ENGL 233: Storytelling: Plays & Performance

Course Description

A selection of plays both historical and contemporary that elucidates the art of great playwriting. We will consider how playwrights use theater to address social issues specific to their times as well as universal human experiences such as love. Students will learn how various aspects of stage performance – script, actors, costumes, set design, etc. – work to communicate social or political meaning or effect an emotional response in audiences. Special emphasis will be placed throughout on the play as a theatrical experience, and on close-reading as a method of tracing and interpreting each play’s themes. We will watch excerpts from stage performances and interviews with actors and directors. Students will acquire the basic critical vocabulary to discuss drama and will have opportunities for creative engagements. (F, W).