Special Topics in Theatre Studies (240-0-20)
Topic
Theatre & Performance Theory
Instructors
Alex James Hartzell Knapp
Meeting Info
Wirtz 240 Seminar Room 2: Mon, Wed 1:00PM - 2:20PM
Overview of class
Why do we create performance? Which aesthetic theories/traditions influence our contemporary performance-making? How does theory apply to performance practice? What makes theatre, theatre? In this course, students will engage in a critical survey of theatre and performance theory. From ancient Greek thought to contemporary avant-gardes, theorists and practitioners have established core ideas of what performance should be, what role it plays in society, and how it "ticks." Students will engage the Euroamerican "canon" of dramatic theory that continues to influence the performance we create today as well as critique and expand the definitions of performance with international and intersectional perspectives. Black feminist, Indigenous, and Global South approaches to theatre and performance theory will be engaged as decolonizing interventions. Students can also expect to learn about key intellectual histories and performance genres to see how artists and theorists continue to develop critical perspectives on performance-making. Through investigating the historical, social, and political contexts of theatre and performance theory, you will generate strategies for thinking about the performance you make and watch more critically.
Class Materials (Required)
N/A
Class Attributes
No Freshmen