Is drama still a relevant literary medium in the 21st century? How can dramatic literature help us to analyse and address contemporary issues and trends? This proseminar will try to answer these questions by offering a critical overview and analysis of a range of 21st century British drama and performances. Students enrolled in this course will explore the critical features of contemporary playwriting and its main sub-genres, including verbatim, political, documentary, and new experimental theatre. The proseminar will cover a broad spectrum of work by key living British dramatists, such as Mike Bartlett, Lucy Kirkwood, Duncan Macmillan and Caryl Churchill, as well as that of emerging voices, such as Suzie Miller and Nadia Fall. The dramatic texts analysed will engage with important present-day issues, including Brexit, homelessness, violence, sexual abuse, gender politics, new technologies, globalisation and climate change. At the end of the proseminar, students will be invited to reflect on the importance of contemporary drama as a relevant site of collective self-reflection for addressing the most pressing concerns of the new millennium. They will also be encouraged to consider how theatre can be a significant tool to negotiate national and cultural identity issues and the ever-contested notion of ‘Britishness’.
List of plays
• Mike Bartlett Albion (2016)
• Duncan Macmillan Lungs (2013)
• Lucy Kirkwood Chimerica (2013)
• Nadia Fall Home (2013)
• Suzie Miller Prima Facie (2019)
• Caryl Churchill Love and Information (2011)
Trigger warning: this course addresses potentially distressing topics, including climate change, sexual abuse, violence and realities of terror and torture.
- Teacher: Jole Fontanesi
- Non-editing teacher: Julia Straub