Theatre Arts 110

WESTERN DRAMA

Professor Mazer

Spring 2006

519 Annenberg Center, 3-2659; cmazer@english.upenn.edu

Office Hours: Tu 1:30-2:45; Th 11:00-Noon; and by appointment

[N.B. All readings, and supplemental readings are in The Wadsworth Anthology of Drama, ed. W.B. Worthen anthology unless otherwise noted]

January 10: Introduction

January 12: Aeschylus, Agamemnon. Supplementary reading: Michael Billington, review of The Oresteia, Royal National Theatre, 1981.

January 17: Sophocles, Oedipus the King. Supplementary reading: Aristotle, from The Poetics.

January 19: Euripides, Medea. Supplementary readings: Sue-Ellen Case, from “Classic Drag: the Greek Creation of Female Parts”; interview with Fiona Shaw on Medea.

January 24: Anonymous, The Wakefield Second Shepherds' Pageant

January 26: Christopher Marlowe, Doctor Faustus. Supplementary reading: Sir Philip Sidney, from Apology for Poetry.

January 31: William Shakespeare, The Two Gentlemen of Verona (separate volume).

February 2: Webster, The Duchess of Malfi (separate volume).

February 7: Pedro Calderón de la Barca, Life Is a Dream.

[APPROXIMATE DATE: first take-home assignment due]

February 9: Moliére, Tartuffe.

February 14: Jean Racine, Phaedra. Supplementary reading: Hippolyte Clairon, from Memoirs.

February 16 : Carlo Gozzi, Turandot (bulkpack)

February 21: Victor Hugo: The King Amuses Himself (bulkpack).

February 23: Alexandre Dumas, fils, The Lady of the Camelias (aka Camille) (bulkpack).

February 28: Dion Boucicault, The Octoroon.

March 2: Henrik Ibsen, A Doll House. Supplementary reading: Bernard Shaw, review of A Doll’s House, Globe Theatre (1897); Ben Brantley, review of A Doll House, Belasco Theater (1997).

[Spring break]

March 14: Anton Chekhov, The Cherry Orchard. Supplementary reading: Constantin Stanislavski, from “Direction and Acting.”

March 16: The Cherry Orchard (cont.)

March 21: Bernard Shaw, Major Barbara.

March 23 : Major Barbara (cont.)

March 28: Luigi Pirandello, Six Characters In Search of an Author.

[REQUIRED THEATREGOING: Theatre Arts Program, Carlo Gozzi, Turandot, directed by Marcia Ferguson. Studio Theatre, Annenberg Center: March 29-April 1, 8:00; April 1-2, 2:00.]

March 30: Bertolt Brecht, Mother Courage and Her Children. Supplementary reading: Bertolt Brecht, “Theatre for Pleasure or Theatre for Instruction.”

[APPROXIMATE DATE: second take-home assignment due]

April 4: Arthur Miller, Death of a Salesman. Supplementary reading: Arthur Miller, Tragedy and the Common Man.

April 6: Samuel Beckett, Endgame.

April 11: Caryl Churchill, Cloud Nine.

April 20: Tony Kushner, Angels in America, Part 1: Milennium Approaches. Supplementary reading: Arnold Aronson, “Design for Angels in America: Envisioning the Millennium.”

[April 13: TBA]

April 18: Suzan-Lori Parks, Topdog/Underdog. Supplementary reading: Ben Brantley, review of Topdog/Underdog, Joseph Papp Public Theater (2001).

April 20: Catch-up and Conclusions.

In addition to the two take-home essays, there is a choice of EITHER a final examination, at the date scheduled by the registrar, OR a 12-15 page final term paper, on an open topic, due APRIL 27, THE FIRST DAY OF EXAMS. ALL TERM PAPER TOPICS MUST BE APPROVED BY ME BY TUESDAY, APRIL 18. Late term papers will not be accepted; if you cannot complete your paper by the deadline, you must take the exam.

Books can be purchased at the Penn Book Center (at 34th and Sansom Sts.); the bulkpack can be purchased at the Campus Copy Center, 39th and Walnut.

YOU ARE REQUIRED to see (and will almost certainly be asked to write about) the Theatre Arts program production of Turandot, as noted on the syllabus. Additional required productions and/or films may be added over the course of the semester.

The listserv for this course is THAR110-001-06A@lists.upenn.edu. You have been subscribed automatically. If you do not seem to be on it, or if you drop the course and wish to be unsubscribed, please send a note to cmazer@english.upenn.edu. An on-line version of the syllabus is available at www.english.upenn.edu/*cmazer/110.sp06.htm. Make a bookmark on your web browser.