Make Space: Black Playwrights Creating, Claiming, Resisting, and Existing
This seminar makes space for Black playwrights.  We will begin our focus with August Wilson, who despite his critically acclaimed ten-play cycle chronicling the experience of African-Americans remains unknown to many students. We will explore the influence of the blues, artist Romare Bearden, and playwright/poet Amiri Baraka on August Wilson’s work. We will also study playwrights Dominique Morisseau, Susan Lori-Parks, and Katori Hall. We will utilize Critical Race Theory as an analytical tool for understanding the significance of these plays in the larger tapestry of race relations and in understanding conceptions of resistance and representation. 3 hrs. sem.