THTR 327 Gender in Performance (RES)
Part survey, part creative exploration through writing, improvisation and performance, this course investigates the multiplicity of ways theatre artists throughout the last 150 years have explored, subverted, and deconstructed gender through their work. Through in and out of class viewings and readings students will look at a variety of theatrical forms and performances through a critical lens that centers the social and political impact of race and class on gender performance. Ranging from the modern work of two-spirit indigenous theatre makers, an exploration of Ballroom culture, the American Musical Theatre, Shakespearean cross dressing, new forms in performance art and drag, the course centers on an inquiry of what gender in performance really means and how it impacts audience and culture at large. Students will play an active part in the course content, frequently providing presentations on chosen topics as well as experimenting with the some of the concepts being studied through experiential assignments.