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Professor Michael O'Steen

Associate Professor, Theatre Program 

 

B.F.A., M.F.A., Carnegie Mellon University

 

 

 

Professor Michael O'Steen, Directing/Choreography: NYC; Hey God?, Just Feet From Broadway. Regional: Drowsy Chaperone, Sugar, Anything Goes, Sound of Music, Guys and Dolls, Little Shop of Horrors, Good Man Charlie Brown, Annie Get Your Gun other. University Players: From Shakespeare to Steve Martin. Performer: Broadway ; Meet Me in St. Louis, Starlight Express. Nationally; Cats, Sayonara, Fame, Guys and Dolls. Regionally: Manhattan Theare Club, Goodspeed Opera House, Papermill Playhouse, Walnut Street Theatre, Studio Arena, Theatre Virginia, Geva Theatre, and countless others. Pgh and NJ Symphonies, Woody Allen's Everyone Says I Love You. Teaching: Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute, NYU Tisch School of the Arts, MSU, Carnegie Mellon University  School of Drama, and its School of Music. BFA, MFA from Carnegie Mellon University's School of Drama. SDC, SAG-AFTRA, AEA.

 

Professor Michael O'Steen currently teaches the following courses:

THTR 110 Intro. to Theatre

3 cr. (CL)

An introduction to the theories and practices of the theatre arts. Dramatic structure, dramatic literature, critical writing, acting, directing, design, practical stagecraft, and some theare history will all be touched on in an effort to introduce students to the fullness and variety of the art of theatre.

THTR 151 Intro. to Acting

3 cr. (CA)

(Formaly THTR 111)
A Stanislavski-based system ("Acting is Doing") develops the student's ability to act with believability and honesty. Through exercises, improvisations, and a scene, the student discovers the technique of "making choices" based both on the self and on fictional characters.

THTR 251 Intermediate Acting

3 cr. (Prerequisite: THTR 121 & 151)

(Formaly THTR 210)
The student actor develops a stronger grasp of Stanislavski's system of Objectives and Beats. Scene work requires the actor to explore theatrical realism as practiced by Miller, Williams, Inge, Chekhov and Ibsen. Offered every other semester.

THTR 280 Production Laboratory

1 cr.

Theatre majors working on University Players productions can receive credit for serving as props master, master electrician, sound designer assistant technical director, assistant stage manager, or running crew. Forty hours of production work and strict adherence to deadlines required. May be taken for credit up to five times.

THTR 311 Directing I

3 cr. (Prerequisites: THTR 110 and THTR 151)

The student will be introduced to the tools used by stage directors to tell stories with actors in space and time. Students will analyze scripts and learn how to use those analyses in telling a story from moment to moment. Students will direct a ten-minute play for public performance. Offered every fourth semester.

THTR 351 Advanced Acting

3 cr. (Prerequisite: THTR 121: THTR 151 & THTR 251)

(Formaly THTR 410)
Advanced work in Stanislavski's system of acting with the addition of personlized work, including techniques for generating inner images and accessing the actor's emotional life. The class will include scene work, but will focus mostly on monologue study for graduate school and professional auditions.

THTR 373 Acting: Special Topics

3 cr. (Prerequisite: THTR 151)

Topic and prerequisites will be announced prior to preregistration. Past topics include actor's movement, voice and speech, stage combat.

THTR 411 Directing II

3 cr. (Prerequisties: B- or higher in THTR 311 or permission of instructor.)

Advanced study of rehearsal techniques, directing methods and styles, and effective director-actor relationships. Students will direct a 20-30 minute one act or excerpt for the Director's Workshop as part of the University Players season.

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