WGS-340 Women on Stage
Examines the history of female portrayal on the Western stage including women in Shakespeare and other early modern plays (when female characters were played by men); in Restoration comedy; the works of Oscar Wilde and George Bernard Shaw; and 20th and 21st century depictions of women on stage, including in the works of authors such as Lillian Hellman, Lorraine Hansberry, Caryl Churchill, Paula Vogel, Suzan-Lori Parks, Rebecca Gilman, and Sarah Ruhl. Students develop familiarity with key concepts in performance theory including catharsis, Brecht's alienation effect, and the distinction between performance and the performative.