WS 20/21 20th Century American Theatre

Beginning at the turn of the twentieth century, the course will unfold chronologically to trace several of the century’s major formal and thematic developments in American theatre. Key texts of American drama will be analysed with regard to their position and role in the formation of an historically evolving tradition. The influence on theatrical expression of broader historical events, intellectual trends and changing tastes in the socio-political and socio-cultural realms will also be considered.

Students are required to read the assigned texts in advance of the relevant classes and to come to discussions prepared to express their own ideas and insights. The approach taken in this course also assumes the primordial role played by the American theatre in ”enacting” broader social and aesthetic trends within the United States. Attention will be given to the diverse ways American drama has both shaped and reflected its surrounding society and culture.

List of Required Reading:

Israel Zangwill, The Melting Pot (1908)

Eugene O’Neill, The Hairy Ape (1922)

Tennessee Williams, A Streetcar Named Desire (1947)

Arthur Miller, The Crucible (1953)

Lorraine Hansberry, A Raisin in the Sun (1959)

Wendy Wasserstein, The Heidi Chronicles (1988)

Tony Kushner, Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes (1991)

Course Requirements: Course readings / Online discussions

                                     Presentation on a relevant topic of the student’s choice

                                     Final essay of approximately 15 - 20 pp.