British Theatre Studies and Performance
A.Y. 2022/2023
Learning objectives
By exploring a specific topic or topics, students will build on their already acquired knowledge and appreciation of theatre, dramatic literature, and performance in different cultural, historical, and interdisciplinary contexts.
They will be able to apply an eclectic range of critical tools, which they have selected from the overview of critical tools presented at B.A. Level, to explore specific texts as well as carrying out creative work in complex situations. In teacher-led seminars, they will study a small number of plays, exploring their potential in performance, by writing critiques and carrying out work in small groups (student-led), during which scenes from the plays are acted out and tested in performance. Under the guidance of teachers, students will also research, write and perform their own work in different settings, such as a theatre, a prison or a botanical garden. In many cases, students will be supervised by specialists in the Humanities but also specialists in biology and plant sciences, or other sciences according to the project at hand.
Students will learn about theatre translation theory and acquire practical translation tools. They will put this newly acquired theory into practice by translating fragments of plays, whether individually or in small groups, sometimes with the support of specialists and theatre practitioners. Their translations will be tested by professional actors whenever possible.
Students will be encouraged to produce portfolios, on their chosen subject, so developing an ability to carry out independent research. These portfolios, made up of written texts, audio and video materials, will reflect the students' growing competence not just as drama and theatre specialists but also in the area of digital humanities.
Through their participation in seminars and workshops, students will become steadily more aware of their social and ethical responsibilities as they understand better the possible roles of theatre studies specialists, writers, theatre critics and theatre makers in creating a society with strong ethical values marked by inclusion and sustainability.
They will be able to apply an eclectic range of critical tools, which they have selected from the overview of critical tools presented at B.A. Level, to explore specific texts as well as carrying out creative work in complex situations. In teacher-led seminars, they will study a small number of plays, exploring their potential in performance, by writing critiques and carrying out work in small groups (student-led), during which scenes from the plays are acted out and tested in performance. Under the guidance of teachers, students will also research, write and perform their own work in different settings, such as a theatre, a prison or a botanical garden. In many cases, students will be supervised by specialists in the Humanities but also specialists in biology and plant sciences, or other sciences according to the project at hand.
Students will learn about theatre translation theory and acquire practical translation tools. They will put this newly acquired theory into practice by translating fragments of plays, whether individually or in small groups, sometimes with the support of specialists and theatre practitioners. Their translations will be tested by professional actors whenever possible.
Students will be encouraged to produce portfolios, on their chosen subject, so developing an ability to carry out independent research. These portfolios, made up of written texts, audio and video materials, will reflect the students' growing competence not just as drama and theatre specialists but also in the area of digital humanities.
Through their participation in seminars and workshops, students will become steadily more aware of their social and ethical responsibilities as they understand better the possible roles of theatre studies specialists, writers, theatre critics and theatre makers in creating a society with strong ethical values marked by inclusion and sustainability.
Expected learning outcomes
Equipped with a knowledge of the trends in drama and theatre through the centuries and the acquistion of a large number of critical tools, students will be capable of selecting specific periods and areas of drama and theatre in order to carry out in depth research on their chosen topics. In fact they will know how to apply their selected kit of critical tools to delve deep into complexity and produce insightful criticism and creative, innovative portfolios.
Due to their exposure to teachers from different disciplines, they will be able to communicate their research findings to specialist audiences in both the Humanities and Sciences. Their work in different settings will make them adaptable and able to take on new challenges with self confidence, whether they go on to write a doctorate dissertation or embark on a career in their chosen sector.
Due to their exposure to teachers from different disciplines, they will be able to communicate their research findings to specialist audiences in both the Humanities and Sciences. Their work in different settings will make them adaptable and able to take on new challenges with self confidence, whether they go on to write a doctorate dissertation or embark on a career in their chosen sector.
