everything.study
21T.1001

Theater and Cultural Diversity in the U.S.

Undergraduate · Historical course

Spring 2008

This course explores contemporary American theatrical expression as it may be organized around issues of gender and cultural identity. This exploration will include the analysis of performances, scripts, and video documentation, as well as the invention of original documents of theatrical expression. Class lectures and discussions will analyze samples of Native American, Chicano, African American, and Asian American theater, taking into consideration the historical and political context for the creation of these works. Performance exercises will help students identify theatrical forms and techniques used by these theaters, and how these techniques contribute to the overall goals of specific theatrical expressions.

Readings

  • Castillo, Ana. Psst… I Have Something To Tell You, Mi Amour . Preface by Sister Dianna Ortiz. San Antonio, TX: Wings Press, 2005. ISBN: 9780916727208.
    Required
  • Uno, Roberta, and Kathy A. Perkins, eds. Contemporary Plays by Women of Color . New York, NY: Routledge, 1996. ISBN: 9780415113779.
    Required
  • Unit I: Introduction and overview
    Listed reading
  • Unit II: African American theatrical traditions
    Listed reading
  • Jones, Lisa. “Combination Skin.” In Contemporary Plays by Women of Color .
    Listed reading
  • Shange, Ntozake. For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow is Enuf. New York, NY: Scribner, 1997. ISBN: 9780684843261.
    Listed reading
  • Unit III: Latino/a and Chicano theatrical traditions part I
    Listed reading
  • Agarin, Miguel, and Miguel Piñero, eds. “The Book of Genesis According to Saint Miguelito,” “La Metadona Está Cabrona,” “There is Nothing New in New York,” “No Hay Nada Nuevo en Nueva York,” “Runnin’ Scared,” “A Poem for Joey’s Mami’s Struggle,” and “Seeking the Cause.” In Nuyorican Poetry: An Anthology of Puerto Rican Words and Feelings . New York, NY: William Morrow & Company, 1975, pp. 62-75. ISBN: 9780688079666.
    Listed reading
  • Piñero, Miguel. Short Eyes . New York, NY: Hill and Wang, 1975. ISBN: 9780374521479.
    Listed reading
  • Unit IV: Asian American theatrical traditions
    Listed reading
  • Unit V: Latina/Chicana theatrical traditions part 2
    Listed reading
  • Unit VI: Reaching beyond diversity
    Listed reading
  • Donkin, Ellen. “Black Text, White Director: Issues of Race and Gender in Directing African American Drama” In Upstaging Big Daddy: Directing Theater as if Gender and Race Matter . Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press, 1993, pp. 79-87. ISBN: 9780472065035.
    Listed reading
  • lê thi diem thúy. “The Bodies Between Us.” In The Color of Theater: Race, Culture, and Contemporary Performance . Edited by Roberta Uno. New York, NY: Continuum International Publishing Group, 2005, pp. 322-343. ISBN: 9780826478818.
    Listed reading
  • Castillo, Ana. Psst… I Have Something To Tell You, Mi Amour . Preface by Sister Dianna Ortiz. San Antonio, TX: Wings Press, 2005. ISBN: 9780916727208.
    Listed reading
  • Uno, Roberta, and Kathy A. Perkins, eds. Contemporary Plays by Women of Color . New York, NY: Routledge, 1996. ISBN: 9780415113779.
    Listed reading
Sources