| Course Objectives: | In this course, students will gain an understanding of the
cultural and historical significance of different dramaturgical
models in the German context, ranging from the classical
Aristotelian drama to the present. They will learn to discuss
theater not only as a text, but also as a socio-political and
material practice. Because theater is essentially a performative
medium and the staging process provides important insight into
the central themes of a play, a theatrical production (and
therefore a major experiential learning component) is part of
this course. During rehearsals, issues such as the interaction
between audience and performers, the relationship between image
and word, the limits of representation, and the impact of
spatial constellations will continue to be explored. The course
further aims to improve students’ German skills.
Students will be evaluated on the basis of written assignments
and tests as well as their active participation in class
discussions and the production process. All students will be
involved as actors and/or crew members. |
| Topical Outline: | Following is a representative outline of topics and possible
readings. The actual choice and sequencing of materials may
vary.
Germany’s system of subsidized theaters and theater as a
commercial industry
Theater’s status as a mimetic medium
The relationship between literary text and performance practice
and the rise of ‘Theaterwissenschaft’ as an academic discipline
Interaction between performers and audience
Distinguishing drama from other literary genres; definitions of
tragedy and comedy in the work of Goethe/Lenz/Dürrenmatt
Staging the human subject in the light of (German) philosophy
Intersection of theater and modern media
Theater as a vehicle for social and political emancipation in
the Enlightenment era, the Weimar Republic and the GDR
Theater as propaganda medium under the Nazis
Performance art and the use of public spaces; Viennese
Actionism and the protest movement of 1968
BASIC TEXTS
Aristotle. Poetics. London, New York: Penguin Books, 1996.
Brecht, Bertolt. Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny. (1930)
--, --. Schriften zum Theater. (1963/64))
Büchner, Georg. Leonce und Lena. (1838)
Dürrenmatt, Friedrich. Die Physiker. (1961)
Goethe, Johann Wolfgang, Friedrich Schiller: „Über epische und
dramatische Dichtung.“ (1797)
Goethe, Johann Wolfgang. Faust I. (1808)
Jelinek, Elfriede. Der Tod und das Mädchen I-V:
Prinzessinnendramen. (2003)
--, --. „Ich möchte seicht sein.“ (1990)
Kroetz, Franz Xaver. Heimarbeit. (1971)
Lasker-Schüler, Else. Die Wupper. (1909)
Lenz, Jakob. Anmerkungen übers Theater. (1774)
Lessing, Gotthold Ephraim. Emilia Galotti. (1772)
--, --. Hamburgische Dramaturgie.(1768/69)
Müller, Heiner. Der Lohndrücker. (1957)
Riefenstahl, Leni. Triumph des Willens. (1935)
Stemann, Nicolas, director. Das Werk. (Burgtheater, 2003).
Thalheimer, Michael, director. Emilia Galotti. (Deutsches
Theater Berlin, 2001)
Toller, Ernst. Masse Mensch. (1919)
Wedekind, Frank. Frühlings Erwachen. (1891)
Bennett, Benjamin. Modern Drama and German Classicism.
Renaissance from Lessing to Brecht. Ithaca, London: Cornell
University Press, 1979.
Duttlinger, Carolin, Lucia Ruprecht, Andrew Webber, eds.
Performance and Performativity in German Cultural Studies.
Oxford, Bern etc.: Peter Lang, 2003.
Fischer-Lichte, Erika. The Semiotics of Theater. Bloomington :
Indiana University Press, 1992.
Fortier, Mark. Theory/Theatre. An Introduction. London, New
York, Routledge, 1997.
Hamburger, Maik, Simon Williams, eds. A History of German
Theatre. Cambridge, New York: Cambridge University Press, 2008.
Reinelt, Janelle G., Joseph R. Roach, eds. Critical Theory and
Performance. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1992.
Sosulski, Michael J.. Theater and Nation in Eighteenth-century
Germany. Aldershot, England ; Burlington, VT : Ashgate, 2007.
Varney, Denise, ed. Theatre in the Berlin Republic : German
Drama since Reunification. Oxford, New York: Peter Lang, 2008 |