Practitioners in Context (DRA1009)

30 credits

Theatre is deeply connected to the time and place of its creation. It is shaped by sociocultural factors and by its constitutive elements. These are many, as theatre is made collaboratively by combining artistic disciplines (e.g. writing, acting, composing, designing). Therefore, we need to contextualise theatre to gain a deeper understanding of what it means. This involves historicising it: linking what happens onstage to what is happening, and what has happened, offstage – not just ‘behind the scenes’, but in society.

This is what this theatre history module does. It will introduce you to some important and influential modern Western theatre practitioners, situating them in their cultural and historical contexts. The module will inform you about the richness and diversity of 20th century theatre, as well as its connections with culture and society, both historical and present-day.