The Legacy of Drama
Legacy - HNRS 1120

Instructor(s): Maria Szasz

Course Description

“The power of the theatre is in the conversations it creates, how one play leads to the next.  That’s how the conversation sustains.” –Asian American playwright Lloyd Suh

The Legacy of Drama is an exciting exploration of some of the greatest and most influential plays ever written.  Our sixteen week tour of world drama begins with the Ancient Greeks, and then moves into the Medieval era, followed by Shakespeare’s indelible influence during the English Renaissance, Oliver Goldsmith’s gentle comedy in the 18th Century Restoration, Henrick Ibsen’s push towards theatrical realism in the nineteenth century, Brian Friel’s depictions of rural Irish women in the mid-20th Century, and Suzan-Lori Parks’ reflections on African Americans in the 21st Century.  This class will include many interdisciplinary elements, encompassing theatre history, dramatic literature, psychology, politics, human rights, world history, and fine arts.  We will discuss these plays and playwrights as living, breathing reflections of cultural, social and political changes within their countries and eras.  The class will also investigate the most profound and far-reaching theatrical innovations during each of these time periods, including the Greek notion of "catharsis"; what set Shakespeare apart from his contemporaries; the development of the tragicomic genre; and the influence of American musical theatre.  This Legacy class will also frequently consider how playwrights have responded to the ever-evolving roles of women and minority groups, including the LGBTQ+ community.  Please join us to learn about how the human condition has been explored and portrayed on stage.  As Leah Hager Cohen says, we will consider how "theatre incites us to imagine the world from the perspective of others."  The Legacy of Drama will, in turn, relate these varying historical and theatrical perspectives to our contemporary world.

Texts

Sophocles, Oedipus Rex

Euripides, The Bacchae 

Everyman 

Shakespeare, The Comedy of Errors 

Oliver Goldsmith, She Stoops to Conquer

Henrik Ibsen, A Doll's House 

Lucas Hnath, A Doll’s House, Part 2

Brian Friel, Dancing at Lughnasa

Suzan-Lori Parks, Topdog/Underdog

Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton

Lloyd Suh, The Chinese Lady

Marcus Youssef, The In-Between

Requirements

Reliable and eager attendance; careful reading and thoughtful contribution to class discussions; two short response papers; attendance at a local production of a play, and participation in class discussion about the production; a two page proposal for a research paper, and a ten minute conference with the instructor to discuss the proposal; a four to six page research paper; a group project: a 10-15 minute performance from one of the plays we read this semester.

About the Instructor(s): Maria Szasz

Maria Szasz's interests include Comedy and Stand-Up Comedy, American and Irish Drama, Musical Theatre, and Theatre and Human Rights.  She is currently working on a book about the Off-Broadway Irish Repertory Theatre Company in New York City.