Traces the history and legacy of key Modernist movements including psychological realism, epic theatre, symbolism, expressionism, theater of the absurd, theatre of cruelty, and postmodern theatre, among others. Explores the way the innovations, ideals, and controversies stemming from these movements continue to shape and inspire theatre artists in diverse ethnic communities across the world.
Additional Requirements for Graduate Students: Graduate students are assigned additional dramatic and critical
readings; write a 15-20 page research paper (not required of
undergraduates) reflecting graduate-level historical research
skills and analysis, and in lieu of in-class quizzes; and
complete a series of take-home exams modeled after--and grading
according to the standards of--the PhD comprehensive exam in
theatre history and theory.
Athena Title
Theatre and Modernity
Semester Course Offered
Offered spring
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Student learning Outcomes
Students will contextualize key artistic and cultural movements that shaped and inspired the work of theatre artists throughout the world from the Enlightenment to the present day.
Students will relate current and new works of theatre to past works, artists and theatrical movements.
Students will distinguish and evaluate the contributions of specific plays, playwrights, directors and theorists to each movement.
Students will trace the history of theatrical movements as a dialectical process in which new movements simultaneously build on and react against previous movements.
Students will analyze the way that specific works of theatre draw on, modify, and react against artistic and cultural movements in other areas of art and culture, such as film, visual art, music, literature, and philosophy.
Students will evaluate previous interpretations of plays, recognizing how critical interpretation varies depending on the critic's historical context and artistic/philosophical/cultural perspective.
Students will assess sensitive or outdated content in dramatic texts and develop strategies for addressing such material in performance or discussion.
Students will create original theatrical work that synthesizes techniques from historical theatrical movements to solve contemporary artistic challenges and deepen your expressive capabilities.
Topical Outline
Topic 1: Modernity and Modernism Defined
Topic 2: The Enlightenment: rejection of neoclassical rules, domestic tragedy, and scenic realism
Topic 3: Romanticism: art as expression of passion and nature, and the rejection of rationalism
Topic 4: Melodrama and the rise of the director
Topic 5: Naturalism and empiricism
Topic 6: Psychological Realism and Stanislavsky's System: from Ibsen to August Wilson
Topic 7: Epic Theatre: social critique and theatre as instrument for change
Topic 8: Subjective Theatre: from Symbolism to contemporary Absurdism
Topic 9: The Theatre of Cruelty: theatre as ritual for authentic expression (Artaud, Butoh, ensemble theatre, Viewpoints)
Topic 10: Postmodernism: pastiche, irony, and the questioning of grand narratives
Topic 11: Synthesis: creating original works that draw on historical aesthetic movements
