Queer Theatre and Performance

Catalog description

Across the globe and throughout history, the theatre has been a site of resistance against normative conceptions of gender and sexuality. Consulting dramatic texts, historical sources, and theoretical frameworks, students will acquire vocabulary to discuss various forms of queer theatre and performance. Approaching work ranging from South Asian Hijra performances to contemporary Indigenous Two-Spirit plays in North America, this course takes an intersectional, decolonial approach to queer theatre and performance studies. Throughout the semester, we will explore questions such as: what are some definitions and genealogies of queer theatre and performance? How have playwrights, directors, actors, and performers represented LGBTQ+ identities onstage and beyond? How do gender and sexuality intersect with race, ethnicity, disability, class, and other identities in theatre and performance contexts?