Lesson period: Second semester
Assessment methods: Esame
Assessment result: voto verbalizzato in trentesimi
Single course
This course cannot be attended as a single course. Please check our list of single courses to find the ones available for enrolment.
Course syllabus and organization
Single session
Lesson period
Second semester
Course syllabus
The programme title: "This World is out of Joint": From Theatre and Conflict to Climate Change Theatre (40/60 hours, 6/9 CFU)
Unit A (20 hours, 3 CFU): Shakespeare's Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet and various modern offshoots.
Unit B (20 hours, 3 CFU): War, violence and conflict in Contemporary British Theatre.
Unit C (20 Hours, 3 CFU): Eco-drama and theatre.
Students from Languages and Literatures, Italian studies and Erasmus students may enrol on the course. If students require 6 CFU, they should study Units A and B. If students require 9 CFU, they should study the entire programme. The validity of the programme expires in September 2024
DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAMME In Unit A, we will explore two Shakespearean tragedies, Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet, where conflict and violence stand central, both in the public and private spheres. The focus will be on the plays' performance history in different cultures, media and eras. In Unit B, we will analyze some twentieth-century plays, such as Edward Bond's Saved and The War Plays, the first dealing with urban violence, the second grappling with violence and strife on a much wider scale. Violence might also be psychological, as exemplified in Harold Pinter's The Birthday Party or Eve Nicol's Svengali, the latter dealing with the world of sport. In Unit C we will address the politics and aesthetics of the rising phenomenon of Eco theatre, highlighting the settings of these plays, which are often natural environments, as well as the eco-friendly productions and marketing strategies. Eco theatre is usually seen as a response to the current climate emergency and environmental issues, but it might also be considered as holding a mirror to the 'out of joint' world we live in. Many plays, such as Caryl Churchill's Not Not Not Not Enough Oxygen and Far Away, Nathan Ellis's Us in the Past and the short works in Play Your Part. Climate Change Theatre, most of them inspired by Shakespeare's The Tempest, explore the terrible impact of climate change, while others offer possible ways out and solutions.
Unit A (20 hours, 3 CFU): Shakespeare's Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet and various modern offshoots.
Unit B (20 hours, 3 CFU): War, violence and conflict in Contemporary British Theatre.
Unit C (20 Hours, 3 CFU): Eco-drama and theatre.
Students from Languages and Literatures, Italian studies and Erasmus students may enrol on the course. If students require 6 CFU, they should study Units A and B. If students require 9 CFU, they should study the entire programme. The validity of the programme expires in September 2024
DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAMME In Unit A, we will explore two Shakespearean tragedies, Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet, where conflict and violence stand central, both in the public and private spheres. The focus will be on the plays' performance history in different cultures, media and eras. In Unit B, we will analyze some twentieth-century plays, such as Edward Bond's Saved and The War Plays, the first dealing with urban violence, the second grappling with violence and strife on a much wider scale. Violence might also be psychological, as exemplified in Harold Pinter's The Birthday Party or Eve Nicol's Svengali, the latter dealing with the world of sport. In Unit C we will address the politics and aesthetics of the rising phenomenon of Eco theatre, highlighting the settings of these plays, which are often natural environments, as well as the eco-friendly productions and marketing strategies. Eco theatre is usually seen as a response to the current climate emergency and environmental issues, but it might also be considered as holding a mirror to the 'out of joint' world we live in. Many plays, such as Caryl Churchill's Not Not Not Not Enough Oxygen and Far Away, Nathan Ellis's Us in the Past and the short works in Play Your Part. Climate Change Theatre, most of them inspired by Shakespeare's The Tempest, explore the terrible impact of climate change, while others offer possible ways out and solutions.
Prerequisites for admission
The course is taught in English, and the bibliography and teaching materials are almost entirely in English, so students need a good knowledge of the language. In order to attend the course, students should have attended one of the following courses: Storia del Teatro Inglese LT, another History of Theatre Course, the Beni Culturali course, or be Erasmus or International students. If you are interested in the course, but do not have the above mentioned qualification, you should discuss your specific case with the teacher, to evaluate the possibility of you attending the programme.
