Theatre 360: The Big Picture

This course examines how theatre reflects and defines its times. By studying the artists, theatre companies, and some of the most provocative plays and musicals written in and around recent events (from the social and political upheaval of the 1960s to the AIDS crisis of the mid-1980s to 9/11), we will come to see how theatre shapes a point of view on the world. Students will study a large selection of plays and documentaries and participate in discussions that will range from the history of the time periods studied to why different plays on the same subject (Larry Kramer’s The Normal Heart, Tony Kushner’s Angels in America) differ so greatly in form, style, and purpose. A wide range of topical issues and various aspects of theatre production will be discussed. Students will make presentations, show scene work, and/or write on topics that reflect their own particular points of view.