Read, view and discuss three dramas, focusing on the trajectory from play text to performance to better understand the playwrights and their impact on American and British theatre in the radically changing societies of the 1930s, 40s and 50s.Plays include: Awake and Sing! By Clifford Odets (1935), A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams (1947) and The Deep Blue Sea by Terence Rattigan(1952).
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This in-college course looks at British and American plays from the 1930s, 40s and 50s - different decades in theatre history that reflect and comment on the culture and society of their time.
What will we cover?
Awake and Sing!: Clifford Odets was a founding member of the Group Theatre in the 1930s. They considered themselves to be both artistic revolutionaries and social reformers. Their method demanded that they portray real life, the troubled life of their times: its issues, its conflicts, its dreams. The first production of Awake and Sing!, ran for 120 performances and inspired a new type of American drama.
A Streetcar Named Desire: "Tennessee Williams's sensuous, atmospheric plays transformed the American stage with their passion, exoticism and vibrant characters who rage against their personal demons and the modern world." (Penguin Classics:2000). Williams's critical view of the changing post-war landscape of the American South is explored through the emotional journey of the 'Southern belle', Blanche Dubois.
The Deep Blue Sea: Rattigan was one of the great British playwrights of the mid-20th century and a master of the ‘well-made play’. The play explores the era’s lack of openness about mental health, women’s struggles in 1950s British society and the issues often faced by men and women adjusting to life in the post-war world.
What will I achieve? By the end of this course you should be able to...
-Develop close reading skills to analyse a play text for meaning
-Develop your understanding of dramatic form
- Understand the main themes of the plays.
- Recognise the social and historical framework for the texts.
- Examine the relationship between the plays and the nature of the society which they reflect
- Appreciate the plays both as performance and literary texts.
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
You will need an enthusiasm for reading and discussing plays in large and small groups and be willing and able to do some reading and preparation outside the class. You will be interested in listening to the responses of other students to the work discussed. You will have a commitment to developing your analytical skills.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
Tutor lecture with a power point presentation, small and large group discussion; we will watch extracts of filmed plays, where possible, to further our understanding of text to performance. You will be asked to read the play before the relevant class and relevant materials will be provided by the lecturer.
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams (Methuen Drama: Feb. 2023)
The Deep Blue Sea by Terence Rattigan (Nick Hern Books 1999)
A copy of Awake and Sing by Clifford Odets will be provided by the lecturer.
When I've finished, what course can I do next?
Look for other drama courses in our programme under Culture, Humanities and History.
Patricia Sweeney is Programme Coordinator for Literature at City Lit. She has been working in the university and adult education sectors for over 20 years, with specialist teaching interests in American cultural studies, modern and contemporary British and American fiction, drama and film adaptation. In addition to her work at City Lit, Patricia has taught Literature courses for the Open University, Literature, Drama and Film courses for Birkbeck, University of London and contributed to MA and PGCE courses at the Institute of Education, University College London.
Please note: We reserve the right to change our tutors from those advertised. This happens rarely, but if it does, we are unable to refund fees due to this. Our tutors may have different teaching styles; however we guarantee a consistent quality of teaching in all our courses.
