Modern Chinese Drama in Translation (in English)
In this seminar, after a brief look at the history of theatrical performance in China and the evolution of traditional opera in the 20th century, we will read in English translation many influential works in the radically new genre of huaju (spoken drama) from the 1920s to the present, and we will study the political, social, and aesthetic circumstances in which these plays were written, staged, and received. Our focus will be innovative, provocative plays that invite audiences to think about issues of gender, the environment, the nation, family, and the self. Written work for the course will be both analytical and creative, and together we will rehearse and, near the end of the semester, perform a short play. (This course will be taught in English.)