Rebecca Wolf joined the Kenyon drama faculty in 2009. Prior to that appointment, she taught at Texas A&M University and Rhodes College. She holds an M.F.A. in theatre design from Tulane University and works professionally as a freelance lighting and scenic designer.
A number of her designs have earned entry into national and international exhibitions. Recently, her designs for The Arabian Nights and Around the World in Eighty Days were chosen for the Ohio Valley Ezekiel Award Exhibition. Her lighting design for the original play Ojen Kaleidoscope was chosen for inclusion in the 2009 World Stage Design Exhibition in Seoul, South Korea. In 2008, her design for Kindertransport was exhibited in the USITT Design Exhibition and published in Theatre Design and Technology.
Areas of Expertise
Lighting Design, Scene Design, Scenic Painting, Film Lighting
Education
2006 — Master of Fine Arts from Tulane University
2001 — Bachelor of Science from Rhodes College
Courses Recently Taught
DRAM 111
Introduction to the Theater
DRAM 111
This course examines how theater differs from other arts and how theatrical artists go about their jobs in bringing a play to life on stage. This examination is accomplished through a series of performance or creative assignments. The class is divided into four sections, two meeting in the morning and two in the afternoon. Plays, problems and exercises are performed and discussed in the sectional meetings. Approximately every other week, sections are combined for lectures and demonstrations. The course explores what a play is and how it is structured. Assignments consist of a series of playwriting problems and one acting problem, which students perform in class working in teams. In addition, students read at least five plays and a series of essays about the theory and practice of the theater, complete a series of brief written assignments and take written examinations. As a culmination of the work, each student writes, directs and presents a final short play to the class, working with fellow students. Any student with a general interest in the theater will find this a challenging course, regardless of previous experience. Because this course is an introduction to the arts of the theater, it is a prerequisite to many other courses in the department. Required for drama or film majors. No prerequisite. Offered every year.
DRAM 241
The Scene Designer
DRAM 241
Working from varied scripts, students will move from a study of the visual choices implicit in the text to the process of designing scenery. This course places an emphasis on collaboration and includes written assignments, drafting, sketching and model building. This counts toward the elements requirement for the major. Prerequisite: DRAM 111. Generally offered every year.
DRAM 241
Scene Design
DRAM 241
Working from varied scripts, students will move from a study of the visual choices implicit in the text to the process of designing scenery. This course places an emphasis on collaboration and includes written assignments, drafting, sketching and model building. This counts toward the elements requirement for the major. Prerequisite: DRAM 111. Generally offered every year.
DRAM 243
The Lighting Designer
DRAM 243
In this course, students are introduced to the properties of light and electricity and explore the creative process of designing light for the theater with an emphasis on collaboration. Work includes readings, written assignments, research, drafting, lectures, discussions, laboratory sessions and design projects.This counts toward the elements requirement for the major. Prerequisite: DRAM 111. Generally offered every year.
DRAM 243
Lighting Design
DRAM 243
In this course, students are introduced to the properties of light and electricity and explore the creative process of designing light for the theater with an emphasis on collaboration. Work includes readings, written assignments, research, drafting, lectures, discussions, laboratory sessions and design projects.This counts toward the elements requirement for the major. Prerequisite: DRAM 111. Generally offered every year.
DRAM 291
DRAM 493
Individual Study
DRAM 493
Individual study in drama is reserved for students exploring a topic not regularly offered in the department's curriculum. Typically, the course will carry .5 unit of credit. To enroll in an individual study, a student must identify a member of the department willing to direct the project and, in consultation with him or her, write a proposal. The department chair must approve the proposal. The one- to two-page proposal should include a preliminary bibliography and/or set of specific problems, goals and tasks for the course; outline a schedule of reading and/or writing assignments or creative undertakings and describe the methods of assessment (e.g., a journal to be submitted for evaluation weekly, a one-act play due at semester's end, with drafts due at given intervals, and so on). The student also should briefly describe prior coursework which qualifies him or her for this independent project. At a minimum, the department expects the student to meet regularly with the instructor one hour per week and to submit an amount of work equivalent to that required in 300-level dance and drama courses. Students are urged to begin discussion of their proposed individual study the semester before they hope to enroll, so that they can devise a proposal and seek departmental approval before the deadline.
FILM 243
Basic Cinematography
FILM 243
This course explores cinematography as an art of visual storytelling. The cinematographer plays a critical role in shaping the light and composition of an image and capturing that image for the screen. Students will investigate the theory and practice of this unique visual language and its power as a narrative element in cinema. Students will study films by accomplished cinematographers and engage in the work of the cinematographer through a series of projects. This course will be taught at the Wright Center in Mt. Vernon. This satisfies one of the three required production classes for the major. Prerequisite: FILM 111. Generally offered every year.