Out on Stage: US Queer Drama
In this course we will study US American plays that center queer and trans identities and experiences. Our journey will begin in 1930s and will end in the present day. We will trace the history of queer sexualities and marginalized gender identities from the dramatization of closetedness to the Gay Liberation Movement, the AIDS epidemic, and the affirmation of queer and transgender identities. Students will learn how to analyze the dramatic text from the perspectives of the actor, director, designer, and dramaturg. In addition to reading the plays, we will watch cinematic adaptations of selected texts. Secondary readings and research will illuminate the ways in which the works respond to specific historical contexts. 3 hrs. lect.