This theatre course uses the city of London to provide a unique opportunity for students to develop their existing knowledge of the theatre, in the context of nine theatre productions. The focus is on smaller fringe venues and theatre companies, as well as the National
Theatre and the West End. Students will read new and innovative plays as well as the classics. They will then assess the way those plays are interpreted for the stage, taking into account direction, design and
acting, as well as other staging elements. The course lectures will closely relate to the productions seen. Those subjects include theatre history, individual playwrights, as well as current political, social and economic issues that significantly shape the theory and practice of contemporary British theatre.
Prerequisites:
The course is a core module for those who have enrolled in the London Theatre
Studies Programme. It is also open to theatre majors/minors.
Additional student cost:
The student will be billed for an additional fee to contribute to the cost of theater performances (approximately ₤125) unless enrolled in DR315, TH350, or TH390 in which case this fee will already be applied.
Learning outcomes:
At the end of the course students will be able to:
Consolidate their understanding of the significance of some historical periods in the development of theatre
Understand the work of some individual playwrights
Understand the structures that shape British theatre
Analyse the text of a play and the theatre production of that play
Analyse the process whereby a text is transformed into a theatre production
Give a seminar presentation, test out ideas in debate and have respect for the ideas of others
Method of presentation:
Lectures, seminar discussions, and student presentations. Each week the course meets for one seminar discussion and one lecture.
Field study:
There is a guided front and backstage tour of the National Theatre, as well as a weekly theatre production.
Required work and form of assessment:
An oral presentation: students choose a play that is seen in production and talk about both the text and the performance. 10%
A follow-up paper to the oral presentation approximately 1,300 words in length, based upon a particular aspect of the play and its production, drawing upon the student’s presentation and the general seminar discussion. The instructor will discuss the choice of topic with the student. The paper is handed in a week following the presentation. 20%
Students will attend a production of their own choice during the term, and will write a review of this production, to be presented in class and handed in the following week. 10%
A take-home mid-term essay approximately 2,000 words in length. The titles will be given prior to midterm and are general, drawing upon lecture material, plays read and productions seen. Essays are due the following week. 20%
A final unseen two hour examination consisting of questions referring specifically to plays read and seen in productions. Two questions must be attempted. Play texts can be taken into the examination. 30%
Attendance and contribution to class discussion. Discussion is one of the best ways of learning but only if all students prepare and participate. In order to participate fully, students must make sure they have read and brought to the seminar: the text of the play, the programme for the production, the reviews of that production (if available) and any relevant article. Copies of reviews and relevant articles will be handed out whenever possible. 10%
content:
Week 1: William Shakespeare is a historical figure, a cultural icon, and a political iconoclast. The interpretation of his plays on the page and stage reflect the assumptions and expectations of a particular
period, none more so than our own. The lecture considers these issues in relation to a play by
Shakespeare that is read and seen in production. Theatre production
Week 2: Seminar discussion of the play read and seen in production the previous week.
The comic style of Restoration theatre can arguably be said to cast an influence well into the nineteenth century. The lecture will look at the elements of this drama in the context of the period during which the
play was written. Theatre production
Week 3: Seminar discussion of the play read and seen in production the previous week.
The great revolution of dramatic realism in the late nineteenth century is considered in relation to our own reception of one of these classic plays that is read and seen in production.
Theatre production
Week 4: Seminar discussion of the play read and seen in production the previous week.
We can consider the development of twentieth century drama as a series of reactions against dramatic realism. This reaches its apotheosis in the theatre of Bertolt Brecht whose influence on post-war
European, British and American theatre is profound. A play by Brecht or Brechtian in technique is read
and seen in production. Theatre production
Week 5: Seminar discussion of the play read and seen in production the previous week.
We will take a more detailed look at several developments of British post-war theatre, which can include, for example, political theatre or absurdist theatre.
Theatre production
Week 6: Seminar discussion of the play read and seen in production the previous week.
Any understanding of British theatre must include its structures: West End, the major subsidised companies which are the National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company, and fringe. In turn, theatre structures can only be understood in relation to income or financial support. Financial source and artistic policy are inseparable. We will consider whether the State has a responsibility to provide financially for the theatre. In this context, there will be a front and back stage tour of the National Theatre.
Theatre production
Week 7: Seminar discussion of the play read and seen in production the previous week.
We will consider the history of theatre censorship. Before 1968 when the Theatre Act was passed, censorship was clearly and narrowly defined in legal terms. Post-1968, censorship is more diffuse; but
still exists. The fact that theatre is live makes this a particularly important issue. We will debate our own views.
Theatre production
Week 8: Seminar production of the play read and seen in production the previous week.
In the light of censorship considered in the previous class, there will be a seminar discussion of the text of a play that has been banned or has generated controversy. Students will look at previous productions
of the play and contribute their own suggestions.
Theatre production
Week 9: Seminar production of the play read and seen in production the previous week.
The reception of theatre contributes significantly to its development. We will look at the history of audience expectation, behaviour and understanding, and how this leads to the contemporary review. We will also consider the function of the theatre review in light of the students’ own choice of production to
be reviewed.
