English 382 Modern British and American Drama Cushman
Purposes: To study selected masterpieces of modern British and American drama.
To gain a broad experience of the theatre: reading plays, seeing plays, enjoying plays,
thinking about plays, talking about plays, writing about plays.
To improve one’s skill at interpreting/analyzing/understanding literary texts.
To gain insight into how a play is translated from text to performance.
Texts: Klaus, Gilbert, Fields, eds., Stages of Drama (fifth edition)
McDonagh, The Cripple of Inishmaan
Wilder, Our Town
January 14 Introductory
16 Albee, The Zoo Story
21 Shaw,
Pygmalion
23 Pygmalion
28 Williams,
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
30 Cat
February 4 Cat
6 Synge,
In the Shadow of the Glen
11 McDonagh, The Cripple of
Inishmaan
13
Cripple
18 Cripple
20 Friel,
Translations
25
Translations
27 Midterm
March 4 Furth and Sondheim, Company
6 Company
11 Spring break
13 Spring break
18 O’Neill, Homecoming
20 Homecoming
25 Miller, Death of a Salesman Three-page essay due
27 Salesman
April 1 Salesman
3 Salesman
8 Baraka, Dutchman
10 Wilson, Fences
15 Fences
17 Wilder, Our Town
22 Our Town
24 Our Town
29 Vogel, How I Learned to Drive Term paper due
May 1 How I Learned to Drive
Office Hours: McIver 104
Wed 2-4 & by appointment
334-5660 (office phone)
299-3409 (home phone)
Attendance and participation: I expect and value regular attendance and participation, promptness
of arrival, and preparedness for class. This expectation will be reflected in final grades.
You are allowed five unexcused cuts.
Basis for final grade: Response to one of the plays we see 10%
Short paper 10%
Midterm 20%
Term paper 30%
Final exam 30%
Productions to be seen as part of the course:
1) The Cripple of Inishmaan School of the Arts, Winston-Salem
13-16 February Th, Fr, Sat at 8 / Sat, Sun at 2
2) Company School of the Arts, Winston-Salem
20-23 February, 26-28 February, 1 March
Th, Fr, Sat at 8 / Sat, Sun at 2
3) Our Town Triad Stage, Greensboro
11 April-4 May
Times to be announced