Theater 1504 c-VPA. Theater as Social Media. Sarah Bay-Cheng. Every Year. Spring\u00a02016<\/p>\n
This course introduces students to the history of theater and performance as paradoxically both a social art and form of media. The\u00a0course begins with American playwright Anne Washburn’s futuristic play, Mr. Burns, and analyzes contemporary media as\u00a0forms of\u00a0cultural performance. From the contemporary moment, the course then traces the effects observed in contemporary\u00a0theater, dance, and media through diverse global performance histories, noting the ways in which theater and dance\u00a0changed in\u00a0different cultural contexts and observing the changing emphases on written texts (drama) and performance\u00a0techniques, including changes in acting, directing, and design. This is an introductory course and does not assume any\u00a0prior knowledge or\u00a0experience in either theater or media studies. Students are not required to use social media as part of the\u00a0course. Students will have the opportunity to create original work as part of the course, as well as analyzing existing\u00a0material.<\/p>\n