This course, one of three theatre history courses offered by the Department of Theatre Arts, offers an overview of Western theatre history and dramatic literature over the last 125 years. Readings will include Brecht, Artaud and Beckett, and we will compare realism and various forms of nonrealism, such as expressionism and absurdism, through the plays and trends in acting, directing, and design. For each play that we read and each artist that we study, we will attempt to identify what was occuring in world history and in the personal history of the playwright/artist at the time the play was written or the movement/production generated, thereby painting a picture of the role(s) modern and postmodern theatre played in the events of the 20th century. Ultimately, we will attempt to understand how examples of 20th century Western theatre functioned as a "revolt" against some previous way of seeing, understanding, or interacting with the world.
Course objectives:
In terms of content, the goal of this course is to learn the history of 20th century theatre and drama in Europe and the US by examining specific plays and productions from this period. To this end, the course is designed so that, by the end of the term:
- Students will be familiar with a representative cross-section of examples from the drama and theatre of the US, Britain, and Europe from the late 19th century to the present.
- Students will be able to locate each play or production in the context of the socio-historical moment in which it was created.
- Students will be able to discuss each play or production as an example of a particular genre, style, or movement.
- Students will be able to articulate how each play, production, or movement was, at the time it was generated, a revolution against "what came before"-- either a revolt against a historical event or atmosphere, or a revolt against the ways that other plays and productions have attempted to represent in performance what is "real."
In terms of process, the goal of this course is to develop students' skills in critical reading, writing, and thinking, as these skills are used in both cooperative and independent research. To this end, the course is designed so that, by the end of the term:
- Students will have learned and practiced the skills specific to reading plays.
- Students will have worked with at least two of their classmates on a cooperative research project resulting in an historical re-enactment or an oral/visual presentation.
- Students will have gone through a guided process of planning, drafting, and revision after feedback for a paper assignment before the final essay.
- Students will have practiced peer-to-peer learning by taking turns introducing each play or production and its historical context.
- Students will have had an opportunity to guide the class towards critical issues of their own interest by setting discussion questions for the play they introduce.