Contemporary Drama in London
London has long been considered the theatrical center of the English-speaking world. Night after night, theaters in London’s West End light up as famous and aspiring actors, tourists, and locals converge for anything from Shakespeare to surrealism. However, theater serves more purposes than entertainment. London stages have not only been involved in the production of art, but in the creation, maintenance, and dismantling of the British Empire.
Together, our class will explore contemporary drama in the UK, from its roots in Shakespeare’s Stratford-on-Avon to current West End plays by immigrants from the British Empire’s former colonies. We will read plays, act them out, attend live performances, and review the plays we attend. Along the way we’ll ask ourselves questions like
*Is theatre a democratic form? Does it promote equality and the free exchange of ideas or is it simply a medium through which the powerful elite shape the ideas and attitudes of the less powerful?
* Can postcolonial playwrights ever truly escape from the ethnic and national stereotypes popularized by British theatres (the stage Irishman or the stage African, for example)?
* Can and should theatre be a revolutionary form? What is its relationship to violent resistance and direct political action?
*Do plays by women and other minorities participate in the project of national self-definition or do they attempt to create other, more inclusive ideas of community?
I can’t wait to introduce our group of Providence College students to the amazing theatrical world of London!
