How were Shakespeare's plays performed in their own day--in the Globe theater, with boy actors, and with very short rehearsal times? How, for the actor, did performance work on the outdoor stage, with the Globe's wide and deep acting platform and its intimate relationship to the audience? How might one stage Shakespeare today in an outdoor environment without lighting and with minimal sets, and with the capacity to move easily from one outdoor venue to another? From what social types in Renaissance England-such as merchants, prostitutes, aristocrats, constables, beggars, and princes-did Shakespeare draw? How can evolving ideas about race, gender, and sexuality inform the way we perform Shakespeare today?
Addressing these questions and others, the course weaves together performance and literary, critical, and historical study. Topics include blank verse, performing Shakespeare's prose, playing with figures of speech, working the Globe stage, engaging an outdoor audience, acting from a written "part" rather than an entire script, performing types, exploring Shakespeare's sources as performance alternatives, making Shakespeare new-and more. Students will rehearse and perform sonnets, scenes, and monologues based on social figures from Shakespeare's England. The course assumes a willingness to perform but not specialized acting training.
Course Attributes: AS HUM; EN H
