Department of English

Fulfills Distribution Requirement III: Arts & Letters and Sector VI of the English Major London is one of the most exciting theater centers in the world, and the focus of this course will be on live performance. We will attend theatrical productions approximately three times a week, seeing a wide range of plays produced by companies such as the Royal National, the Royal Court, and the Royal Shakespeare, and staged in spaces such as those as well as in the West End (London's equivalent of Broadway) and in Fringe Theaters (what would be off-Broadway in New York City). Tickets will be arranged in advance. The format for the class will consist primarily of discussions of our theater-going; once each week the conversation will be led by Michael Billington, the distinguished theater critic for the Guardian. Readings for the class will consist of responses to plays and productions. The class may also participate in field trips to other sites of theatrical interest, such as London's Theater Museum, the reconstructed Shakespeare Globe Theater, and Stratford-on-Avon.