Performance in an Irish Context

This course explores the performance tradition of Irish theatre. Students learn to present the text, language and predominantly historical rural landscape of Irish playwrights including Friel, Beckett, and Marina Carr. This experience will then be developed into the creation of personal research narratives for performance, drawing on a contrasting sense of place. This will be complemented by engagement with the political and social realities of the city. Through a carefully structured program, students will learn ways to understand and approach the role of silence in Beckett, voice in Friel, or the shaping by landscape of characters, language, and movement in Carr. Students will respond to the visual and social prompts of the city of Dublin as they are stimulated and nurtured to develop source material for performance and presentation. Note: This course has supplemental fees for theatrical entrances and other field activities.