English 519: American Drama since 1945

Staging America

This course attempts to introduce students to 1) some important American plays since 1945; and 2) interpretive theory issues.  We will learn and employ various methodological approaches to interpretation which take into account ideological and cultural factors, such as the performance, political, economic, and gender contexts of analysis. Major emphasis will be placed on theory.

Authors and Texts

Albee, Edward. The American Dream and Zoo Story. NY: Plume, 1997.

Fortier, Mark. Theory/Theatre: An Introduction. NY: Routledge, 2002.

Kushner, Tony. Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes. NY: Theatre Communication Group, 2003.

Mamet, David. Glengarry Glen Ross. NY: Grove, 1992.

Miller, Arthur. The Portable Arthur Miller. NY: Penguin, 2003.

Shephard, Sam. Seven Plays. NY: Dial, 1984

Wasserstein, Wendi. The Heidi Chronicles. NY: Vintage, 1991.

Wilson, August. Fences. NY: Plume, 1986.

Course Links

Post-Modernism and Modernism Web page

"Brecht’s “U-effect”: Theorizing the Horizons of Revolutionary Theatre" (new essay by W. Burling to be published in Brecht and Broadway. Ed. Chris Westgate. Cambridge Scholars Press, forthcoming).