assignment3

The purpose of this assignment is to help you demonstrate your understanding of the history of the theatrical genres of realism, naturalism, anti-realism and absurdism, and feminist theatre, as well as to identify the genre of a theatrical production by its content and identification with a specific aesthetic or cultural movement. In doing so, you will better understand how theatrical productions reflect the ideas of the culture that produce them.

Submit your answers to ALL of the following questions to the Assignment tool entitled Extra Credit

-  Use MLA in-text and works cited formats for your citation of sources.

-  DO NOT cite sources like Wikipedia, sparknotes, shmoop, ask.com, cliffnotes, enotes, etc.

1.     Include your play’s title, playwright, genre, and give a plot summary (in your own words).

2.     How do both the (1) content of your play’s script and (2) specific aesthetic or cultural movement define its genre? Is it a tragedy or a comedy? Be specific. Include biographical and historical information about the playwright and the times in which the play was written and produced.

3.     What were the reactions to the play at the time it was produced? Include information from literary criticism and/or reviews from the time in which the play was produced.

4.     Choose a character from the play. Reference Theatrical Worlds, Chapter 2 pp. 61-62, “Reading Plays Like an Actor.” Name your chosen character and include information from the script about this character’s : past, language, stage directions, references, and objectives. How does your character reflect the times/culture in which the play was written?

Play List:

Henrik Ibsen- Ghosts

Anton Chekhov- The Seagull

George Bernard Shaw- Mrs. Warren’s Confession

August Strindberg- Miss Julie

Emile Zola -Therese Raquin

Tennessee Williams- A Streetcar Named Desire

Eugene O’Neill- Long Day’s Journey Into Night

Lillian Hellman -The Children’s Hour

Arthur Miller- A View from the Bridge

Manuel Puig- Kiss of the Spiderwoman

Milcha Sanchez-Scott - Roosters

Wendy Wasserstein- Uncommon Women and Others 

Frank Wedekind- Spring Awakening

Samuel Beckett-Waiting for Godot

Edward Albee- The American Dream 

Bertolt Brecht-Mother Courage and Her Children

Eve Ensler-Necessary Targets