English - Drama and Theatre Major Concentration (B.A.) (36 credits)
Offered by: English (Faculty of Arts)
Degree: Bachelor of Arts; Bachelor of Arts and Science
Program credit weight: 36
Program Description
The Drama and Theatre option tries to place its subject in as broad a social and philosophical context as possible. The Drama and Theatre program is not designed to provide professional theatre training. The aim is rather to encourage students to explore the subject as a liberal arts discipline.
For the most up-to-date information on Department requirements and detailed course descriptions, please see the English Department Handbook at http://www.mcgill.ca/english/.
Degree Requirements — B.A. students
To be eligible for a B.A. degree, a student must fulfil all Faculty and program requirements as indicated in Degree Requirements for the Faculty of Arts.
We recommend that students consult an Arts OASIS advisor for degree planning.
Required Courses (6 credits)
6 credits to be taken in the first two terms of the program
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ENGL 230 | Introduction to Theatre Studies. | 3 |
Introduction to Theatre Studies. Terms offered: Fall 2025 An introduction to dramatic literature, text analysis, textual and performance theory, and theatre history. | ||
| ENGL 355 | The Poetics of Performance. | 3 |
The Poetics of Performance. Terms offered: Winter 2026 This course, normally taken in tandem with ENGL 230, examines and tests theories of acting, directing, and design through scene work and practical exercises. | ||
Complementary Courses (30 credits)
30 credits selected as described below.
3 credits from the following practice-based courses:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ENGL 269 | Introduction to Performance. | 3 |
Introduction to Performance. Terms offered: Winter 2026 The focus of this course is on the actor as communicator, and on those things (material, physical, and textual) which are inescapably central to the theatrical performance. | ||
| ENGL 365 | Costuming for the Theatre 1. | 3 |
Costuming for the Theatre 1. Terms offered: Fall 2025 Introduction to costume-making for the theatre, covering fabrics, textiles and costume decoration. | ||
| ENGL 368 | Stage Scenery and Lighting 1. | 3 |
Stage Scenery and Lighting 1. Terms offered: Fall 2025 An introduction to the technical aspects of stage settings and theatrical lighting. | ||
| ENGL 372 | Stage Scenery and Lighting 2. | 3 |
Stage Scenery and Lighting 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Aspects of stage scenery and theatrical lighting. | ||
| ENGL 377 | Costuming for the Theatre 2. | 3 |
Costuming for the Theatre 2. Terms offered: Winter 2026 Advanced topics in costume-making for the theatre, including millinery, dyeing, costume breakdown, and silk painting techniques. | ||
Performance-Oriented Courses
3 credits from the list of Performance-Oriented Courses:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ENGL 365 | Costuming for the Theatre 1. | 3 |
Costuming for the Theatre 1. Terms offered: Fall 2025 Introduction to costume-making for the theatre, covering fabrics, textiles and costume decoration. | ||
| ENGL 367 | Acting 2. | 3 |
Acting 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The actor as analyzer of scripts and characters; textual analysis, practice in character development through improvisations, mask work and physical training. | ||
| ENGL 368 | Stage Scenery and Lighting 1. | 3 |
Stage Scenery and Lighting 1. Terms offered: Fall 2025 An introduction to the technical aspects of stage settings and theatrical lighting. | ||
| ENGL 372 | Stage Scenery and Lighting 2. | 3 |
Stage Scenery and Lighting 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Aspects of stage scenery and theatrical lighting. | ||
| ENGL 376 | Scene Study. | 3 |
Scene Study. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Scene study for the theatre. | ||
| ENGL 377 | Costuming for the Theatre 2. | 3 |
Costuming for the Theatre 2. Terms offered: Winter 2026 Advanced topics in costume-making for the theatre, including millinery, dyeing, costume breakdown, and silk painting techniques. | ||
| ENGL 396 | Theatre Practicum 1. | 3 |
Theatre Practicum 1. Terms offered: Fall 2025 Training in acting and other on-stage roles in theatrical performance. | ||
| ENGL 397 | Theatre Practicum 2. | 3 |
Theatre Practicum 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Training in acting and other on-stage roles in theatrical performance. | ||
| ENGL 465D1 | Theatre Laboratory. | 4.5 |
Theatre Laboratory. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Workshop in theatre practice and drama interpretation. | ||
| ENGL 465D2 | Theatre Laboratory. | 4.5 |
Theatre Laboratory. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Workshop in theatre practice and drama interpretation. | ||
| ENGL 466D1 | Directing for the Theatre. | 3 |
Directing for the Theatre. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The direction of a theatrical performance: preparation, casting, rehearsal, and performance are the areas of concentration. | ||
| ENGL 466D2 | Directing for the Theatre. | 3 |
Directing for the Theatre. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. See ENGL 466D1 for course description. | ||
| ENGL 469 | Acting 3. | 3 |
Acting 3. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Advanced training in acting involving study of some of the major European and North American acting theories and practices. | ||
Drama and/or Theatre Courses with a Canadian Component