Teaching methods
Lectures and seminars will alternate during the semester. Seminars consist in students reading aloud and performing scenes from the plays in the programme as well as writing a critique of a chosen play they have seen on stage. Students also watch video materials and attend theatre performances. They are invited to comment critically on the videos and write a review of a show they have seen. Students also carry out individual projects and work in small groups.
Teaching Resources
Unit A
Shakespeare's Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet and various modern offshoots
Playtexts:
Hamlet, edited by Anne Thompson and Neil Taylor, Arden edition, 2006
Romeo and Juliet, edited by Brian Gibbons, Arden edition, 1980
Critical works:
Gurr, Andrew, The Shakespeare Stage, 1574-1642, Cambridge University Press, 1992.
Shapiro James, 1599: A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare, Faber and Faber, 2005.
Some critical essays on Shakespearean tragedy will be suggested at the beginning of the course.
Unit B
War, violence and conflict in Contemporary British Theatre
Playtexts:
Edward Bond, Saved, Methuen, 1966
Edward Bond, The War Plays. with a commentary by the author, Plays 6, Methuen, 1988
Harold Pinter, The Birthday Party, Plays one, Methuen, 1978
Eve Nicol, Svengali, Nicol McNichol, 2022
Critical works:
Michael Billington, State of the Nation: British Theatre Since 1945, Faber and Faber, 2000.
Margaret Rose, Storia del teatro inglese. L'Ottocento e il Novecento, Carocci, 2002.
Some critical essays on the plays in this unit will be suggested during the course.
Unit C
Eco-drama and theatre
Playtexts
Caryl Churchill, Not Not Not Not Not Enough Oxygen, Shorts, Nick Hern, 1990.
Caryl Churchill, Far Away, Nick Hern, 2003
Play your Part, Climate Change Theatre, ed. M. Rose, Milano University Press, 2022 (open access).
William Shakespeare, The Tempest, Virginia and Aulden T. Vaughan, Arden Edition, 1999.
Critical Works:
Cavecchi, Cristina, "Brave New World, The Tempest in Italian Prisons", special issue Will Forever Young Shakespeare and Contemporary Culture, Altre Modernità, 11, 2017, online.
Lavery, Carl, Performance and Ecology: What Can Theatre Do? (2018)
Ronchi, Angela, "Walking with Shakespeare in Romeo and Juliet's Garden" in Shakespeare, our Personal Trainer, Cambridge Scholars, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, eds., Margaret Rose, Cristina Paravano, Roberta Situlin, 2018.
Rose, M, Paravano, Cristina, "Why Shakespeare, our Personal Trainer?", Introduction, Shakespeare, our Personal Trainer, ibid.
Rose, M., "Gardens in Shakespeare's Day and in the 21st Century. Do we really need them?" in Shakespeare, our Personal Trainer, ibid.
Slagle, Dillon, "The Aesthetic Evolution of Eco Theater", 2013, an online essay.
Further reading for students who do not attend the course:
Edgar, David, How Plays Work, London, Nick Hern, 2003
Luigi Allegri. Manuale Minimo dello Spettatore, Bari, Laterza.
Melchiori, Giorgio, Shakespeare. Genesi e struttura delle opere, Bari, Laterza, 1994 (Introduction and the chapter, "Il mondo classico" pp. 511-556).
Shakespeare's Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet and various modern offshoots
Playtexts:
Hamlet, edited by Anne Thompson and Neil Taylor, Arden edition, 2006
Romeo and Juliet, edited by Brian Gibbons, Arden edition, 1980
Critical works:
Gurr, Andrew, The Shakespeare Stage, 1574-1642, Cambridge University Press, 1992.
Shapiro James, 1599: A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare, Faber and Faber, 2005.
Some critical essays on Shakespearean tragedy will be suggested at the beginning of the course.
