Black Hawk College will offer a new course, THEA 111-Introduction to Theatre Arts.
Those who want to earn a fine arts credit or learn more about theater from its history to acting to directing stagecraft can now register for the new course.
The fall 2026 class will cover the whole of the theatre experience – the history of theatre, acting, directing, dramaturgy, critical thinking about form and function and more.
“Theatre helps people to explore the world around them through artistic endeavor,” said Dr. Traci Davis, psychology professor and the course instructor.
“For the upcoming generation, theatre helps reinforce some basic human traits we are losing – making appropriate eye contact, being able to work on a project in groups and understanding human nature through stage work,” she said.
Some of the questions the class will discuss are:
● Why do people do the things they do?
● Why do playwrights put these things to paper?
● How does theatre impact us and why?
The three-credit, hybrid course will be Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1-2:15 p.m. On Tuesdays, students will learn theory and do some in-class performances at the Quad-Cities Campus. On Thursdays, students will attend class online for discussion. Current Black Hawk College students can register for THEA 111 at connect.bhc.edu/register.
New students can get started at connect.bhc.edu/apply.
Traci Davis’ love for theatre has come full circle.
She began her theatre journey in high school and attended Black Hawk College as a theatre major. She switched majors to psychology, ultimately earning a doctorate and returning to BHC in 2004 to teach psychology.
“I’m super excited to be on this journey and to bring back theatre to BHC,” she said.
She also is a student again, pursuing a Master of Fine Arts, or MFA, in pedagogy and playwriting through the University of Idaho. Her goal is to finish her master’s in Spring 2027 then offer additional theatre classes at BHC.
She has worked tech with local theatre companies and is a playwright. Her new melodrama, “The Mire,” was workshopped and presented as a staged reading at the Quad-Cities Campus in March 2026 and at the Phoenix Theatre in Indianapolis in May 2026.
