Theater 1504 c-VPA. Theater as Social Media. Sarah Bay-Cheng. Every Year. Spring 2016

This course introduces students to the history of theater and performance as paradoxically both a social art and form of media. The course begins with American playwright Anne Washburn’s futuristic play, Mr. Burns, and analyzes contemporary media as forms of cultural performance. From the contemporary moment, the course then traces the effects observed in contemporary theater, dance, and media through diverse global performance histories, noting the ways in which theater and dance changed in different cultural contexts and observing the changing emphases on written texts (drama) and performance techniques, including changes in acting, directing, and design. This is an introductory course and does not assume any prior knowledge or experience in either theater or media studies. Students are not required to use social media as part of the course. Students will have the opportunity to create original work as part of the course, as well as analyzing existing material.

This course uses Blackboard for additional information.