Dramatic and Aesthetic Theory for Stage Designers (472-0-20)

Instructors

Nate Cohen

Meeting Info

Wirtz 225 Instruct Black Box 2: Wed 9:00AM - 11:50AM

Overview of class

This course is about the impossible: describing the indescribable, answering questions that are unanswerable, but through that, finding ways of making synthetic connections between disparate subjects where they might not be at all apparent.

You will analyze big ideas of dramatic theory and aesthetic theory - concepts that have defined what is important about theatre and how it might be advanced as a form, and philosophical points of view concerning the beautiful, the ugly, and how we think about it. You will do this by investigating the work of thinkers within the theatre, and from the broader art-making world, from the mid 19th century to present day considering their work in their historical context and in our present circumstances.

By drawing synthetic conclusions from chronologically and philosophically incongruent sources, you will gain a more sophisticated understanding of current practice and will mature your own points of view as theatre artists. You will read curated excerpts, lead and participate in discussion, and set forth analysis and opinion in Accountability Statements and in class discussion, culminating in a Final Creative Project.

You will be exposed to a lot of dense philosophical material and asked to analyze it intellectually, and then asked to think creatively and synthetically about the material from your own perspective as an artist.

Registration Requirements

Contact Nate : nate.cohen@northwestern.edu
Priority for MFA students
No application process, just email me if needed

Class Materials (Required)

N/A $26-50

Enrollment Requirements

Enrollment Requirements: Registration in this course is reserved for students in the Theatre Department MFA Design Programs. Other students may register with instructor consent and a permission number.