Program Description
This three-week course will explore the diversity of theatrical offerings in London as it aims to give students a wide-ranging, diverse, historically rich understanding of British theater as it is practiced today in both traditional and experimental venues. We will attend nine plays, ranging from performances of Shakespeare and Restoration Comedy to classics of the modern British stage and contemporary works by leading dramatists. We will be especially attentive to the complex ways in which certain British theatrical institutions -- The Royal Shakespeare Company, The National Theater, The Old Vic, The Haymarket -- present quite different styles of production based on varying aesthetic aspirations. In addition to attending performances, the class will meet several times each week to discuss each theatrical production. We will draw on published texts of performed works as well as relevant critical and theoretical writings. Among the topics we will tackle: Can one recreate the experience of the original production of a given theatrical work -- and should one aim to do so? What contemporary concerns are brought to bear on performances of Shakespeare? Why did Realism and Naturalism dominate the British stage throughout the 1940s, 1950s and the early 1960s? How were such traditions challenged in the Absurdist theater of Beckett and the antic farces of Joe Orton? What was the meaning of the drama of the Angry Young Men movement and in what ways did the new feminist playwrights react against such works? What concerns characterize British playwrights today? How do the various elements of a given theatrical production -- text, music, props, scenery, the choices of individual actors, directorial aims -- shape a given production?

A key feature of the class will be a regular engagement with the daily critical reception of current theatrical productions as published in London newspapers, in which heated controversy and lively debate are expected. (Reviews will be posted on our class's web bulletin board.) The class will participate in a guided tour of Shakespeare's Globe Theater, recreated on London's South Bank, and when possible we will meet with actors, directors, producers, and critics in order to explore the mechanics of theatrical production. The 2008-2009 London season is an exciting one, with possible productions of works by Shakespeare, Congreve, Beckett, Shaw, Wilde, Bennett, Osborne, Orton, Pinter, Hare, and Churchill among others. All written work for the course (which includes three short theater reviews and a final 12-page paper) will be due one month after the London part of our class is concluded.

Students will be housed in the new Nido Student Living ( http://www.nidostudentliving.com), located in central London minutes from King's Cross Station and the British Library. Classes will also be held at the Nido Student Living, a location that includes wireless internet access, a gym, and a cafe-restaurant. Students will gather for two group meals--a New Year's Eve dinner on the Thames and a final class dinner at London's popular Sarastro Restaurant.

Academic Inquiries
Prof. Richard Kaye, English Dept.
HW1214
Phone: 212-772-5743
Email: krichar@hunter.cuny.edu

Administrative Inquiries
Education Abroad Office E1447, Monday - Friday 9:30 am - 5:30pm
Phone: (212) 772-4983 
Fax: (212) 772-5005
E-Mail: edabroad@hunter.cuny.edu