10738 Theater and Society

Credits: 6 intermediate credits in Theater or in Literature or in Sociology & Anthropology

Prerequisites: none

Recommended: Experiencing Theater: Introduction to Drama and the Theater

Author: Dan Urian

The course offers a comprehensive methodology for studying the social aspects of theater through the repertoire of Israeli theater. The underlying assumption is that theater does not actually reflect reality, but rather constructs it to fit certain needs of different groups in society. In spite of this, or perhaps because of this, the relationship between theater and the social reality may be used to expose existing conflicts. Methodological concepts are adopted from literary, social and cultural theory. The discussion begins with the social and cultural background of the play, continues with its components and ends with its reception. The proposed methodology for studying theater can be applied, with some changes, to the study of other cultural texts. The course includes viewing plays. The materials include the course book, a reader, and four plays.

Topics: Context; Repertoire; Field; Intention; Intertextuality; Text: characters, socio-narrative, socio-semiotics, socio-linguistics; Reception and influences.