THE 317 Dramatic Theory and Criticism
This course will survey the significant ideas that have shaped the way we
create and think about theater. The objective of the course is to examine
the evolution of dramatic theory and criticism and trace the influence of
this evolution on the development of the theater. Ultimately the student
will form his own critical and aesthetic awareness of theater as a unique
and socially significant art form. Among the important works to be read
are: Aristotle's Poetics, Peter Brook's The Open Door, Eric
Bentley's Thinking About the Playwright, Tony Kushner's Thinking
About the Longstanding Problems of Virtue and Happiness, Robert
Brustein's Reimagining the American Theater, and Dario Fo's The
Tricks of the Trade, as well as selected essays from numerous writers
including Horace, Ben Jonson, William Butler Yeats, Constantin
Stanislavski, Vsevolod Meyerhold, George Bernard Shaw, Bertolt Brecht,
Walter Benjamin, Gertrude Stein, Antonin Artaud, Eugene Ionesco, Peter
Schumann, Robert Wilson, Athol Fugard, Ariane Mnouchkine, Edward Bond,
Augusto Boal, Guillermo Gómez-Peña, and Eugenio Barba. This course is
offered in the fall semester.
Prerequisite: at least one course in theater history or consent of the
instructor.
Credits: 1
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