H28.0608 Lecture 4 Credits
Instructor(s): Jeffrey Eric Jenkins
A study of the drama and theatre in the United States since 1900, including Eugene O’Neill, Susan Glaspell, Sophie Treadwell, Elmer Rice, Clifford Odets and the Group Theatre, Thornton Wilder, Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller, Edward Albee, Emily Mann, Sam Shepard, David Mamet, Maria Irene Fornes, Adrienne Kennedy, August Wilson, Lorraine Hansberry, David Henry Hwang, David Rabe, Luis Valdez, and Tony Kushner. We explore these writers and their texts as they relate to the page, to the stage, and to US culture at large. We discuss how these writers (and others) represent themselves and notions of “American-ness” in their dramatic works. We include important works from the margins as well as those that represent the mainstream. Does modern US drama lead or follow US culture? Does it tend to be a design for living or a reflection of custom? We also explore the role of gender in culture as demonstrated in these works. Does US drama question the status quo or reinforce it? These and other interrogations inform our readings, discussions, and written assignments.
