OLLI0120 - Theater as Literature: The One-Act Play

Course Description

The course will focus on the analysis of dramatic works, with the reading and discussion of one-act plays. In certain respects, the reading of a play transforms the reader into a type of director, who can imagine inflection of the lines and a staging of the work. The course will be virtual and limited in the number of participants, so that the class sessions will be open—fittingly—to dialogue. The plays will include selections by August Strindberg, Anton Chekhov, Ferenc Molnar, Alice Dunbar Nelson, Louise Bryant, Arnold Bennett, Susan Glaspell, Alice Gerstenberg, Joseph Shipley, and others. Participants will receive files with copies of the play texts and “points to consider.” The readings will average approximately 45 pages per session. Limited to 25 participants. Watch video