Morley College

Courses in From Greek Tragedy to Ibsen: A Crash course in the History of Plays - Online

Discover the fascinating story of world theatre while you read some iconic plays! Lectures will explain each period's theatre buildings, performance styles, and industry conditions to give you a new perspective on each playwright's work. Whole group reading and in-depth discussion will open up a range of major plays. Covering the Ancient Greeks, the Spanish Golden Age, French Neoclassical drama, the English Restoration stage, 18th-century German Sturm-und-Drang movement, and the birth of the modern theatre with Ibsen and Chekhov, this course will expand your knowledge and love of classic drama. We will also look at how 20th and 21st-century directors have reinterpreted the plays we discuss. Achievement on your course will be measured by whether you meet the following learning outcomes. At the start of the course, you will have an opportunity to discuss these with your tutor and set your own personal targets, linked to the learning outcomes and future goals, i.e., progression to an advanced-level course.

By the end of this course, you will be able to: appreciate a range of classic plays in context; identify the key features of theatrical productions in each period studied; understand the issues a director today needs to consider when staging a classic play from these periods.

Half of the sessions will involve reading plays together during the class – if you would prefer not to read aloud and would rather listen, that's absolutely fine, and you can just let the tutor know. Excellent attendance and punctuality will be required for all students. This course will include some completion of activities outside of class time, e.g., preparation of favourite exercises to share with fellow students.

Mode of delivery: online only via live stream. We will be using Microsoft Teams as our online platform for live-stream. The first class on each period studied will be a lecture-style format covering the style and conditions of the professional theatre industry at that time, and a presentation on more recent major productions of plays from that era. This will be followed by a group reading session, where the class reads selected plays together and then discusses the themes and style. ? To ensure that you make the best possible progress on your course, you will have regular and detailed feedback from your tutor, in a constructive and supportive environment.