Syllabus
Course Description:
This course explore the wealth of new writing that has appeared on British stages over the last twenty years. Our point of departure will be Aleks Sierz? book In-Yer-Face Theatre: British Drama Today (2000) and some of the writers he discusses in relation to the theatre of provocation that hit the Anglophone theatre world in the mid-1990s. We will then consider the debates around experiential theatre, postmodernity, thesis drama and verbatim theatre as well as paying attention to those playwrights and practitioners who are sidelined by the In-Yer-Face label. The playwrights we will discuss will include Martin Crimp, Sarah Kane, Mark Ravenhill, David Eldridge, Anthony Neilson, Rebecca Pritchard, debbie tucker green, Tanika Gupta, David Greig, David Harrower. A final reading list of primary and secondary literature will be available at the beginning of the semester.
Assessment:
Students are expected to attend classes, read the materials assigned and to participate in discussions. Each student will give a 15 minute presentation. Participation (20%), Presentation (30%), Essay (50%).
Essays:
A list of suggested essay topics will be distributed during the semester. All students preparing essays should email me with a paragraph length proposal outlining their topic and thesis statement/argument. A brief list of source materials should also be included. Deadline for proposals: 14 December 2010.
Final essays for Credit (Záp.) should be 3000 words for MA students, 2000-2500 words for BA students.
Final essays for Grade (PP/ZK) should be 4500-5000 words (MA students only).
Deadline: Essays should be submitted by 21 January 2011.
A full reading list will be distributed at the beginning of the semester. Course materials will be a mixture of texts available in the library and materials posted on Moodle.