No theatre production; students choose their own production to review
Week 10: Seminar discussion of productions chosen by the students.
The history of theatre design will be examined in the light of productions seen throughout the course. There will also be an evaluation of the contributions of the various directors.
Theatre production
Week 11: Seminar production of the play read and seen in production the previous week.
At this stage of the course, we will begin to pull together the several issues considered thus far; namely, the nature and function of politicised theatre, the balance between new plays and classic revivals, and
the current debate regarding theatre funding. Incorporated will be an informal revision, anticipating the final examination.
Required readings:
Theatre programme for each of the productions seen. Some programmes simply contain information about the actors, director, designer etc., some also include articles about the playwright, the period during which the play was written, while others combine production details with the text of the play.
Play text of each of the nine productions seen.
Recommended readings:
The following are all available in the IES library
Aston, Elaine and Savona, George. Theatre as Sign-System: A Semiotics of Text and Performance.
London: Routledge, 1996
Bennett, Susan. Theatre Audiences: A Theory of Production and Reception. London: Routledge, 1997
Bentley, Eric. The Life of the Drama. London: Methuen, 1965
Brook, Peter. The Empty Space. London: Penguin Books, 2008
Brook, Peter. The Shifting Point. London: Methuen, 1987
Carlson, Marvin. Theories of the Theatre: A Historical and Critical Survey, from the Greeks to the
Present. Cornell: Cornell University Press, 1993
Edgar, David. How Plays Work. London: Nick Hern Books, 2009
Esslin, Martin. Theatre of the Absurd. London: Methuen 2001
Esslin, Martin. Brecht: A Choice of Evils. London: Methuen 1984
Gilman, Richard. The Making of Modern Drama. New York: Da Capo 1987
Hall, Peter. The Necessary Theatre. London: Nick Hern Books, 1999
Pickering, Kenneth. Key concepts in Drama and Performance. London: Macmillan, 2005
Roose-Evans, James. Experimental Theatre: From Stanislavsky to Peter Brook. London: Routledge,
1991
Russell Brown, John ed. The Oxford Illustrated History of Theatre. Oxford: Oxford University Press,
1995
Wickham, Glynne. A History of the Theatre. Oxford: Phaidon, 1985
Brief Biography of Instructor:
Dr. Jennifer Bailey gained a PhD. from the University of Nottingham on the work of Norman Mailer, which was subsequently published. She has taught, researched and published in American literature, culture and theatre at the Universities of Leicester and Nottingham and California State University at Sacramento, and in higher education at City University, London. She has also had a number of short stories published.
Colin Ellwood is Director of the Theatre Directing Program at Rose Bruford College, one of the UK’s leading theatre conservatoires. His career as a director includes four years with the Royal Shakespeare Company as director of the RSC Festival and assistant director to Sam Mendes, Kenneth Branagh and Adrian Noble amongst others. As Artistic Director of Strangers’ Gallery he directed the UK premieres of several works by classic writers including Terence Rattigan and Lope de Vega. Freelance directing has ranged from new plays at The Traverse Edinburgh to a devised piece for actors and early music consort The Dufay Collective in Norwich Cathedral. He has worked regularly at most of the major London drama schools directing productions and training actors and directors, and has also lectured and given workshops at the V&A Theatre Museum, The Actors Centre and at universities in the UK and Europe. He trained at Glasgow University.
This theatre course uses the city of London to provide a unique opportunity for students to develop their existing knowledge of the theatre, in the context of nine theatre productions. The focus is on smaller fringe venues and theatre companies, as well as the National
Theatre and the West End. Students will read new and innovative plays as well as the classics. They will then assess the way those plays are interpreted for the stage, taking into account direction, design and
acting, as well as other staging elements. The course lectures will closely relate to the productions seen. Those subjects include theatre history, individual playwrights, as well as current political, social and economic issues that significantly shape the theory and practice of contemporary British theatre.
The course is a core module for those who have enrolled in the London Theatre
Studies Programme. It is also open to theatre majors/minors.
The student will be billed for an additional fee to contribute to the cost of theater performances (approximately ₤125) unless enrolled in DR315, TH350, or TH390 in which case this fee will already be applied.
At the end of the course students will be able to:
Lectures, seminar discussions, and student presentations. Each week the course meets for one seminar discussion and one lecture.
There is a guided front and backstage tour of the National Theatre, as well as a weekly theatre production.
Week 1: William Shakespeare is a historical figure, a cultural icon, and a political iconoclast. The interpretation of his plays on the page and stage reflect the assumptions and expectations of a particular
period, none more so than our own. The lecture considers these issues in relation to a play by
Shakespeare that is read and seen in production. Theatre production
Week 2: Seminar discussion of the play read and seen in production the previous week.
The comic style of Restoration theatre can arguably be said to cast an influence well into the nineteenth century. The lecture will look at the elements of this drama in the context of the period during which the
play was written. Theatre production
Week 3: Seminar discussion of the play read and seen in production the previous week.
The great revolution of dramatic realism in the late nineteenth century is considered in relation to our own reception of one of these classic plays that is read and seen in production.
