Playwrights in Protest - the Political Dimension of American Drama                                         Dr. Noam Gil

Advanced course

In this course we will explore various plays by some of the leading American playwrights who depicted some of the most decisive political events in 20th century America. We will read, watch, and discuss plays about the Great Depression, about Anarchism in the U.S., about the McCarthy's era in post war America, about counter culture and the 1960s flower generation, about racial tensions in the South, about Gay rights, and about the America's capitalist economic system in the closing years of the 20th century. 

By exploring these events and historical periods through a medium that is primarily staged, choreographed, and acted, we will be in a position to examine the function and aims of the theatrical imagination in relation to "real life" events: what is the effect of each play in each period within the cultural discourse in America? What differentiates a "political" text from the seemingly "neutral" one? Where does "ideology" stand in relation to the events the playwrights depicts? How has the political dimension in America's theater changed throughout the years?

Primary texts: Eugene Oneil's The Iceman's Cometh (Anarchism in the U.S.), Cliford Odets' Waiting for Lefty (the Great Depression), Arthur's Miller's The Crucible (McCarthyism), James Rado's and Gerome Ragni's Hair (Counter Culture and the Vietnam war), David Mamet's Glengary Glen Ross (Reaganomics), Tony Kushner's Angels in America (the Aids epidemic) and Suzan-Lori Parks' Topdog-Underdog (Race Relations).

Requirements:

Active attendance and participation 20%

Midterm 20%

Final exam (in class) 60%