product
https://www.citylit.ac.uk/drama-in-society135899Drama in Societyhttps://www.citylit.ac.uk/media/catalog/category/poetry-1024.jpg159159GBPInStock/Courses/Courses/Culture, history & humanities/Courses/Culture, history & humanities/Literature/Courses/Culture, history & humanities/Literature/Poetry22851177118711901228511771187<p>Read, view and discuss three dramas, focusing on the trajectory from play text to performance to better understand the playwrights and their impact on American and British theatre in the radically changing societies of the 1930s, 40s and 50s.<strong> </strong>Plays include: <em>Awake and Sing!</em> By Clifford Odets (1935), <em>A Streetcar Named Desire</em> by Tennessee Williams (1947) and <em>The Deep Blue Sea</em> by Terence Rattigan(1952).</p> Going from 'text to performance', we will read, view and discuss Harold Pinter's ground-breaking drama of the 1960s, 'The Homecoming' and Anton Chekhov's final play, 'The Cherry Orchard', focusing on the trajectory from play text to performance to better understand their work and continuing influence on contemporary theatre.<br />
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Biographical information:<br />
Patricia Sweeney is Programme Coordinator for Literature and Film at City Lit, with specialist teaching interests in modern and contemporary literature, drama and film adaptation. In addition to her work at City Lit, Patricia has taught literature courses for the Open University and Literature, Drama and Film courses for Birkbeck, University of London.003074020Drama in Society159159https://www.citylit.ac.uk/media/catalog/category/poetry-1024.jpgInStockDaytimeThuKeeley StreetAvailable courses5-10 weeksWeekday2027-02-18T00:00:00+00:00Feb 2027Culture, history & humanitiesHLT405159159Drama in Society159103159Patricia Sweeneydrama-in-society/hlt405-2627<p>Read, view and discuss three dramas, focusing on the trajectory from play text to performance to better understand the playwrights and their impact on American and British theatre in the radically changing societies of the 1930s, 40s and 50s.<strong> </strong>Plays include: <em>Awake and Sing!</em> By Clifford Odets (1935), <em>A Streetcar Named Desire</em> by Tennessee Williams (1947) and <em>The Deep Blue Sea</em> by Terence Rattigan(1952).</p>0000-Available|2027-02-18 00:00:00<p>This in-college course looks at British and American plays from the 1930s, 40s and 50s - different decades in theatre history that reflect and comment on the culture and society of their time.</p><p>Read, view and discuss three dramas, focusing on the trajectory from play text to performance to better understand the playwrights and their impact on American and British theatre in the radically changing societies of the 1930s, 40s and 50s.<strong> </strong>Plays include: <em>Awake and Sing!</em> By Clifford Odets (1935), <em>A Streetcar Named Desire</em> by Tennessee Williams (1947) and <em>The Deep Blue Sea</em> by Terence Rattigan(1952).</p><p><em>Awake and Sing!</em>: Clifford Odets was a founding member of the Group Theatre in the 1930s. They considered themselves to be both artistic revolutionaries and social reformers. Their method demanded that they portray real life, the troubled life of their times: its issues, its conflicts, its dreams. The first production of<em> Awake and Sing!,</em> ran for 120 performances and inspired a new type of American drama. </p><p><em>A Streetcar Named Desire:</em> "Tennessee Williams's sensuous, atmospheric plays transformed the American stage with their passion, exoticism and vibrant characters who rage against their personal demons and the modern world." (Penguin Classics:2000). Williams's critical view of the changing post-war landscape of the American South is explored through the emotional journey of the 'Southern belle', Blanche Dubois. </p><p><em>The Deep Blue Sea</em>: Rattigan was one of the great British playwrights of the mid-20th century and a master of the ‘well-made play’. The play explores the era’s lack of openness about mental health, women’s struggles in 1950s British society and the issues often faced by men and women adjusting to life in the post-war world.</p><p>-Develop close reading skills to analyse a play text for meaning</p><p>-Develop your understanding of dramatic form</p><p>- Understand the main themes of the plays.</p><p>- Recognise the social and historical framework for the texts.</p><p>- Examine the relationship between the plays and the nature of the society which they reflect </p><p>- Appreciate the plays both as performance and literary texts.</p><p>You will need an enthusiasm for reading and discussing plays in large and small groups and be willing and able to do some reading and preparation outside the class. You will be interested in listening to the responses of other students to the work discussed. You will have a commitment to developing your analytical skills.