Unit B
War, violence and conflict in Contemporary British Theatre
Playtexts:
Edward Bond, Saved, Methuen, 1966
Edward Bond, The War Plays. with a commentary by the author, Plays 6, Methuen, 1988
Harold Pinter, The Birthday Party, Plays one, Methuen, 1978
Eve Nicol, Svengali, Nicol McNichol, 2022
Critical works:
Michael Billington, State of the Nation: British Theatre Since 1945, Faber and Faber, 2000.
Margaret Rose, Storia del teatro inglese. L'Ottocento e il Novecento, Carocci, 2002.
Some critical essays on the plays in this unit will be suggested during the course.
Unit C
Eco-drama and theatre
Playtexts
Caryl Churchill, Not Not Not Not Not Enough Oxygen, Shorts, Nick Hern, 1990.
Caryl Churchill, Far Away, Nick Hern, 2003
Play your Part, Climate Change Theatre, ed. M. Rose, Milano University Press, 2022 (open access).
William Shakespeare, The Tempest, Virginia and Aulden T. Vaughan, Arden Edition, 1999.
Critical Works:
Cavecchi, Cristina, "Brave New World, The Tempest in Italian Prisons", special issue Will Forever Young Shakespeare and Contemporary Culture, Altre Modernità, 11, 2017, online.
Lavery, Carl, Performance and Ecology: What Can Theatre Do? (2018)
Ronchi, Angela, "Walking with Shakespeare in Romeo and Juliet's Garden" in Shakespeare, our Personal Trainer, Cambridge Scholars, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, eds., Margaret Rose, Cristina Paravano, Roberta Situlin, 2018.
Rose, M, Paravano, Cristina, "Why Shakespeare, our Personal Trainer?", Introduction, Shakespeare, our Personal Trainer, ibid.
Rose, M., "Gardens in Shakespeare's Day and in the 21st Century. Do we really need them?" in Shakespeare, our Personal Trainer, ibid.
Slagle, Dillon, "The Aesthetic Evolution of Eco Theater", 2013, an online essay.
Further reading for students who do not attend the course:
Edgar, David, How Plays Work, London, Nick Hern, 2003
Luigi Allegri. Manuale Minimo dello Spettatore, Bari, Laterza.
Melchiori, Giorgio, Shakespeare. Genesi e struttura delle opere, Bari, Laterza, 1994 (Introduction and the chapter, "Il mondo classico" pp. 511-556).
Assessment methods and Criteria
The exam is an oral one, during which the teacher asks questions. As well as general questions on the historical, social, cultural background of the authors and plays in the programme, there are questions on the specific playtexts. Each exam varies in length according to the number of credits the student requires. The exam is in English or Italian as the student prefers. The questions aim to assess whether the candidate is able to contextualise the plays in the specific historical, social and cultural background to which they belong, as well as assessing the student's ability to critically evaluate the plays in the programme. Questions aim to evaluate the student's ability to deploy critical terms and to engage with the critical works in the programme. She or he should also be able to offer a personal opinion on authors and works in the programme. The various questions and discussion are all part of the evaluation. The final mark (30 e lode maximum and 18 minimum, a pass) may be accepted or rejected by the student. If a student rejects the mark, her or his exam will be registered as ' ritirato'.
Incoming international and Erasmus students are asked to contact the teacher as soon as possible. Disabled students students and those with learning difficulties should discuss the exam with the teachers, together with the appropriate University Office, DSA.
Incoming international and Erasmus students are asked to contact the teacher as soon as possible. Disabled students students and those with learning difficulties should discuss the exam with the teachers, together with the appropriate University Office, DSA.
Unita' didattica A
L-LIN/10 - ENGLISH LITERATURE - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Unita' didattica B
L-LIN/10 - ENGLISH LITERATURE - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Unita' didattica C
L-LIN/10 - ENGLISH LITERATURE - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours