edu Web: english.cua.edu/wc/

The Math Center is staffed with Math Faculty and Tutors who are trained to assist students
struggling in areas ranging from the basics to complex problems in calculus and statistics. Any
student who feels he or she may need assistance in this or any other math class is welcome to visit
the Math Center in Pryz 204 Monday through Thursday between the hours of 4:00 and
10:00pm. No appointment is necessary and services are absolutely free.
Phone: (202) 319-5655 Email: cua-academicsuccess@cua.edu

Disability Support Services provides programs and services designed to support and encourage
the integration of students with disabilities into the mainstream of the university community.
Phone: (202) 319-5211 Email: cua-disabilityservices@cua.edu Web: dss.cua.edu

The Counseling Center provides free individual and group counseling services, psychiatric
consultation, alternative testing, and emergency services to CUA students. In addition, we provide
consultation services and outreach programs to the CUA community. Appointments can be
scheduled in person in 127 OBoyle Hall, or by phone.
Phone: (202) 319-5765. Web: counseling.cua.edu

Assessments

Assignment #1 50%
Participation 50%

University grades: The University grading system for undergraduates is available at

http://policies.cua.edu/academicundergrad//gradesfull.cfm#II. Reports of grades in courses are available at
the end of each term on http://cardinalstation.cua.edu.
Course Schedule
5/18 Discuss syllabus, scheduling, assignments, and expectations. establish production calendar and
rehearsal schedules.

5/19-6/2 Individual rehearsals and one on one mentoring

6/3 Designer Run in ward Hall

6/4-6/12 Individual rehearsals and one on one mentoring

6/13-6/14 Tech

6/15-6/17 Tech Dress Rehearsals

6/18-21 Perfromances