[UConn Storrs]

Instructor: Sarah Winter

Prerequisite: ENGL 1007, ENGL 1010, or ENGL 1011

This course emphasizes the role of drama as theater – works written to be performed. In contrast to other forms of literature, drama was created as words to be heard and actions to be seen, three-dimensional and experienced in real time. Through intensive reading of major plays from classical Greek drama to the present, and exploration of differing styles of staging and performance, we will study dramatic genres such as tragedy, comedy, the history play, melodrama, one-act plays, epic theater, and theater of the absurd. By viewing videos of plays in performance and attending at least one production on campus, we will gain familiarity with changing theatrical conventions, including costuming, theater architecture, scenic design, lighting, staging, and acting styles from ancient theater to the present.

Creative options for in-class activities and coursework will explore how plays were originally staged as well as consider the possibilities for staging them today in new cultural, social, and political contexts and new kinds of media. Assignments will include: a group presentation on the staging and performance of a play, with a short paper; a longer comparative paper on tragedy or comedy, or a rewriting of a scene from a play with a commentary on performance; take-home midterm; final exam; class discussion participation; and a review of an on-campus performance.

CA 1
TOI-1, TOI-2

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