This module introduces critical stages on which theatre has been performed.  It considers the implications of framing place for theatre, the significance of theatre buildings, these stages and buildings in culture and the implications of changing forms of the theatre stages.

• To introduce historical forms of stage space in theatre (a, b)
• To question the politics of the stage in theatre and culture  (e.g. ownership; mythic and imagined place, interior/exterior place) (d, f)
• To introduce methods and theories (disciplinary and interdisciplinary) of analysing past and present theatre stages (a, b, h)
• To enable students to show cognitive and social skills in their articulation of ideas (e).

On completion of this module students should be able to

• Identify past and present forms of the theatre stage and articulate cultural implications and meanings (A1, A2)

   

• Apply theoretically informed disciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives (A3, B2, B3)

   

• Identify and debate political implications of uses of the stage (B1, D2).

   

• Clearly communicate ideas to others, to a clear deadline (D3, D4).

   

The module will consider a series of forms of theatre stage that may include:

-          churches

-          streets and squares

-          pubs and inn-yards

-          the emergence of theatre buildings

-          arts centres, cross-arts sites and centres

-          the theatre building as stage

-          landscapes or the city as stage

In each case, students will be encouraged to see the stage as a place for action and to engage critically in defining the meaning and implications of performing establishing a theatre stage.

Lecture/seminars.

Bradley, D, From text to performance in the Elizabethan theatre : preparing the play for the stage. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1991.

Brater, E, The theatrical gamut : notes for a post-Beckettian stage. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1995.

Brecht, S, The theatre of visions: Robert Wilson. London: Methuen Drama, 1994.

Brook, P, The empty space. New York: Atheneum, 1984.

Carlson, M, Performance: A Critical Introduction. London: Routledge, 1996.

Carlson, M, The haunted stage : the theatre as memory machine. Ann Arbor ; [Great Britain]: University of Michigan Press, 2001.

Conville, D, The Park : the story of the Open Air Theatre, Regent's Park. London: Oberon, 2007.

de Certeau, M, The Practice of Everyday Life. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1988.

Hancox, J, Kingdom for a stage : magicians & aristocrats in the Elizabethan theatre. Stroud: Sutton, 2001.

Harris, J W, The traditional theatre of Japan : kyogen, noh, kabuki, and puppetry. Lewiston, N.Y. ; Lampeter: Edwin Mellen Press, 2006.

Holmberg, A, The theatre of Robert Wilson. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996.

Hopkins, D J, City/stage/globe : performance and space in Shakespeare's London. London: Routledge, 2008.

Lingwood, J, Van Noord, G, and Warner, M, Off limits : 40 Artangel projects. London: Merrell, 2002.

Pearson, M, Bubbling Tom. In: Adrian Heathfield ed., Small Acts: Performance, the Millennium and the Marking of Time, London: Black Dog Publishing, 2000. Pp. 172-185.

Taylor, D J, The Greek and Roman stage. Bristol : Bristol Classical Press, 1999 (2001 printing),

Watt, S, Postmodern/drama : reading the contemporary stage. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1998.

Wiles, D, A Short History of Western Performance Space. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003.