Can Theater Change the World?

Catalog description

The theater has historically been considered to be a dangerous space because of its live potential to incite and invite intense, visceral reactions from audiences. This course will explore the links among theater, performance, and social activism in contemporary drama. We will consider how playwrights such as Lisa Loomer, Lynne Nottage, and Ayad Ahktar confront the complexities of gender, class, race, sexuality, nationalism, and questions of social justice in their plays. Close attention will be paid to the intersections between text and performance. Students will have the opportunity to do both critical and creative projects.