Interpretive Strategies for Plays

A one-semester course that aims to discover what
a play is, how it works and what it's for. Course
objectives include:
Creating a joint vocabulary for talking about
plays by interrogating the meaning and use of
dramatic concepts such as 'action', 'character',
'space,' etc.
Increasing our capacity to enter into a dialogue
with text (How do you listen to and question
texts?).
Expanding our ability to generate an articulate
and imaginative response to dramatic texts.
This course will be team-taught by three
instructors. Each session will have two parts:
The collective reading and discussion of the play
and a subsequent, more detailed, discussion in a
smaller setting, which may include writing and
creative exercises. Readings will focus on ten
plays and select theoretical texts ranging from
Aristotle to contemporary theorists and theater
artists.