Thurs. January 24
Statement of aims in the course (see course description), remarks on its organization and requirements as well as the choosing of performance groups for the first few weeks.
Pre-reading if possible:
• Hamlet, by William Shakespeare
•Alan L. Ackerman, “Visualizing Hamlet’s Ghost: The Spirit of Modern Subjectivity.” Theatre Journal 53, no. 1 (2001): 119-144.
Setting the Stage – History, Modernity, the Visible and the Invisible
Tues. January 29th:
Ibsen, Zola and Ghosts
• Styan, J. L., Modern Drama in Theory and Practice, Vol. 1: Realism and Naturalism, pp. 1-37.*#
• Ibsen, Henrik, Ghosts (1881). ^
• Zola, Emile, excerpts from "Naturalism on the Stage (1880) from Documents of Modern Literary Realism.*#
• Zola, Emile, "Preface to Thérèse Raquin" (1873) in Caputi, ed. Eight Modern Plays, pp. 429-432.^
A section of a clip from Les Enfants du Paradis -- we will watch this in class to set up some issues for turn the century theatre vis a vis the boulevard, crime, crowds, and the notion of theatre as bearing witness.
Very strongly recommended:
•Alan L. Ackerman, “Visualizing Hamlet’s Ghost: The Spirit of Modern Subjectivity.” Theatre Journal 53, no. 1 (2001): 119-144.
Recommended
• Zola, Emile, Thérèse Raquin (1873) in Houghton, ed., Seeds of Modern Drama, pp. 19-93 (skim, with particular attention to the concluding scene.^
• Leo Braudy , “Zola on Film: The Ambiguities of Naturalism.” Yale French Studies, 42. (1969).
• Lukács, George, excerpt from "The Sociology of Modern Drama." (1909) from Bernard F. Dukore, ed. Dramatic Theory and Criticism, pp. 936-941. #
• Burke, Kenneth, excerpt from "The Container and the Thing Contained" (1945) from The Grammar of Motives, pp. 3-9, 15-16.#
Reading response questions to chose from: Why is Ibsen’s play titled Ghosts? What is the scene that most surprised you in the play and why? Why is Zola upset with theatre and what is his solution? What was experimental, and/or threatening, about naturalism? Can naturalism be threatening today? Why/why not?
Thurs. January 31:
Strindberg, Yeats and More Ghosts
• Strindberg, August, The Ghost Sonata (1907), in Caputi, pp. 183-209 or Cardullo and Knopf pp. 134-160^#
• Yeats, William Butler, excerpt from "The Play, the Player and the Scene" (published 1924), from Aughtry, Landmarks in Modern Drama, pp. 392-395.*
• Yeats, William Butler, At The Hawk's Well (1917) from The Collected Plays of W.B. Yeats. *#
• Yeats, William Butler, Purgatory .*#
Arnold Bocklin's Island of the Dead (1880).Strongly recommended:
• Styan, J.L. Modern Drama in Theory and Practice, Vol. 2: Symbolism, pages 24-44.*#
• Cardullo and Knopf, Theatre of the Avant-Garde, on Strindberg, pp. 127-133.^#
• Eszgter Szalczer, “Nature’s Dream Play: Modes of Vision and August Strindberg’s Re-Definition of the Theatre.” Theatre Journal 53, no. 1, 2001: 33-52.
• Ibsen, Henrik, The Wild Duck (1884), Caputi pp. 3-77.^#
Reading response questions to chose among: How is The Ghost Sonata different from Ghosts? Could they be staged in similar ways? What are their different demands aesthetically? What do “ghosts” signify across these scripts, in your opinion? Does symbolism have a different orientation to vision and the visible, or to the sensible, material world in general than naturalism (in your opinion, based on the plays from this week and last week)? What is that orientation?
