Fall 2021 Course Details:

This course offers you an overview of the best writing for the modern and contemporary stage. After surveying some of the key figures who revolutionized theater in the early twentieth century, we'll sample such contemporary genres as absurdist drama, psychological gothic, “in yer face” theater, work by African-American, Latinx, queer and immigrant writers, documentary theater, and plays that incorporate new media. We'll be asking how theater addressed changes in its status and social function in the eras of film, television and the internet, how plays engage with identity politics both on and off the stage, and how and why contemporary theater has taken up controversial dramatic techniques like sex, shock, violence and audience participation. Interspersed in our conversations will also be snippets from key theorists of modern theater, so we can address the philosophies behind the plays. Where they are available, we'll also look at video and filmed performances to see how practitioners have realized and adapted these works.

This course satisfies a Post-1800 literature requirement for English Department Majors.

This course may be taken for Capstone credit by English majors; please fill out a Capstone Declaration Form. Contact the ENGL Main Office for assistance: 603-862-1313.

Reminder: 700-level classes taken to fulfill the English Major Capstone MAY NOT be double counted towards other major requirement areas.