This course introduces students to the evolution of Chinese theatre from its inception to the present, examining developments in dramatic literature, theatrical performance, spectatorship and other areas of interest to the students, as well as the way in which the development of Chinese theatre engages historical experience and interacts with significant social, political, and cultural issues. In doing so, students will read from sources in theatre, literature, history, and art, as well as examining pertinent visual materials (slides, videos). Through the research, discussion, lectures and viewings in this course, it is expected that upon completion students will: 1) demonstrate an understanding of major developments in Chinese theatre in each historical period covered by the course, including the pre-Yuan period, the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, and the twentieth and twenty-first centuries; 2) distinguish major performance characteristics of each form of Chinese theatre examined, including Yuan zaju, Ming chuanqi and kunqu (Kun opera), Qing and later jingju (Beijing opera), huaju (spoken drama), and several regional forms of xiqu (Chinese opera); 3) analyze Chinese dramatic texts in English translation with reference to stylistic qualities, theatrical conventions, historical context, and social and cultural circumstances and value systems; and 4) demonstrate the way in which theories and socio-cultural systems shaped Chinese theatre in each historical period and theatre form examined in the course. Undergraduates enroll in the 400-level section; 500-level section is for graduate students only. Prerequisite: junior level or above or permission of instructor
Course Attributes: EN H; AS HUM; AS LCD; AS SD I; FA HUM; AR HUM
Music and Performance
DRAMA 4370
In his 1998 book, Musicking, Christopher Small asserts that music is not a thing but an activity-something that people do. Starting from this premise, this course explores musical performance as a live event, one in which additional aspects of performance-dramatic enactments, costume, choreography, and stage design-also come into play. While recorded music plays an important role in our investigations, we focus on musical events that take place before and with live audiences. Exploring the choices of performers and the expectations of audience members in settings from gospel churches to Radio City Music Hall, this course moves through a wide variety of musical genres, including cabaret, blues, opera, protest song, musical theater, and rock. We examine artists whose work blurs the line between "music" and "theater," including George Clinton, Taylor Mac, and Gertrude Stein, as well as everyday people, such as the singers of the Civil Rights Movement, who used the power of live musical performance to change the course of human history. We also attend performances around St. Louis, guided by the interests of the class. Students with an interest in music, theater, dance, cultural history, American studies, and African American studies are especially welcome.
Course Attributes: EN H; BU Hum; AS HUM
Borders and Boundaries
DRAMA 4310
International borders affect you every day. In the United States and elsewhere, they play a role in determining whether you are a birthright citizen or an unauthorized migrant. They showcase a nation's ability or inability to guarantee your wellbeing. They factor into immigration, asylum, and national security debates. Those who live near an international border often deal with a particular set of issues. Living in an either/or environment can impel border residents to strategically recognize or deny cultural forms-to be hyper patriotic, for example, to speak one language at home and another at school, or to understand gender, sexuality, race and ethnicity in site-specific ways. This course will draw from the work of performance theorists, playwrights, anthropologists, historians, and geographers to write critically about and devise artistic work that opens up foundational theories, debates, and genealogies in the study of borders and boundaries. This course will use North America as its primary reference point, but it will also draw our attention to border and boundary dynamics elsewhere to think about global challenges such as forced migration and climate change.
Course Attributes: EN H; AS HUM; AS SC
History of Western Costume
DRAMA 396
Of particular interest to fashion, history, anthropology, and performing arts majors, this course is an exploration into the clothing worn by predominantly Western cultures from Ancient Greece through the 1990s. Lectures incorporating images of extant garments, sculpture, art, and photographs will inspire discussion regarding the influences on fashion evolution and the cyclical nature of fashion. Assessment is by exam, the first of which is on the fifth class meeting, so this is not a recommended course to "shop."
Course Attributes: EN H; BU Hum; AS HUM; FA HUM; AR HUM; FA VC
Theater Space in Historical Practice
DRAMA 3012
This course examines select theatre spaces from across the globe and from a long span of human history, from caves used in the upper paleolithic era to contemporary digitally-supported sensory experiences. We will treat theatre space as a socially generated phenomenon produced in many cultures that dynamically links performers and audiences. Theatre space will be used as a gathering concept through which many facets of performance culture can be examined, including architecture, scenography, script, and the physical features of embodied communication. Beyond this, theatre space also illuminates myriad aspects of the cultural practice of theatre, including social difference (especially gender and class), economic activity, and political representation. Distinct theories of historical space will be introduced and examples of historical theatre space will include Ancient Greece, Edo Japan, Neo-Classical France, Golden Age Spain, Classical India, and twentieth-century Environmental Scenography. The core of the reading for this course will be representative or exemplary playscripts that help open up interpretive approaches to historical theatre and performance space. This course fulfills the "Studies in Historical Practice" requirement for Drama majors and minors.
Course Attributes: EN H; AS HUM; FA VC
This is a continuation course in the theory and practice of Xingyiquan (Hsing Yi Ch'uan). It is one of the three great systems of Wu Dang Internal Arts, along with Taijiquan (T'ai Chi Ch'uan) and Baguazhang (Ba Gua Chang). The purpose of these exercises is to help students gain bodily strength, balance, flexibility, peace of mind, relaxation, and improved circulation. Xingyiquan may also be used for self-defense; it features straightforward defense techniques, with specialization of upper-body movements. This course builds upon the foundational courses in Five Elements and Twelve Animals. Students will learn two short linking forms that utilize the skills and techniques learned in the two foundational courses. Students should wear loose-fitting clothing and sneakers. Readings in Daoist texts are assigned, along with readings on the history, philosophy, and technique of this art. Prerequisites: U31 238 and U31 239, or instructor permission. Students admitted to the Certificate in Somatic Studies must take this course for a letter grade. Students may enroll no more than two times.
Course Attributes:
On Location: The Broadway Musical: Performing and Mapping Race and Gender on the NY Stage and Street
DRAMA 4791
This course will be of particular interest to students in Performing Arts, Music, Urban Studies, History, African and African American Studies, and Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies-all of which fall under the broad umbrella of American Culture Studies. Graduate students and advanced undergraduates are welcome. Interested Individuals will need to complete and submit an application. Applications open January 17, 2023. Those selected to participate in this program will receive full tuition remission for the course and American Culture Studies will cover the majority of travel costs associated with this class. For application details and more information, please see https://amcs.wustl.edu/onlocation#
Course Attributes: EN H; AS HUM
Asian and Asian Diaspora Theatre
DRAMA 388
This course provides an introduction to Asian American theatre, which had its formal beginnings in the early 1970s with a newly minted and often politically founded purpose. Through the reading of dramatic works and critical studies, this course explores Asian American theatrical works as narrative creators, as well as interventions in the dominant culture environment in which they developed. This course also explores the multiplicity of identities - race, gender, class - revealed in Asian American theatre, as well as the ways in which these waves of Asian immigration and generations have expressed themselves theatrically. All readings are in English and are available on Canvas.
Course Attributes: EN H; AS HUM; AS LCD; AS SC
