Department of English

This course will examine the working methods of several twentieth-century theatre directors and ensembles that worked collectively, either in their theatrical interpretation of canonical scripts or in the creation of new theatre pieces, seeking to redefine the relation between the actor, the director, and the script in the creation of the theatrical event.  Ensembles to be considered may include The Group Theatre (Harold Clurman, Lee Strasberg, and Cheryl Crawford), The Living Theatre (Judith Malina and Julian Beck), The Open Theatre (Joseph Chaikin), The Omaha Magic Theatre (Megan Terry), and Joint Stock Company (William Gaskill, David Hare, Caryl Churchill, and others). NOTE: this seminar is open to all interested students. Seven of the students in the course will have been selected by the Theatre Arts faculty to participate in the annual "Edinburgh project," and will form an ensemble to mount a production that will travel to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August. Many of the readings and exercises in this course will be geared to preparing the ensemble for rehearsals for this production, which will not formally begin until after the exam period. Students enrolled in the course who are NOT part of the Edinburgh ensemble will be invited to participate in creating the piece that will be taken by the ensemble to Edinburgh.