3 credits from the list of Drama and/or Theatre courses with a Canadian component:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ENGL 313 | Canadian Drama and Theatre. | 3 |
Canadian Drama and Theatre. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Dramatic forms and theatrical practices in Canada from beginnings to the present day. | ||
| ENGL 413 | Special Topics in Canadian Drama and Theatre. | 3 |
Special Topics in Canadian Drama and Theatre. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Advanced study focused on a period or issue in Canadian drama and/or theatre history. | ||
Theory, Criticism and Methods
3 credits of Theory, Criticism, and Methods courses from the complementary list or with the permission of your department adviser.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ENGL 317 | Theory of English Studies 1. | 3 |
Theory of English Studies 1. Terms offered: Fall 2025 Philosophical approaches. | ||
| ENGL 318 | Theory of English Studies 2. | 3 |
Theory of English Studies 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Socio-Historical approaches. | ||
| ENGL 319 | Theory of English Studies 3. | 3 |
Theory of English Studies 3. Terms offered: Fall 2025 Cultural theory now. | ||
| ENGL 322 | Theories of the Text. | 3 |
Theories of the Text. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A course focusing on textuality (as opposed to, say, intentionality and interpretation) and on how specific effects are made - how texts work and produce meaning, including rhetoric and form. | ||
| ENGL 346 | Materiality and Sociology of Text. | 3 |
Materiality and Sociology of Text. Terms offered: Winter 2026 Writing, printing, distribution, marketing, and placement within canon-making institutions; the influence of material forms of production and transmission on the creation and reception of literature, film, and theatre. | ||
| ENGL 352 | Theories of Difference. | 3 |
Theories of Difference. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Introduction to a selection of theories that have influenced thinking about difference across the humanities and social sciences, including gender, sexuality, race, class and hierarchical structures, language, religion, ethnicity, and personal identity. | ||
Theatre History Courses
3 credits from the list of Theatre History courses:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ENGL 306 | Theatre History: Medieval and Early Modern. | 3 |
Theatre History: Medieval and Early Modern. Terms offered: Fall 2025 A study of works of Mediaeval and Tudor drama. | ||
| ENGL 310 | Restoration and 18th Century Drama. | 3 |
Restoration and 18th Century Drama. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A study of works of Restoration and 18th century drama. | ||
| ENGL 312 | Victorian and Edwardian Drama 1. | 3 |
Victorian and Edwardian Drama 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. | ||
| ENGL 370 | Theatre History: The Long Eighteenth Century. | 3 |
Theatre History: The Long Eighteenth Century. Terms offered: Winter 2026 A survey of dramatic forms and genres and theatrical practices from the Restoration through the 18th century to the Romantic period. | ||
| ENGL 371 | Theatre History: 19th to 21st Centuries. | 3 |
Theatre History: 19th to 21st Centuries. Terms offered: Winter 2026 History of predominantly Western theatre practices from circa 1830 to the present. | ||
| ENGL 444 | Studies in Women Authors. | 3 |
Studies in Women Authors. Terms offered: Winter 2026 Study of a particular topic related to literary, dramatic, or cultural productions by female-identified authors. | ||
| ENGL 467 | Advanced Studies in Theatre History. | 3 |
Advanced Studies in Theatre History. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Advanced study focused on a period or issue in Theatre history. | ||
| ENGL 486 | Special Topics in Theatre History . | 3 |
Special Topics in Theatre History . Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A research seminar on selected topics in theatre history and theatre historiography. | ||
Drama and Theatre Before 1900 Courses
3 credits from the list of courses in Drama and Theatre before 1900:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ENGL 306 | Theatre History: Medieval and Early Modern. | 3 |
Theatre History: Medieval and Early Modern. Terms offered: Fall 2025 A study of works of Mediaeval and Tudor drama. | ||
| ENGL 308 | English Renaissance Drama 1. | 3 |
English Renaissance Drama 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An overview of some major authors and issues in English Renaissance Drama. | ||
| ENGL 310 | Restoration and 18th Century Drama. | 3 |
Restoration and 18th Century Drama. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A study of works of Restoration and 18th century drama. | ||
| ENGL 312 | Victorian and Edwardian Drama 1. | 3 |
Victorian and Edwardian Drama 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. | ||
| ENGL 315 | Shakespeare. | 3 |
Shakespeare. Terms offered: Winter 2026 A study of the major works of Shakespeare. | ||
| ENGL 370 | Theatre History: The Long Eighteenth Century. | 3 |
Theatre History: The Long Eighteenth Century. Terms offered: Winter 2026 A survey of dramatic forms and genres and theatrical practices from the Restoration through the 18th century to the Romantic period. | ||
| ENGL 416 | Studies in Shakespeare. | 3 |
Studies in Shakespeare. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A study of the works of Shakespeare. | ||
Additional Courses
12 additional credits from ENGL offerings, in the Literature, Cultural Studies, and Drama and Theatre Options. Other courses require approval by a departmental adviser