In contrast to the popular image of the middle ages, late medieval theatre and performance reveal a vibrant world preoccupied with life in the present, even when the dramatic subjects are grounded in religious themes and sacred history. In this seminar, we will study the major theatrical genres that are typical of late medieval Europe, including liturgical drama, farces and carnival plays, biblical cycles, morality plays, and more. We will question the ways holy figures such as “God” were enacted and embodied, how exterritorial spaces such as heaven and hell were designed, and the characteristics of late medieval street theatre and “total theatre,” including performance of physical pain and suffering. We will also examine theatrical conventions such as crossdressing and performance practices that were used to represent the medieval social “Other.” As part of our discussions of late medieval theatre and performance, we will examine modern theatre works that rework medieval drama. Students will be asked to develop personal research projects based on the materials studied in the seminar.