Classes at Our CCC Drama Department
Welcome to our CCC Drama Department's classes section. Here you can find information about our theatre class offerings, including information on our Associates of Arts Transferable Theatre Arts Degree.
Associates of Arts in Theatre Arts
The Associate Degree in Theatre Arts for Transfer at Contra Costa College prepares students to move into a program at a CSU or UC university to a baccalaureate degree in theatre arts. Completion of a B.A. in Theatre Arts can lead to professional careers in acting, technical theatre, stage management, stage direction, and design.
Students wishing to obtain a transferable degree in theatre need to complete a total of 18 units in theatre related courses. These 18 units are on top of the general education units required for transferring.
Students wishing to participate in our theatre productions must first audition if wishing to participate as actors or be interviewed if wishing to participate in the technical side of a production. When accepted, students must register for either one of our "Theatre Practice and Performance" classes or one of our "Technical Theatre in Production" classes, depending on the type of participation.
Course Offerings
The Drama Department offers a variety of theatre courses. Some courses are offered every semester, others are offered once a year, while others only as needed. Check the course schedule found in the college's main website for current offerings.
Our courses are offered in two different modalities: in person and online. Our face-to-face classes are 16-weeks long. Our online courses are offered completely online with no face-to-face meetings. In other words, they are all asynchronous. Online classes are either 16 weeks (whole semester) or 8 weeks, 6 weeks, or 4 weeks.
Below is a list of the Drama Courses offered within our program:
DRAMA 101: Introduction to Theatre
This course deals with the "ins and out" of the field of theatre. This is a basic courses which introduces the students to what the field of theatre is all about. This course is an elective for the AA in Theatre Arts Degree.
Official description is found in the course catalog.
DRAMA 102: Multicultural Perspectives in American Theatre
This is a special theatre topics course, concentrating on different areas of theatre. At the moment the two special topics offered are "The History and Development of the American Musical" and "Queer Theatre."
Official description is found in the course catalog.
DRAMA 103: Theatre History I
This course is an introduction to the history of theatre from ancient times all the way to the 17th Century. This course is an elective for the AA in Theatre Arts Degree.
Official description is found in the course catalog.
DRAMA 106: Technical Theatre/Stagecraft
This course introduces students to the different elements within the technical theatre field. Props, painting, costumes, lighting, stage managing, running crew, and many other technical theatre areas. This course is a requirement for the AA in Theatre Arts Degree.
Official description is found in the course catalog.
DRAMA 107: Introduction to Stage Litghting
In this course students learn the importance of lighting in relationship to stage design. Concentrating on equipment, lighting execution, and color among other lighting design elements. This course is an elective for the AA in Theatre Arts Degree.
Official description is found in the course catalog.
DRAMA 108: Introduction to Stage Costumes
Students in this course learn about the history of costumes and design, learn basic costume construction techniques, as well as fabrics and their different uses. This course is an elective for the AA in Theatre Arts Degree.
Official description is found in the course catalog.
DRAMA 109: Introduction to Stage Makeup
The basic technique makeup applications for the stage, including prosthetics, as well as terminology and safety procedures, are some of the elements study in this course.This course is an elective for the AA in Theatre Arts Degree.
Official description is found in the course catalog.
DRAMA 110: African American Theatre
This course concentrates in the history, growth, and development of African American Theatre in the United States, its challenges and obstacles at presenting and maintaining the practice. This course is cross-listed with AFRAM-112.
Official description is found in the course catalog.
DRAMA 119: Commedia dell'arte
This course introduces students to the history, the development, and the acting style of commedia dell'arte. Students learn about the main characters from Commedia, as well as mask work, and physicalization, through lectures and hands-on training.
Official description is found in the course catalog.
DRAMA 820N: Community Engagement through Theatre Practice
This course is available for community members who audition and end up in one of our productions. These are not "students" but in order to be in a show, they need to register for this non-credit course.
Official description is found in the course catalog.
DRAMA 122: Acting I
Students in this course will be introduced to basic acting skills, monologue, and scene work. Breathing, Posture and Audition techniches are introduced. This course is an elective for the AA in Theatre Arts Degree.
Official description is found in the course catalog.
DRAMA 123: Acting II
In this course, students will continue to enhance their acting, memorization, monologue, and scene work techniques. This an elective course for the AA in Theatre Arts Degree.
Official description is found in the course catalog.
DRAMA 125: Acting for the Camera
In this course, students learn the fundamental techniques for acting in front of a camera. Work includes monologue delivery, as well as commercial work.
Official description is found in the course catalog.
DRAMA 126: Script Analysis
This course introduces students to the theories and fundamentals of script writing, learning the basic from Aristotelian approaches to the 'hero's journey' concept. This course is an elective for the AA in Theatre Arts degree.
Official description is found in the course catalog.
DRAMA 130: Voice for the Actor and Professional Speaker
In this course students learn the proper use of the pronunciation, enunciation, clarity, and projection. Emphasis is given to the IPA and the Linklater Voice approach.
Official description is found in the course catalog.
DRAMA 140: Stage Movement
Students in this course will engage in different stage movement approaches for the actor, introducing them to view-points, Suzuki, Lecoq, and Alexander techniques.
Official description is found in the course catalog.
DRAMA 165: Chicano/Latino Theatre
This is an introductory course concentrating in the history of both Chicanx and Latinx theatre. Students in this course learn about the Actos and Teatro Campesino, as well as Puertorican and Cuban American Theatre.
Official description is found in the course catalog.
DRAMA 220: Theatre Practice and Performance
The course is reserved for those students who end up cast in any of our shows. This production course can be taken four times for one credit each time. These courses are electives for the AA in Theatre Arts degree.
Official description is found in the course catalog.
DRAMA 221: Technical Theatre in Production
This course is for students who are interested in participating in in the technical side of our productions. Students can take this course for times for one credit each time. These courses are electives for the AA in Theatre Arts degree.
Official description is found in the course catalog.
DRAMA 222: Acting III
This acting course concentrates on classical acting training techniques. Acting Shakespeare is introduced in at this third level of the acting series.
Official description is found in the course catalog.
DRAMA 223: Acting IV
The last acting course of the series specializes in different acting styles such as Greek, Restoration Comedies, Realism, Naturalism, and others.
Official description is found in the course catalog.
DRAMA 298: Independent Study
This course introduces students to the different elements within the technical theatre field. Props, painting, costumes, lighting, stage managing, running crew, and many other technical theatre areas. This course is a requirement for the AA in Theatre Arts Degree.
Official description is found in the course catalog.