SMC145H1

SMC One: Theatre as Revolution: From Melodrama to Modernity

This SMC One course examines drama in nineteenth-century and early twentieth-century Europe and North America from its initial status as an entertaining form of diversion to its evolution as a vital, at times dangerously subversive form of artistic and social challenge. Classes will explore this evolution from different perspectives: they will consider approaches to the publication and dissemination of drama as a literary form; music, movement, and ritual; the development of theatre spaces; costume, set design, and acting style; the role of the censor; the design of popular advertisement and playbills; and various conceptualizations of the communal audience. Ranging in focus from music theatre to notorious plays and dramatists, from the role of the actor-manager to that of the literary polemicist and the visionary director, this course will also see students exploring original archival materials housed in the Kelly Library, workshopping scenes with guest lecturers, and, when possible, travelling to a relevant theatre production. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.