Cathy Susan Pyles

TA100 · THEATR240270 · TH240 · ANYTHEATRE · THEATRE270 · THEA100 · THEAT272 · INTROTHEA · V1204 · THEATER100 · THEATER110 · ALL · THEAT270 · THTER101 · THEATER450 · THEAT1649 · THEATRE100 · THEATRE270100 · THTR100 · THEATER · TA270 · THEATER270 · THEA1 · THEAT100 · 51 lifetime ratings

AI rating: 54/100
RMP rating: 4.2/5
Take again: 37.5%
Difficulty: 2.3

The decision

if you love theater and can handle strict rules; if you need a soft, flexible instructor.

Best fit · Hardcore LearnerPassionate about TheaterStrict AttendancePolarizing StyleExtra CreditPhone Ban

Many students love her passion, play trips, and theater expertise
Others report rudeness, intimidation, and zero flexibility
and workload can feel heavier than a typical GE

Key questions

Four answers before you build your schedule.

Is this an easy A?

FairEffort

62/100

Many earn As with , and , but some face tough grading and heavy work.

In-person experiences vary widely; online comments lean easier if you keep up.

Is the course easy?

Beginner

64/100

Material is accessible for theater GE, but monologues, play reviews, and .

Online called fun and easy; in-person difficulty spans easy .

Is attendance flexible?

Mandatory

12/100

Skip-class tags, phone bans, tardy penalties, and .

Both formats demand presence; in-person is especially unforgiving about phones and lateness.

Is this professor recommended?

Avoid

38/100

Would-take-again is only about 38%, and recent reviews warn of intimidation despite many older fans.

; sparse online comments are more positive.

Course guide

See how this professor fits your week.

Grading

Fair

58/100

and clear expectations help, but some label her a .

Format shift

Online feels fairer; .

Workload

Moderate

48/100

Play reviews, monologues, group projects, and 3-unit class.

Format shift

; online still requires weekly participation.

Teaching experience

Good

72/100

Deep theater passion and , yet interpersonal harshness and limited availability hurt the experience.

Format shift

Older in-person praise is strong; .

Assessment method

Balanced

52/100

Tests, play reviews, monologues, improv, and .

Format shift

Online leans on book reading and participation; in-person adds monologues and stage work.

Luni fit check

Weigh these signals against your actual schedule.

Get help balancing workload, grading, and timing when no option is an obvious fit.

Course format

Compare the in-person and online experience.

Classroom format

In person

48 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Hardcore Learner

and theater appreciation to harsh reports of yelling, no office hours, and heavy control.

Main concern

, and a polarizing interpersonal style.

What students said

“The rudest professor! She will put you down and yell in front of the whole class.”
Theater450

“Professor Pyles is great! , and class room assignments are actually pretty fun and engaging.”
THEA100

Remote format

Online

2 reviews

Low confidence · Best fit for Effort For Reward

Online or hybrid theater sections can be fun and clear if you log in often and follow instructions.

Main concern

You must participate several times a week or you will not pass.

What students said

“This is not an and not participate though. You have to log on at least 3 times a week or else you are not going to pass.”
7411

“I took this class online it was fun and easy. As long as you follow instructions and read the book you'll do well.”
THEATER100

Exam style

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

Assessment , and participation rather than uniform proctoring.

Online open-book testsPlay reviewsMonologuesGroup projectsBook-based exams

Assessment risk

Standard

55/100

Low score means less forgiving assessment conditions.

In person

In-person work includes monologues, scenes, play trips, and ; some hybrid tests are open-book online.

MonologuesPlay reviewsGroup projectsBook-based testsOpen-book online quizzes

“The tests are all online and open-book.”
THEAT100

“We had 9 (or 10?) tests, all online; , three group projects and a final.”
THEATER100

Online

Online reviews describe participation requirements and .

Weekly loginsRead the bookClear instructions

“You have to log on at least 3 times a week or else you are not going to pass.”
7411

“As long as you follow instructions and read the book you'll do well.”
THEATER100

Student evidence

See what students actually said.

Top student voice
“The rudest professor! She is the reason why so many theater students are leaving Valley College to other theater programs around L.A.”
Voice snapshots generated from 50 reviews capturing long-run praise and sharp recent criticism. Credibility rating: High.

🎭 Passion for Theater

72/100

“She's fun, interesting, loves theater and makes you love it, too!”

⚠️ Strict and Polarizing

38/100

“She will put you down and yell in front of the whole class.”

📌

12/100

“Just don't be lazy and show up to every class, ON TIME.”

Theme 1

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

She is very passionate about her field.
She makes all her expectations clear
Super charismatic woman with a lot of passion for theater.

Theme 2

⚠️ About Personality and Climate

uses intimidation tactics
She does not care about students.
The rudest professor!

Theme 3

📈 About Work and Grades

Everyone can get an A in this class. She gives a lot of !
there was a lot of work you have to do
Easy A as long as you try and rehearse your two-person scenes.

Data context

See exactly what the AI read.

Analysis sample

Recent reviews read by the AI

Lifetime ratings

84/100

Evidence confidence

Fifty reviews over two decades show a durable split between passion fans and students hurt by strict, harsh style.

Inside 50 stored ratings

Quality ratings

5 out of 533

4 out of 58

3 out of 54

2 out of 53

1 out of 53

Course coverage

THEAT1006 reviews

THEAT2706 reviews

THEATRE1005 reviews

THEATER1004 reviews

THEA1003 reviews

Show 20 more courses

ANYTHEATRE2 reviews

TA1002 reviews

TA2702 reviews

THEATER2 reviews

THEATER1102 reviews

THEATER2702 reviews

74111 review

ALL1 review

INTROTHEA1 review

TH2401 review

THEA11 review

THEAT16491 review

THEAT2721 review

Theater4501 review

THEATR2402701 review

THEATRE2701 review

THEATRE2701001 review

THTER1011 review

THTR1001 review

V12041 review

Reported outcomes

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

16 reported outcomes

A range

A+ 5 · A 9

B range

No reported values

C range

C+ 1

D range

No reported values

F

No reported values

No letter grade reported

Drop/Withdrawal 1

Cathy Susan Pyles

x x x if you love theater and can handle strict rules; x x if you need a soft, flexible instructor.

Four answers before you build your schedule.

FairEffort

Beginner

Mandatory

Avoid

See how this professor fits your week.

Compare the in-person and online experience.

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

In person

Online

See what students actually said.

🎭 Passion for Theater

⚠️ Strict and Polarizing

📌 x x

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

⚠️ About Personality and Climate

📈 About Work and Grades

See exactly what the AI read.

Quality ratings

Course coverage

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

A range

B range

C range

D range

F

No letter grade reported

if you love theater and can handle strict rules; if you need a soft, flexible instructor.

📌