Theatre in Context: Analysis & Research (140-2-23)

Topic

Staging America

Instructors

Heather Elizabeth Grimm

Meeting Info

Wirtz 235 Seminar Room 1: Mon, Wed 9:30AM - 10:50AM

Overview of class

What do our most popular plays and performances say about how we conceive of ourselves and the world around us? Through reading plays, critical writing, and historical documents from the early 19th century to the end of the 20th, in this course we will investigate how US American people, places, and cultures have been staged over time. We will focus on popular plays and performance forms (both those remembered and forgotten by contemporary audiences) to understand how dominant representations of a diverse array of US American cultures and subcultures have changed over time. These plays, like all theatrical performances, are fundamentally embedded in their historical contexts. How have these depictions shaped and have been shaped by US cultural and political history? In responding to this question together, we will pay particular attention to how power dynamics are at play in staged works. Those who had the power to make works popular often represented a privileged position, which shaped the way they depicted both people like themselves, and those different than them. Together, we will grapple with popular theatre's complicated legacy as we track reused tropes and images over time, shaping how US Americans have seen and continue to see themselves and each other.

Class Materials (Required)

None

Enrollment Requirements

Enrollment Requirements: Reserved for Theatre Majors and Minors