Theatre Arts 350TC - Stage Spectacle/Tech/Effects

We go to performances, in part, for the spectacle: for visions that thrill and compel us to look. This course will offer analysis of the different ways in which stage spectacle can work its magic. Consideration will be given to the use of the performer's body, deployment of stage violence, the appearance of animals, and the development of stage technologies. Certain plays will provide case studies, including Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus and Midsummer Night's Dream, Takeda Izumo et al.'s Chushingura, Dion Boucicault's The Corsican Brothers, and the National Theatre of Scotland's Black Watch. Some reading of theory, from Aristotle to Artaud, will assist us.

This course is open to juniors and seniors; Prereq: 8 credits in Theatre Arts including THEAT-251 or THEAT-252.