First-Year Studies in Theatre: The Playwright’s Perspective

In this class, we will spend roughly half of our time reading great plays and the other half writing them. Over the course of the year, we will read plays that represent the major epochs in the last 2,500 years of Western theatre. We will discuss their historical context—the politics, economics, architecture, and other factors that shaped both their dramaturgy and their substance. Through a combination of lecture, discussion, and essays, the student should emerge with access to the major idioms of dramatic writing. Meanwhile, every student will also be studying the craft of playwriting. We will begin with small, tentative explorations: short scenes that explore issues of structure or creative process. The goal is to develop a sense of craft and technique that is individual yet based on traditional dramaturgical ideas. By the second term, students will be writing their own extended play based on a historical subject or short story of their own choice. Students enrolled in First-Year Studies in Theatre may take an additional Theatre component as part of their Theatre Third. They are also required to attend scheduled Theatre Colloquiums and complete a set amount of technical support hours for the department. Students do not have to take First-Year Studies in Theatre to take Theatre classes as a first-year student. First-Year Studies courses are an intense exploration of one area of theatre, and students should have a strong interest in that area before signing up for the course.