Shakespeare in Performance: Page to Stage

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

Shakespeare's plays were written for the stage, and yet most students only grapple with them on the page. This course gives you the chance to investigate and interpret six of Shakespeare's plays through the dual lenses of text and performance. Particular emphasis will be paid to the relationship between the page and stage in regards to performance history, print culture, editorial / directorial emendation, appropriation and adaptation. We will watch professionally pre-recorded performances and enjoy at least one live performance. In addition to reading, writing, and viewing, you will take "the stage" yourself to perform a scene(s) from the plays, considering staging, props, and other avenues of interpretation. All along the way, we will consider the historical evolution and reinvention of Shakespeare himself from actor/playwright to sage/author, investigating what role (if any) the Bard should play today in grappling topics such as: Gender, Sexuality, Race, Religion, Truth, and Justice.