Theatre production
Week 4: Seminar discussion of the play read and seen in production the previous week.
We can consider the development of twentieth century drama as a series of reactions against dramatic realism. This reaches its apotheosis in the theatre of Bertolt Brecht whose influence on post-war
European, British and American theatre is profound. A play by Brecht or Brechtian in technique is read
and seen in production. Theatre production
Week 5: Seminar discussion of the play read and seen in production the previous week.
We will take a more detailed look at several developments of British post-war theatre, which can include, for example, political theatre or absurdist theatre.
Theatre production
Week 6: Seminar discussion of the play read and seen in production the previous week.
Any understanding of British theatre must include its structures: West End, the major subsidised companies which are the National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company, and fringe. In turn, theatre structures can only be understood in relation to income or financial support. Financial source and artistic policy are inseparable. We will consider whether the State has a responsibility to provide financially for the theatre. In this context, there will be a front and back stage tour of the National Theatre.
Theatre production
Week 7: Seminar discussion of the play read and seen in production the previous week.
We will consider the history of theatre censorship. Before 1968 when the Theatre Act was passed, censorship was clearly and narrowly defined in legal terms. Post-1968, censorship is more diffuse; but
still exists. The fact that theatre is live makes this a particularly important issue. We will debate our own views.
Theatre production
Week 8: Seminar production of the play read and seen in production the previous week.
In the light of censorship considered in the previous class, there will be a seminar discussion of the text of a play that has been banned or has generated controversy. Students will look at previous productions
of the play and contribute their own suggestions.
Theatre production
Week 9: Seminar production of the play read and seen in production the previous week.
The reception of theatre contributes significantly to its development. We will look at the history of audience expectation, behaviour and understanding, and how this leads to the contemporary review. We will also consider the function of the theatre review in light of the students’ own choice of production to
be reviewed.
No theatre production; students choose their own production to review
Week 10: Seminar discussion of productions chosen by the students.
The history of theatre design will be examined in the light of productions seen throughout the course. There will also be an evaluation of the contributions of the various directors.
Theatre production
Week 11: Seminar production of the play read and seen in production the previous week.
At this stage of the course, we will begin to pull together the several issues considered thus far; namely, the nature and function of politicised theatre, the balance between new plays and classic revivals, and
the current debate regarding theatre funding. Incorporated will be an informal revision, anticipating the final examination.
Theatre programme for each of the productions seen. Some programmes simply contain information about the actors, director, designer etc., some also include articles about the playwright, the period during which the play was written, while others combine production details with the text of the play.
Play text of each of the nine productions seen.
The following are all available in the IES library
Aston, Elaine and Savona, George. Theatre as Sign-System: A Semiotics of Text and Performance.
London: Routledge, 1996
Bennett, Susan. Theatre Audiences: A Theory of Production and Reception. London: Routledge, 1997
Bentley, Eric. The Life of the Drama. London: Methuen, 1965
Brook, Peter. The Empty Space. London: Penguin Books, 2008
Brook, Peter. The Shifting Point. London: Methuen, 1987
Carlson, Marvin. Theories of the Theatre: A Historical and Critical Survey, from the Greeks to the
Present. Cornell: Cornell University Press, 1993
Edgar, David. How Plays Work. London: Nick Hern Books, 2009
Esslin, Martin. Theatre of the Absurd. London: Methuen 2001
Esslin, Martin. Brecht: A Choice of Evils. London: Methuen 1984
Gilman, Richard. The Making of Modern Drama. New York: Da Capo 1987
Hall, Peter. The Necessary Theatre. London: Nick Hern Books, 1999
Pickering, Kenneth. Key concepts in Drama and Performance. London: Macmillan, 2005
Roose-Evans, James. Experimental Theatre: From Stanislavsky to Peter Brook. London: Routledge,
1991
Russell Brown, John ed. The Oxford Illustrated History of Theatre. Oxford: Oxford University Press,
1995
Wickham, Glynne. A History of the Theatre. Oxford: Phaidon, 1985
Dr. Jennifer Bailey gained a PhD. from the University of Nottingham on the work of Norman Mailer, which was subsequently published. She has taught, researched and published in American literature, culture and theatre at the Universities of Leicester and Nottingham and California State University at Sacramento, and in higher education at City University, London. She has also had a number of short stories published.
Colin Ellwood is Director of the Theatre Directing Program at Rose Bruford College, one of the UK’s leading theatre conservatoires. His career as a director includes four years with the Royal Shakespeare Company as director of the RSC Festival and assistant director to Sam Mendes, Kenneth Branagh and Adrian Noble amongst others. As Artistic Director of Strangers’ Gallery he directed the UK premieres of several works by classic writers including Terence Rattigan and Lope de Vega. Freelance directing has ranged from new plays at The Traverse Edinburgh to a devised piece for actors and early music consort The Dufay Collective in Norwich Cathedral. He has worked regularly at most of the major London drama schools directing productions and training actors and directors, and has also lectured and given workshops at the V&A Theatre Museum, The Actors Centre and at universities in the UK and Europe. He trained at Glasgow University.