Introduction to Performance Studies
THEA 150
Spring 2021 not offered
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What is performance? Is it an event and action? Is it what happens on a stage? How might we think of theater and performance as both a critical lens for viewing social and cultural life, and as a creative practice of worldmaking? This course is designed to introduce students to the theoretical, critical, and creative practice of performance studies. Pulling from anthropology, theater, dance, queer studies, critical race theory, and linguistics, we will look at performance ranging from "Paris Is Burning" (directed by Jennie Livingston), to "Slave Play" (written by Jeremy O. Harris), to the work of artists Ana Mendieta, Marina Abramovic, Paula Vogel, Faye Driscoll, Will Rawls, Coco Fusco, Ralph Lemon, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Tony Kushner, and many others. In this course we will pay particular attention to queer and minoritarian artists and makers. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
HA THEA |
| Course Format: Lecture / Discussion | Grading Mode: Student Option |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (THEA) |
Major Readings:
Though the list of titles is revised every time the course is offered, some of the plays read in the past include: A Doll House (Ibsen), The Jewish Wife (Brecht), Fefu and her Friends (Fornes), They Alone Know (Tardieu), Six Characters in Search of an Author (Pirandello), Marat/Sade (Weill), Spring Awakening (Wedekind), Endgame and Act Without Words (Beckett), A Circular Play (Stein), The Trojan Women (Euripides), The Trojan Women 2.0 (Mee), Cloud Nine (Churchill), Waltz no. 6 (Rodrigues), The Kiss of the Spider Woman (Puig), The Laramie Project (Kaufman), Irma Vep (Ludlam), The Tempest (Shakespeare), A Tempest (Cesaire), Fires in the Mirror (Anna Deveare Smith), and M. Butterfly (David Henry Hwang)
-Scholarly articles and reviews (in Course reader)
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Examinations and Assignments:
Performance reviews and critical responses; a production history presentation; staged readings; participation in discussions; final essay (5-7 pages) |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
The Theater Department organizes a variety of performances for students enrolled in its courses. Field trips to see performances off campus are integrated into course syllabi. Instructors will notify students of all dates at the beginning of the semester and costs for all course field trips are covered (specifically, transportation to and from the performance and tickets). Any potential scheduling conflicts for field trips should be discussed with faculty members. Once students indicate that they are going and tickets are purchased, it is assumed they will attend. (Students backing out of field trips they had said they would attend will be asked to cover the cost of their ticket.) Performances of visitors to Wesleyan's Center for the Arts are integrated into course syllabi and students are required to attend these performances unless otherwise negotiated with instructors. Tickets for performances are available to students at the Box Office in Usdan at the reduced price of $6.00. |
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