‘To act or not to act, that is the question’. Have you ever dreamt of being Macbeth, Helen of Troy, Anthony or Cleopatra? Dream no more. Allow your dreams to become reality.

This course follows Anglophone drama from Shakespeare to the present day and gives you the opportunity not only of studying the various texts but also of bringing them to life by ACTING them. Enter the world of Shakespeare, Harold Pinter, Oscar Wilde, Quentin Tarantino, by becoming one of their characters.

The course, after a brief introduction to the history of the theatre and to the language and management of the theatrical space, is based on the study of extracts from a variety of Anglophone playwrights. It alternates between critical analysis of the various texts and the actual acting of the scenes. It includes the use of video both to watch ‘classical’ versions of some plays and also to capture some of the performances in class.

The climax of the course is a ‘theatre weekend’ in London with at least one visit to ‘Shakespeare’s Globe theatre’ and one other performance. Last year’s course also led to a group production at the annual garden party of the OECD in Paris.

Bibliography Coursebook provided in class with a series of extracts ‘The Empty Space’ Peter Brook, (Penguin, 1968) ‘The Theatre and Its Double’ Antonin Artaud, (Gallimard, 1964) ‘The Theatre – A Concise History’ Phyllis Hartnol, (The World of Art, 2003) ‘The Theory of the Modern Stage’ Eric Bentley, (Penguin, 1968) ‘Macbeth’ William Shakespeare, (Macmillan) ‘Collected Works’ Oscar Wilde, (Chancellor) ‘Collected Works’ Harold Pinter, (Faber and Faber) ‘Pulp Fiction’ Quentin Tarantino, (Faber and Faber)

Continuous assessment will be based on student participation in both class analysis of texts and in performance. It will not be based on acting ability but on desire to take part. Learning lines by heart will be an integral part of the class.

Dernière mise à jour : mardi 4 janvier 2011