Naturalism and the Need for New Acting
Tuesday, February 5:
Meiningen, Strindberg, and Antoine
• Edward Braun, The Director and the Stage, “Meiningen Court Theatre” (chapter 1) and “Antoine and the Theatre Libre” (chapter 2).^#
• Strindberg, August, excerpt from the “Preface” to Miss Julie (1988) from Dukore, pp. 566-574.*#
• Strindberg, August, Miss Julie (1888), trans. E. M. Sprinchorn (1961) in Houghton, pp. 196-243.^#
• Antoine, André. Excerpt from "The Free Theatre" (1890) from Richard Drain, ed., Twentieth Century Theatre: A Sourcebook, pp. xvii-xviii.*#
• New York Times review of Miss Julie at Antoine’s theatre in Paris.
• Sally Charnow, "Commercial Culture and Modernist Theatre in Fin-de-Siecle Paris: Andre Antoine and the Theatre Libre." Radical History Review 77 (2000), 60-90.
Right: Andre Antoine's mise en scene for Zola's La Terre at Theatre Libre, 1900.
Recommended: John Osborne, The Meiningen Court Theatre, esp. pages 18-53 and 141-173.#
Reading response questions to chose from: What about Meiningen’s approach was so revolutionary? What struck you about Antoine’s direction of Miss Julie? What do you think Strindberg is struggling to express through the play Miss Julie?
Thursday, February 7:
New Acting: Chekhov and Stanislavsky
Above: 1898, Moscow Art Theatre,The Seagull • Edward Braun, Director and the Stage, “Stanislavsky and Chekhov” (chapter 5), pp. 59-76.^#
• Chekhov, Anton, The Seagull (1898), trans. Robert W. Corrigan (1962) in Houghton, ed., Seeds of Modern Drama pp. 349-413.^#
• Chekhov, Anton, Letters to Maria Kiseleva and Alexei Suvorin in Caputi, ed., pp. 459-463^#
• Stanislavsky, Constantin. "Inner Impulses and Inner Actions" (1916-1920) from Drain, pp. 253-257*; excerpt from Building a Character, Huxley and Witts, pp. 360-362.*#
• Briusov, Valery, “Against Naturalism in the Theater,” Cardulo and Knopf, pp. 72-76.^#
Highly Recommended: W. B. Worthen, “Chekhov’s Camera: The Rhetoric of Stage Realism” in Modern Drama and the Rhetoric of Theatre, 1992.
Recommended: Stanislavsky, An Actor Prepares, pp.33-53, 263-92; David Richard Jones, "Konstantin Stanislavsky and The Seagull: The Paper Stage" in Great Directors at Work, pp. 15-77. # Styan, Modern Drama, Vol 1, pp. 45-52, 69-9.# Chekhov, The Three Sisters (1901), trans. Elisaveta Fen (1951) in Caputi, ed., pp. 78- 132^; Paul Gray, “Stanislavski and America: A Critical Chronology.” The Drama Review, 9, No. 2 (1964), pp. 21-60.
Naturalism Performance Group to Perform.
The Symbolist Theatre and its Stagings
Tuesday, February 12:
Maeterlinck, Wagner, Appia
L'Apres-midi d'un Faune, Ballet after a poem by Stephane Mallarme, Paris, 1911.Required Reading:
• Edward Braun, Director and the Stage, “The Symbolist Theatre” (chapter 3), pp. 59-76.^#
• Daniel Gerould, “The Art of Symbolist Drama” in Doubles, Demons, and Dreamers. Pp. 7-13.
• Paul Marqueritte, Pierrot: Assassin of His Wife, in Doubles, Demons, and Dreamers, edited by Daniel Gerould. 45-50. New York: Performing Arts Journal Publication, l985.
• Maeterlinck, Maurice, Interior (1891) and “The Modern Drama” in Cardullo and Knopf, pp. 41-61.^
• Maeterlinck, Maurice, "The Tragical in Daily Life' (1896) from Dukore, ed., pp. 726-731;
• Friedrich Nietzsche, excerpt from Richard Wagner in Bayreuth (1876).*
•Wagner, Richard, excerpt from "The Art-Work of the Future" (1849), from Dukore, ed., pp. 786-791.*#
• Richard Beacham, “Prologue” from Adolphe Appia: Theatre Artist, 1-7.
