Course Description
Overview of major developments in German-speaking theater. Students will be introduced to various dramaturgical models and analytic approaches (semiotic, phenomenological, social) before analyzing representative texts and performances. Theoretical insights will then be applied to the production of a play. Taught in German; readings in German and English.
Athena Title
German Theater
Prerequisite
GRMN 3010 or GRMN 3015
Semester Course Offered
Not offered on a regular basis.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
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
Syllabus