Gwybodaeth Modiwlau

1. To develop an understanding of contemporary experimental British drama.
2. To develop methodology an vocabulary relating to relevant theories of theatre and drama.
3. To develop an informal and thorough discourse of critique of contemporary British drama and theatre.
4. To provide opportunities for assessing theatre artists'practice in the light of theory and criticism

This module considers (i) examples of experimental British drama from 1970 to the present which have deliberately chosen to break with dominant modes and expectations of naturalism and realism (ii) the extent of their possible identification as a form of 'new expressionism' - and demands discussion of the similarities and differences in style and objective between the drama considered and "classical" forms of dramatic expressionism, usually associated primarily with German drama of the interwar period (distinctions between epic and postmodern forms of drama will also be sought) (iii) the ways in which the texts selected, though manifested as drama, call conventional terms of theatre and theatricality into question .
Particular attention will be paid to issues involved in (i) staging explicit and violent scenes as a deliberate challenge to artistic and social terms of control (ii) problems of dramatizing the non-rational (iii) use of deliberate references to earlier theatrical forms (Greek, Renaissance, Restoration) and subversion of conventional notions of theatricality, and (iv) the use of stylised language and challenging stage directions to create an urgent and visceral modern poetics of stage performance and mise-en-scene.
Whilst there is a strong argument for the parallel consideration of non-text-based contemporary expressionist performance, it is envisaged that this might form part of another module, or a substantial augmentation and reorientation of this one, at a later date.