ENGL 244 A: Reading Drama

The goal of this class is to make you more informed, confident and, especially, active participants in contemporary theater.  We will approach this goal in four ways.  First, we will be seeing six theatrical productions during the course of the quarter, and discussing each of those productions both before and after we see them (I wish some could be in actual theaters, but the theaters are all closed because of the covid-19 pandemic).  Second, we will be reading all or parts of two or more of these plays before or as  we actually see the production—thinking ahead about possibilities for dramatic representations of what we have read.   Third, you will be writing about what you see.  You’ll be keeping a Theater Portfolio as one part of your contribution to the formal work of the quarter, and I will be reviewing material from that portfolio as you write it.  Fourth, we’ll be engaging as best we can in a range of informal dramatic exercises throughout the quarter, introducing you to a few theatrical techniques that will significantly increase your ability to “see” what’s happening on stage.