</p><p>Tutor lecture with a power point presentation, small and large group discussion; we will watch extracts of filmed plays, where possible, to further our understanding of text to performance. You will be asked to read the play before the relevant class and relevant materials will be provided by the lecturer.</p><p> </p><p><em>A Streetcar Named Desire </em>by Tennessee Williams<em> </em> (Methuen Drama: Feb. 2023)</p><p><em>The Deep Blue Sea</em> by Terence Rattigan (Nick Hern Books 1999)</p><p>A copy of<em> Awake and Sing </em>by Clifford Odets will be provided by the lecturer.</p><p> </p><p>Look for other drama courses in our programme under Culture, Humanities and History.</p>LiteraturePoetryvirtual159159103HLT405NONEThu18/02/27 - 25/03/2715:00 - 17:0015:0017:006 sessions (over 6 weeks)65-10 weeksDaytimeWeekdayKSKeeley StreetPatricia SweeneyAvailable courses2027-02-18T00:00:00+00:00Feb 2027Culture, history & humanities159159Drama in Societydrama-in-society/hlt405-2627<p>Read, view and discuss three dramas, focusing on the trajectory from play text to performance to better understand the playwrights and their impact on American and British theatre in the radically changing societies of the 1930s, 40s and 50s.<strong> </strong>Plays include: <em>Awake and Sing!</em> By Clifford Odets (1935), <em>A Streetcar Named Desire</em> by Tennessee Williams (1947) and <em>The Deep Blue Sea</em> by Terence Rattigan(1952).</p>0000-Available|2027-02-18 00:00:00<p>This in-college course looks at British and American plays from the 1930s, 40s and 50s - different decades in theatre history that reflect and comment on the culture and society of their time.</p><p>Read, view and discuss three dramas, focusing on the trajectory from play text to performance to better understand the playwrights and their impact on American and British theatre in the radically changing societies of the 1930s, 40s and 50s.<strong> </strong>Plays include: <em>Awake and Sing!</em> By Clifford Odets (1935), <em>A Streetcar Named Desire</em> by Tennessee Williams (1947) and <em>The Deep Blue Sea</em> by Terence Rattigan(1952).</p><p><em>Awake and Sing!</em>: Clifford Odets was a founding member of the Group Theatre in the 1930s. They considered themselves to be both artistic revolutionaries and social reformers. Their method demanded that they portray real life, the troubled life of their times: its issues, its conflicts, its dreams. The first production of<em> Awake and Sing!,</em> ran for 120 performances and inspired a new type of American drama. </p><p><em>A Streetcar Named Desire:</em> "Tennessee Williams's sensuous, atmospheric plays transformed the American stage with their passion, exoticism and vibrant characters who rage against their personal demons and the modern world." (Penguin Classics:2000). Williams's critical view of the changing post-war landscape of the American South is explored through the emotional journey of the 'Southern belle', Blanche Dubois. </p><p><em>The Deep Blue Sea</em>: Rattigan was one of the great British playwrights of the mid-20th century and a master of the ‘well-made play’. The play explores the era’s lack of openness about mental health, women’s struggles in 1950s British society and the issues often faced by men and women adjusting to life in the post-war world.</p><p>-Develop close reading skills to analyse a play text for meaning</p><p>-Develop your understanding of dramatic form</p><p>- Understand the main themes of the plays.</p><p>- Recognise the social and historical framework for the texts.</p><p>- Examine the relationship between the plays and the nature of the society which they reflect </p><p>- Appreciate the plays both as performance and literary texts.</p><p>You will need an enthusiasm for reading and discussing plays in large and small groups and be willing and able to do some reading and preparation outside the class. You will be interested in listening to the responses of other students to the work discussed. You will have a commitment to developing your analytical skills.</p><p>Tutor lecture with a power point presentation, small and large group discussion; we will watch extracts of filmed plays, where possible, to further our understanding of text to performance. You will be asked to read the play before the relevant class and relevant materials will be provided by the lecturer.</p><p> </p><p><em>A Streetcar Named Desire </em>by Tennessee Williams<em> </em> (Methuen Drama: Feb. 2023)</p><p><em>The Deep Blue Sea</em> by Terence Rattigan (Nick Hern Books 1999)</p><p>A copy of<em> Awake and Sing </em>by Clifford Odets will be provided by the lecturer.</p><p> </p><p>Look for other drama courses in our programme under Culture, Humanities and History.</p>LiteraturePoetryconfigurable
11901187Poetryhttps://www.citylit.ac.uk/courses/humanities/literature/poetry1/2/285/1177/1187/11901/Courses/Culture, history & humanities/Literature/Poetry
