British Theatre Studies and Performance
A.Y. 2023/2024
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: "British Theatre and Drama, a stage for our contemporary world: from Gender and Sexuality to Environmental issues" (40/60 hours, 6/9 CFU)
Unit A (20 hours, 3 CFU): Shakespeare, gender and sexuality.
Unit B (20 hours, 3 CFU): Contemporary theatre, gender and sexuality.
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 2025
DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAMME In Unit A, will explore gender and sexuality in three Shakespearean comedies, Taming of the Shrew, As You Like it and The Merchant of Venice, in the public and private spheres. Our focus will be on the ways these plays include new, often subversive presentations of womanhood which challenge the rules of patriarchy, suggesting new interpersonal relationships and a possible new social order. In Unit B, our focus is on twentieth- and twenty-first century plays, by writers like Caryl Churchill, Jo Clifford, Frances Pope, Eve Nicol, which grapple with questions of gender and sexuality, seeking more fluid gender identities and new ways of living together in a society which is increasingly multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and non-binary. In Unit C we address the politics and aesthetics of the rising phenomenon of Eco theatre, highlighting the settings of these plays, which might be natural environments and\or site specific, as well as production and marketing values, which aim to be environmentally sustainable. Many plays, such as Caryl Churchill's Not Not Not Not Not Enough Oxygen, Nathan Ellis's Us in the Past and the works in Play Your Part. Climate Change Theatre, most of them inspired by Shakespeare's The Tempest, explore the terrible impact of climate change, at the same time offering possible ways forward. Students will be asked to write their own short eco-play and perform it.
Unit A (20 hours, 3 CFU): Shakespeare, gender and sexuality.
Unit B (20 hours, 3 CFU): Contemporary theatre, gender and sexuality.
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 2025
DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAMME In Unit A, will explore gender and sexuality in three Shakespearean comedies, Taming of the Shrew, As You Like it and The Merchant of Venice, in the public and private spheres. Our focus will be on the ways these plays include new, often subversive presentations of womanhood which challenge the rules of patriarchy, suggesting new interpersonal relationships and a possible new social order. In Unit B, our focus is on twentieth- and twenty-first century plays, by writers like Caryl Churchill, Jo Clifford, Frances Pope, Eve Nicol, which grapple with questions of gender and sexuality, seeking more fluid gender identities and new ways of living together in a society which is increasingly multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and non-binary. In Unit C we address the politics and aesthetics of the rising phenomenon of Eco theatre, highlighting the settings of these plays, which might be natural environments and\or site specific, as well as production and marketing values, which aim to be environmentally sustainable. Many plays, such as Caryl Churchill's Not Not Not Not Not Enough Oxygen, Nathan Ellis's Us in the Past and the works in Play Your Part. Climate Change Theatre, most of them inspired by Shakespeare's The Tempest, explore the terrible impact of climate change, at the same time offering possible ways forward. Students will be asked to write their own short eco-play and perform it.
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. This year they will write and perform their own eco-play.
Teaching Resources
Unit A
Playtexts:
"Taming of the Shrew", edited by Barbara Hodgdon, and introduction, Arden edition.
"As You Like it", edited by Juliet Dusinberre, and introduction, Arden edition.
"Merchant of Venice", edited by John Drakasis, and introduction, Arden edition.
Critical Works
Gurr, Andrew, "The Shakespeare Stage, 1574-1642", Cambridge University Press, 1992.
Kate Aughterson, Ailsa Grant Ferguson, "Shakespeare
and Gender, Sex and Sexuality in Shakespeare's plays.
Some critical essays on Shakespearean comedy and gender will be suggested during the course.
Unit B
Playtexts:
Caryl Churchill, Top Girls, Methuen, 1986
Jo Clifford, Eve, Oberon Books, 2017
Frances Pope, Adam, Nick Hern Books, 2020
Eve Nicol, Svengali, Nicol McNichol, 2022
Critical works:
J. Paul Halferty and Cathy Leeney, Analysing Gender in Peformance, Palgrave, Macmillan, 2022.
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.
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.
Visits to the theatre and Milan's Botanical Garden
We recommend:
Caryl Churchill's Top Girls, Teatro Carcano, 31 January to 4 February
I corpi di Elisabetta, Teatro Elfo Puccini, 17 gennaio-11 febbraio.
Mulino'arte's production, L'altro mondo, Teatro Filodrammatici, 21-24 March.
Salveremo il mondo prima dell'alba, Teatro Elfo Puccini, 9-28 aprile.
Limited Edition, Piccolo Teatro, 9-11 maggio
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).
Playtexts:
"Taming of the Shrew", edited by Barbara Hodgdon, and introduction, Arden edition.
"As You Like it", edited by Juliet Dusinberre, and introduction, Arden edition.
"Merchant of Venice", edited by John Drakasis, and introduction, Arden edition.
Critical Works
Gurr, Andrew, "The Shakespeare Stage, 1574-1642", Cambridge University Press, 1992.
Kate Aughterson, Ailsa Grant Ferguson, "Shakespeare
and Gender, Sex and Sexuality in Shakespeare's plays.
Some critical essays on Shakespearean comedy and gender will be suggested during the course.
Unit B
Playtexts:
Caryl Churchill, Top Girls, Methuen, 1986
Jo Clifford, Eve, Oberon Books, 2017
Frances Pope, Adam, Nick Hern Books, 2020
Eve Nicol, Svengali, Nicol McNichol, 2022
Critical works:
J. Paul Halferty and Cathy Leeney, Analysing Gender in Peformance, Palgrave, Macmillan, 2022.
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.
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.
Visits to the theatre and Milan's Botanical Garden
We recommend:
Caryl Churchill's Top Girls, Teatro Carcano, 31 January to 4 February
I corpi di Elisabetta, Teatro Elfo Puccini, 17 gennaio-11 febbraio.
Mulino'arte's production, L'altro mondo, Teatro Filodrammatici, 21-24 March.
Salveremo il mondo prima dell'alba, Teatro Elfo Puccini, 9-28 aprile.
Limited Edition, Piccolo Teatro, 9-11 maggio
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 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 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