• Appia, Adolph, excerpt from Music and the Art of Theatre (1899), pages 10-28;
excerpt from "How to Reform our Staging Practices" (1904) from Drain, pp. 237 -239 *#; excerpt from "Actor, Space, Light, Painting (1919) from Michael Huxley and Noel Witts, eds., The Twentieth Century Performance Reader, pp, 21-24.*#
Recommended: Daniel Gerould, "Paul Margueritte and "Pierrot Assassin of His Wife" in
The Drama Review: TDR, Vol. 23, No. 1, (1979), pp. 103-112; Styan, J. L. Styan, J. L., Modern Drama, Vol. 2, pp. 1-44#; Cardullo, Bert, “En Garde!: The Theatrical Avant Garde in Historical, Intellectual, and Cultural Context” in Cardullo and Knopf, pp. 1–39^#; Arthur Schopenhauer, The World as Will and Idea, published in German in 1819 and influential on Neitzsche and Wagner and modern art; Maeterlinck, The Blind,; Maeterlinck, Pélleas and Mélisande (1892); Appia’s full Music and the Art of the Theatre, translated by Corrigan and Dirks#; Richard C. Beacham, Adolphe Appia, Theatre Artist; Beacham, ed. Adolphe Appia: Essays, Scenarios and Designs; Oscar Wilde, Salomé (1893); Fratisek Deak, Symbolist Theater (1993); Eszgter Szalczer, “Nature’s Dream Play: Modes of Vision and August Strindberg’s Re-Definition of the Theatre.” Theatre Journal 53, no. 1, 2001: 33-52.
Thursday, February 14:
More Symbolism: Craig, Fuller, Duncan
• Edward Braun, Director and the Stage, “Edward Gordon Craig” (chapter 6), pp. 77-94.^#
• Craig, Gordon, "The Actor and the Ubermarionette" from On the Art of the Theatre (1907), 54-94*# and excerpt from "Rearrangements" (1915), from Drain, 17-18*#;• Fuller, Loïe, excerpt from "Light and Dance" (1908), from Drain, ed., pp. 245-247.*#
• Duncan, Isadora, "Depth," from Drain, pp. 248-249*#
• Kandinsky, Wassily, The Yellow Sound (1909) and "On Stage Composition (1912)" in Cardullo and Knopf, pp.169-186^#
Recommended:; J. Michael Walton, ed., Craig on Theatre (1983), Lee Simonson, The Stage is Set (1932); Mordekai Gorelik, New Theatres for Old (1940/1962); Laurence Senelick, Gordon Craig’s Moscow Hamlet; Christopher Innes, Edward Gordon Craig.
Symbolism Performance Group to Perform.
Below: Loïe Fuller dancing.
Tues., February 19: NO CLASS. But please read Alfred Jarry, Ubu Roi (King Ubu), in Cardullo.^ Also read Heiner Müller's Hamletmachine.* This 1977 play is being produced by Brown Theatre and will open on Thursday. We will discuss the play in class on Thursday after the lecture and discussion on Jarry, so please have it read for Thursday. As you will see, it is not without connection to the turn of the century avant-garde!
Thurs. February 21:
Birth of the Avant-Garde -- Alfred Jarry
Guest lecture by Sally Charnow, author of Theatre, Politics, and Markets in Fin-de-Siecle Paris: Staging Modernity.
• Edward Braun, Director and the Stage, “Alfred Jarry” (chapter 4), pp. 51-59.^#
• Alfred Jarry, "A Letter to Lugne-Poe" (1896), other writings, and Ubu Colonialist from Roger Shattuck and Simon Watson Taylor, ed, Selected Works of Alfred Jarry, pp. 53-60, 67-68, 76-81*#; “Theatre Questions” in Cardullo, pp. 77-125.^
• Roger Shattuck, The Banquet Years: Birth of the Avant-Garde, pages 187-222 (recommended to read on to 252).^#
Above: Program for Ubu Roi, 1896, Théâtre de l'oeuvre
Tuesday, February 26:
Russian Stylized Theatre (Meyerhold’s First Five)
• Edward Braun, Director and the Stage, “Meyerhold: The First Five Year” (chapter 8).^#
• Meyerhold, “The Search for New Forms” in Meyerhold on Theatre, pp. 17-72.*#^
• Frantisek Deák. “Meyerhold's Staging of "Sister Beatrice." The Drama Review: TDR, Vol. 26, No. 1 (1982), pp. 41-50.
• Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Blok, The Puppet Show [or The Fairground Booth]. In Twentieth-Century Russian Plays, pp. 164-175.*
• Selection from Edward Braun, The Theatre of Meyerhold: Revolution on the Stage, “Dr. Dapertutto Reborn” pp. 85-114.#
• Vakhtangov, Eugene, "Fantastic Realism" (1922) from Toby Cole and Helen Krich Chinoy, eds. Directors on Directing, pp. 185-191.*
Recommended,
Shklovsky, Viktor, “Art as Devise” on defamiliarization in The Theory of Prose, (1929), trans. Benjamin Sher (1990; Witkiewitcz, Stanislas Ignacy, from "On a New Type of Play" (1920) in Cardullo and Knopf, pp. 321-326^; Vvedensky, Aleksander, Christmas at the Ivanovs’’ (1938) and Daniil Kharms, Alexander Vvedensky and others, “The Oberiu Manifesto” (1928) with supporting material, in Cardullo and Knopf, pp. 389-420^. Witkiewitcz, The Cuttlefish (1922) in Cardullo and Knopf, pp. 297-320^; Mayakovsky, The Bedbug and other plays; Edward Braun, Meyerhold: A Revolution in Theatre;.# Paul Schmidt, Meyerhold at Work; Bulgakov, The Cabal of Hypocrites or Moliere; Nick Worral, Modernism to Realism on the Soviet Stage: Tairov, Vaktangov, Okhlopov; Robert Russell and Andrew Barrett, ed. Russian Theatre in the Age of Modernism; Nikolai Gorchakov, The Vakhtangov School of Stage Art; Evreinov, Nikolay, e“Introduction to Monodrama,” (1908) from Laurence Senelick, ed., Russian Dramatic Theory from Pushkin to the Symbolists; Kiebuzinska, Revolutionaries in the Theatre.
Thursday, February 28:
Russian Constructivism
• Edward Braun, Director and the Stage, “Meyerhold: Theatre as Propaganda” (chapter 9).^#
• Meyerhold, excerpts from Meyerhold on Theatre, pp. 98-103; 122-128; 204-205.*#^• Worrall, Nick. “Meyerhold’s Production of The Magnificent Cuckold.” The Drama Review (TDR) 17, no. 1, 1973.*
• Okhlopkov, Lee Strasberg, Sidney Kingsley, Molly Haskell, Jay Leyda. “Meyerhold's Bio-Mechanic Exercises (A Photographic Series).” The Drama Review: TDR, Vol. 17, No. 1(1973), pp. 113-123.
•Actors rehearsing Meyerhold’s biomechanics.
• Alain Piette, Alain. “Crommelynck and Meyerhold: Two Geniuses Meet on the Stage. Modern Drama 39, l996.*
• Gerould, Daniel. “Eisenstein’s Wiseman.” The Drama Review: TDR 18, No. 1, 1974), pp. 71-76.
• Eisenstein, Sergei. “Montage of Attractions.” The Drama Review: TDR, Vol. 18, No. 1 (1974), pp. 77-85.
• Golub, Spencer. “Charlie Chaplin: Soviet Icon.” In The Performance of Power: Theatrical Discourse and Politics. Edited by Sue-Ellen Case and Janelle Reinelt. Iowa City: University of Iowa Press, l991.*#
Recommended: The Theatre of Meyerhold: Revolution on the Stage, by Edward Braun#; Crommelynck’s play The Magnanimous Cuckold (on order at the Rock); Banu, Georges, “Mei Lanfang : A Case Against and a Model for the Occidental State (1986), from Asian Theatre Journal, 3, 2 pp. 153-171; Alma Law and Mel Gordon, Meyerhold, Eisenstein, and Biomechanics: Actor Training in Revolutionary Russia; Paul Schmidt, “A Director Works with a Playwright: Meyerhold and Mayakovsky.” Educational Theatre Journal, 29, No. 2 (1977), pp. 214-220; Meyerhold, Vsevlod. “Meyerhold Speaks: Observations on Acting and Directing.” The Drama Review: TDR 18, No. 3 (1974), pp. 108-112; Golub, Spencer, The Recurrence of Fate (1994), esp. “The Masking Machine,” pp. 100-122.
Charlie Chaplin in Modern Times (1936) excerpts:
Stylization or Constructivism Performance Group to Perform.
Tuesday, March 4:
Futurism and Dada
• Roselee Goldberg, “Futurism.” From Performance Art, pp. 11-30.*#
• F. T. Marinetti, F.T., excerpt from "The Variety Theatre" (1913), from Drain, pp. 171-174*#
• Prampolini, Enrico, excerpt from "Futurist Scenography" (1915), from Drain, pp. 23-24.*#
• Futurist Plays and Manifestos by Umberto Boccioni, Francesco Cangiullo, Filippo Marinetti, Emilio Settinelli, and Bruno Corra, and commentary in Cardullo, pp. 187-206.^#
• F. T. Marinetti; Francesco Cangiullo; Gianni Calderone; Victoria Nes Kirby, and Michael Kirby. “Marinetti’s Short Plays.” The Drama Review: TDR 17, No. 4 (1973), pp. 113-125.
• Highly recommended: Berghaus, Gunter. Avant-Garde Performance: Live Events and Electronic Technologies, pp. 31-47*#;
• Required: Richter, Hans, Dada: Art and Anti-Art, pp. 11-64.^#• Required Tristan Tzara, The Gas Heart (1920) and "Dada Manifesto"(1918) in Cardullo, pp. 265-289.^#
• Listen to Marie Osmond (I kid you not) performing Hugo Balls’ "Karawane." Listen to other Dada sound events.
• See Hans Richter's short film Ghosts Before Breakfast (below).
Recommended: J.L. Styan, Modern Drama, Vol. 2, pp. 51-60, 69-75; Michael Kirby, ed., Futurist Performance (1986)#; Berghaus, Gunter, ed. F. T. Marinetti: Critical Writings#; Mel Gordon, ed., Dada Performance (1987); “Alexis,” “A Visit to the Cabaret Dada” (1920), from Joel Schechter, ed, Popular Theatre: A Sourcebook, (2003), pp. 186-188; Dickerman, Leah and Matthew S. Witkovsky, The Dada Seminars; Annabelle Melzer, Dada and Surrealist Performance (1980/1994) and Latest Rage the Big Drum; Raoul Hausmann (1886-1971)
sound recordings.
Thurs., March 6:
Pirandello and Copeau
• Luigi Pirandello, Six Characters in Search of an Author (1921) in Caputi, pp. 210-256.^#
• J. L. Styan, Modern Drama, Vol. 2, pp. 76-84; 91-105.*#
• Luigi Pirandello,"Preface" to Six Characters in Search of an Author (1925) from Aughtry, ed., Landmarks in Modern Drama, pp. 469-478.*
• Jacques Copeau, excerpts (1924-1938) from John Rudlin and Norman H. Paul, eds., Copeau: Texts on Theatre (1990), pp. 111-112, 47-48, 205-208.*#
Image above: Sir Ian McKellan as the Son in Six Characters in 1959, Cambridge.
Questions to ask, perhaps for response papers: If there is a kind of naturalism in this play, what is it and where? Is there a sense that the function of authorship, or authority, is lost? Is there a sense that it can be regained? How? What is the passion driving this play? That is, what is its urgent request of the theatre -- both theatre artists and audience? Is it hopeful in any way?
Futurism and Dada Group to Perform
Tues., March 11:
Artaud’s Theatre of Cruelty
Questions to ask, perhaps for response papers: What does Artaud mean by Cruelty? Does he feel that something is missing from the theatre? What is that something? What does he feel can be done to regain what theatre has lost? Be as specific as possible in your answers. What is the double??? (This last is a conundrum that has inspired ... and frustrated ... and inspired generations of theatre practitioners -- so just do your best to form your own answer).
Below, video excerpt of A.A. Anom Putra performing the solo warrior dance Baris with Gamelan Semara Ratih. At the Colonial exhibition in Paris, Artaud would have seen legong and baris performances, as well as rakshasa and barong "trance" performances (see Nicola Savarese's work on Artaud). This video is likely made with tourists in mind, so perhaps the context of You-tube is modern-day equivalent of Colonial expositions?
On Asian influences on Modern European directors, see the playlist created by Michelle Carriger. Below is an excerpt of a Balinese performance form created explicitly for tourists -- the "Monkey Chant." Artaud would *not* have seen this form, as it had not been invented, but it certainly is heavy on "incantation" -- as if taking a clue from Artaud's imaginary?
Thurs., March 13:
Piscator and Brecht's Emergence
• required: Edward Braun, The Director and the Stage, chapter on Piscator, pp. 145-161.
• required: Piscator, Erwin, excerpts from The Political Theatre, pp. 20-25;30-36.*#
• highly recommended: Piscator 71-77;81-84; 91-98; 118-123; 185-188; 213-215; 254-69.*#
• required: Edward Braun, The Director and the Stage, chapter on Brecht, pp. 162-179.
• required: Brecht, Bertolt, Brecht on Theatre, pp. 6-9, 43-51.
Also recommended: Richter, Hans, “Berlin Dada” in Dada: Art and Anti-Art;^ Richard Hulsenbeck on Dada in Germany in Dadas on Art, pp. 45-56; Christopher Innes, Erwin Piscator's Political Theatre: The Development of Modern German Drama; Maria Ley-Piscator, The Piscator Experiment (1967); John Willet, The Theatre of Erwin Piscator: Half a Century of Politics in the Theatre; Oskar Schlemmer, Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, Farkas Molnár, The Theatre of the Bauhaus (1961);Brecht, Baal (1923), In the Jungle of the Cities (1923), Man Is Man (1926). J. L. Styan, Modern Drama, vol 3, pp. 1-75; 128-149; John Fuegi, Bertolt Brecht: Chaos According to Plan.
Below, Documentary on Lotte Lenya. Latter part has images of some of Brecht's early work and clips of Lenya singing in Three Penny Opera.
Tues., March 18:
Brecht’s Epic Theatre
• Brecht, Bertolt, Brecht on Theatre, pp. 57-62, 84-99, 136-47, 236-38, 179-205. ^#
• Brecht, Bertolt, Mother Courage (1941) in Caputi, ed., pp. 347-402.^#
Special Assignment!!
BE PREPARED to answer the following:
What is literarization
What is the social gest
What is the alienation effect
What is the “not, but”
What is historicization (and why)
Pick a moment in Mother Courage and be prepared to say how you would employ one of the above.
Recommended: Benjamin, Walter, excerpt from "What Is Epic Theater" (1939), from Huxley and Witts, pp. 64-70.* J.L. Styan, Modern Drama, Vol 3, pp. 150-184; Denis Calandera, Excerpt from “Karl Vanentine and Bertolt Brecht,” from Joel Schecter, ed., Popular Theatre: A Sourcebook, pp. 188-191, 198-199; David Richard Jones, "Bertolt Brecht and the Couragemodell 1949" in Great Directors at Work, pp. 78-137#; John Willett, The Theatre of Bertolt Brecht (1959); John Fuegi, Bertolt Brecht: Chaos, According to Plan (1987); Brecht's Modellbuchs for Mother Courage and Galileo in Becker.
Below, a section of the film Kulhe Wampe, released in 1932 but immediately banned, about unemployment and left wing politics in the Weimar Republic. The title refers to a tent camp in the countryside near to Berlin. The script was conceived and written by Brecht and he direct some of the film as well. Even if you do not understand German you will understand much of this family scene. There is rampant unemployment. A mother and a father, their son and daughter, try and deal with the situation. You will likely be surprised at the level of naturalism, suggesting that alienated acting can be very subtle or very articulated. Does the watch function rather like the belt buckle in Mother Courage?
In class Piscator or Brecht Performance Group.
Thursday, March 20
– In class midterm.
SPRING BREAK — Read a lot – there is extra reading for Tuesday, April 1.
Tuesday, April 1:America
• J. L. Styan, Modern Drama, Vol 1, pp. 109-147. *#
• J. L. Styan, Modern Drama, Vol. 2, pp. 97-121. *#
• Ira A. Levine, excerpt from Left Wing Dramatic Theory in the American Theatre, pp. 151-176.*
• David Krasner, Resistance, Parody, and Double Consciousness in African-American Theatre, 1895-1910. Pp. 15-39; 75-82.^#
• James V. Hatch, "Introduction" From James V. Hatch and Leo Hamalian, eds. Lost Plays of the Harlem Renaissance, 1920-1940, pp. 9-20.*
• W.E.B DuBois,., "Program Note for Krigwa Players: A Little Negro Theatre , Season of 1926," from James V. Hatch and Leo Hamalian, pp. 449-450.*
• Langston Hughes, "The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain" (1926) from Hatch and Hamalian, pp. 408-412.*
Eugene O’Neill, The Emperor Jones*
Langston Hughes, The Em-Fuehrer Jones*
Langston Hughes, Limitations of Life *
Listen to Ethel Waters singing: "That Da Da Strain." According to Ubuweb: "This text, with accompanying recording, makes a curious & little noticed connection to the European Dada activities that immediately preceded it." The European avant-garde was fascinated with jazz --cross-currents made for a two-way street, not often historicized adequately.
Above, a clip from l903 of cake walk performance.
Thursday, April 3:
Existentialism and Theatre, or, Beckett and Absurdism
• J. L. Styan, Modern Drama, Vol 2, pp. 124-137. *#
• Samuel Beckett, Waiting for Godot. .
• Samuel Beckett, Not I.
• Samuel Beckett, Mp3 of Text for Nothing #8.
Above, scene from Waiting for Godot.
Above, Not I, with Billie Whitelaw. Click here for part 2.
Above, part 1 of Beckett's Play. Here's the link for part 2.
Above, Beckett's Breath, directed by Damian Hirst.
Recommended: Samuel Beckett, Happy Days, in Caputi^#; Arthur Adamov, The Invasion, in Cardullo.^# Other Beckett materials.
Beckett Performance Group to perform
Tuesday, April 8:
Surrealism and Gertrude Stein
• Arnold Aronson, chapter 1, American Avant-Garde Theatre.*#
• Gertrude Stein, The Mother of Us All, to be made available. • Gertrude Stein, “Plays” in Cardullo, 450-465.*#
• Gertrude Stein, Stein reading “If I Told Him: A Complete Portrait of Picasso.” On Ubuweb:
• Gertrude Stein “Miss Furr and Miss Skeene” from Geography and Plays, rendered by Warren Burt on Ubuweb.
Below: clip of Stein's The World is Round, set to music and workshoped at San Diego's Sledgehammer Theatre, directed by Scott Feldsher.
Recommended: Dr. Faustus Lights the Lights, in Cardullo, 425-449.^# Andre Breton, “First Surrealist Manifesto” in Cardullo, 365-372*#; Betsy Alayne Ryan, Gertrude Stein’s Theatre of the Absolute; Stein’s Tender Buttons. See also Stein on “beginning again” in “Composition as Explanation."
Links:
Surrealist techniques.
Thursday, April 10:
Richard Foreman, Robert Wilson
• Theodore Shank, selections on Robert Wilson and Richard Foreman in American Alternative Theatre, pp. 155-70.*#
• Michael Kirby, “Richard Foreman’s Ontological Hysterica Theater” TDR 17, No. 2 (1973), pp. 5-32.
• Richard Foreman, excerpts on his writing process from Reverberation Machines, pp. 190-221.*#
• Richard Foreman, “Program Notes for Pearls for Pigs” TDR 42, no 2.
• RECOMMENDED: Richard Foreman’s Strong Medicine on Ubuweb.
• RECOMMENDED: On Robert Wilson see the documentary Absolute Wilson, on reserve at Media Library (ordered in January and hopefully ready).
• Also required: write a play 1 page long using Foreman’s methods. This can be your READING RESPONSE for today.
Performance Group to Perform a la Stein, Foreman, or Wilson.
Tuesday, April 15:
Neo-naturalism: Environmental Theatre to Life/Art to Boal
• Excerpts from Arnold Aronson The History and Theory of Environmental Scenography, 1-14; 29-46; 117-129; 153-64.*#
• Highly recommended: Mel Gordon, "Eisenstein's Later Work at the Proletkult."
• Jessica Abbe. “Anne Bogart's Journeys.” The Drama Review: TDR, 24, No. 2 (1980), pp. 85-100.
• Highly recommended: Steve Nelson, "Redecorating the Fourth Wall: Environmental Theatre Today” [late 20th-century] TDR Vol. 33, 3 (1989), pp. 72-94.
•Linda Montano, excerpts from Art in Everyday Life, Station Hill, NY: Astro Artz.*
•Augusto Boal selection from Theatre of the Oppressed, xiii-x1v, 25-47, 83-85, 120-156. ^#
•Augusto Boal, “Invisible Theatre.” TDR 34, No. 3. (1990), pp. 24-34.
Check out large image of Trisha Brown's Roof Piece, l973. Find the performers...
•Check out: Improv Everywhere
Above, image from the following year-long art project:
July, 1983
STATEMENT
We, LINDA MONTANO and TEHCHING HSIEH, plan to do a one year performance.
We will stay together for one year and never be alone. We will be in the same room at the same time, when we are inside. We will be tied together at the waist with an 8 foot rope. We will never touch each other during the year.
The performance will begin on July 4, 1983, at 6 p.m., and continue until July 4, 1984, at 6 p. m.
—Linda Montano
—Tehching Hsieh
Recommended:
Arnold Aronson. "Theatres of the Future." Theatre Journal 33, No. 4 (Dec., 1981), pp. 489-503
Tim Etchells. Forced Entertainment Certain Fragments.^#
Thursday, April 17:
Living Theatre to Critical Art Ensemble
• Theodore Shank, selections on the Living Theatre in American Alternative Theatre, pp. 1-37.*#
•Beck, Julian, excerpt from "Storming the Barricades" (1965), from Kenneth H. Brown, The Brig, (1963), pp. 6-35*#
• Malina, Judith, excerpt from "Directing The Brig" (1964), from Brown, The Brig, pp. 83-87.*#
• Interview with Julian Beck (it gets interesting after a few minutes, once Beck is provoked to speak) and other sound materials on Ubuweb.
Below, clip of Paradise Now from l968-69 U.S. tour. Almost impossible to get a sense of the live event from the video, and there is nudity (be forewarned):
Recommended:
•The Living Theatre, "Paradise Now: Notes." The Drama Review: TDR 13, No. 3. (1969), pp. 90-107.
• Critical Art Ensemble, Digital Resistance .
Below, clip of Living Theatre's revival of The Brig, 2007, at Ground Zero (and their theatre) in New York.
Group to Perform neo-naturalism or work inspired by Living Theatre
Tuesday, April 22:
Wooster Group
•David Savran, Breaking the Rules, pp. 9-45; 169-197.*#
•Wooster Group, Emperor Jones, DVD, view at the Media Library.•Gerald Rabkin, “Is there a Text on this Stage?: Theatre/ Authorship/ Interpretation.” Performing Arts Journal 9, No. 2/3 (1985), pp. 142-159.
RECOMMENDED:
• David Savran. “The Death of the Avantgarde.” TDR: The Drama Review 49, 3 (2005).
•Kermit Dunkelberg. “Confrontation, Simulation, Admiration: The Wooster Group's Poor Theater.” TDR: The Drama Review 49, Number 3 (2005).
Thursday, April 24:
Suzan-Lori Parks -- Repetition and Revision
• Suzan-Lori Parks, Essays -- pages 3-22 in The America Play and Other Works.^#
• Read also Parks The America Play, in the same volume.
• Suzan-Lori Parks and the 365 Days/365 Plays Project
• Listen to interview with Parks about 365 Days.
Above: Parks' "Wonderful wonderful" from 365 Days/365 Plays.
Wooster Group Group (or Parks Group) to perform.
Tuesday, April 29:
In class final performances and conclusions. Final exam last 30 minutes of class.
Tuesday, May 6: Final Paper due. Please email paper to Rebecca by 1pm on this day. Put FINAL PAPER in subject heading of your email. Also due: one page self-evaluation of your in-class performance project. If you will need an extension due to other finals, etc., please ask in advance.
