Key Texts of 20th and 21st century drama: The Glass Menagerie, The Judas Kiss, Sweat

What is the course about?

This in-college course explores the themes, characterisation and dramatic technique of three key plays. We will imagine the various practical and artistic challenges that come with transforming the printed script into a fully realised theatre production, analysing issues such as casting, lighting and stage space to inform our thinking.

We will explore the social, cultural and historical contexts of each play’s original production, as well as the different contexts in which they have been performed over time. In addition, we will survey how the plays have been received by professional theatre critics and interpreted by drama scholars.

What will we cover?

We will explore why the three set authors are commonly thought to have made an important contribution to the theatre arts arena. In doing so, we will engage with a variety of dramatic styles: Williams’s ‘memory play’, with its blend of realism and expressionism; Hare’s neo-Victorian treatment of the life of Oscar Wilde; Nottage’s interview-informed depiction of twenty-first-century workers in a Rust Belt U.S. state.

We will investigate how the plays were received by audiences and critics when first performed, alongside the playwrights’ own commentary on their work as recorded in writing and/or in interviews. Insights from contemporary academic fields such as queer theory and disability studies will further illuminate our discussion of the texts.

The three plays deal with subjects that continue to engage the attention of audiences, readers and critics alike. The inter-connections between past, present and future in The Glass Menagerie, the radical reinterpretation of a cultural icon in The Judas Kiss, and the brutally frank depiction of a de-industrialised community in Sweat, all lend themselves to extended reflection and debate. While each text will be examined individually, the course encourages participants to identify and explore common connections between them. Friendship and betrayal, social marginalisation, the workings of memory, and the complexities of racial and class identities, are just some of the themes which serve to connect two or more of the plays.

What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...

• Discuss a range of plays in an informed and confident manner
• Understand the contexts in which plays were written and performed
• Identify the different ways in which characters are brought to life on both page and stage
• Appreciate the distinctive features and qualities of the performance text

What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?

You will need an enthusiasm for reading and discussing plays and an interest in hearing the views of others.
You need to be willing to do some preparatory reading before each session to ensure class discussion has depth and focus.

How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?

There will be a mixture of tutor presentation and small and whole-group discussion. We will read key scenes from each play aloud in class and try to capture as far as possible the dramatic effects of the playscript. You will only take part in readings if you wish to.

Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?

You will need to buy or borrow copies of the three set plays:

The Glass Menagerie (preferably the Methuen Edition, edited by Daniel Ciba, Bloomsbury, 2023)

The Judas Kiss (any Faber edition)

Sweat (Nick Hern Books, 2018)

All additional materials will be supplied by the tutor.

When I've finished, what course can I do next?

Look up other drama/literature courses under Culture, History and Humanities at www.citylit.ac.uk.