Hispanic Theatre
Revolution in the Hispanic Theatre
Ballet de Antonio Gades, inspirado en la obra homónima de Lope de Vega, Fuenteovejuna (1994) © Tomoaki Minoda/SWT.
Much of today’s modern drama, from Broadway musicals to intellectual farces, descends from an extremely rich Hispanic theatrical and performance tradition. In this course students will study the trajectory of Hispanic dramatic literature and performance including medieval mystery plays, Golden Age comedias, and revolutionary dramas denouncing colonial, dictatorial violence and oppressive politics of gender, sexuality and race up to the present day. Covering texts from Spain and Latin America, students will develop their knowledge of performance in different stages of conflict and struggle. The course will incorporate cinematic adaptations of plays, videos featuring memorable performances, readings of historical texts, as well as varied visual arts with which the texts were in dialogue.
Readings may feature authors such as Lope de Vega, Calderón, Cervantes, Tirso de Molina, Ana Caro, Sor Juana, Unamuno, Valle-Inclán, García Lorca, Vallejo, Boal, Vargas Llosa, Orozco Rosales, Puig, Dorfman, Gambaro, Pavlovsky, Buenaventura, Bondy, Hadad and others.
Language of instruction: Spanish
Instructor: Dr. Elizabeth Lagresa-González
Recommended prerequisites: This course is recommended for students who have completed SPAN_V 221, SPAN_V 302, SPAN_V 303 or successful completion of the language placement test.
Assignment Percentage
Participation and Preparation 15%
Post-Class Activities & Discussions 20%
Response Papers (1. 10%, 2. 15%) 25%
Leading Discussion 15%
Creative Project & Reflection 25%
- Arellano, Ignacio. Historia del teatro español del siglo XVII. Madrid: Cátedra, 2008.
- Arellano, Ignacio and José Antonio Rodríguez Garrido. El teatro en la Hispanoamérica colonial. Madrid: Iberoamericana, 2008.
- Bial, Henry. “Introduction.” The Performance Studies Reader. Ed. H. Bial, 1–4. New York: Routledge, 2002.
- McKendrick, Malveena. Theatre in Spain, 1490-1700. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1989.
- Ruiz Ramón, Francisco. Historia del teatro español (desde sus orígenes hasta 1900). Madrid: Cátedra, 2011.
- Scott Soufas, Teresa. Dramas of Distinction: Plays by Golden Age Women. Lexington: The U of Kentucky P, 1997.
- Taylor, Diana and Sarah J. Townsend, eds. Stages of Conflict: A Critical Anthology of Latin American Theater and Performance. Michigan: Univ. of Michigan Press, 2008.
- Taylor, Diana. Theatre of Crisis: Drama and Politics in Latin America. Lexington: The Univ. Press of Kentucky, 1991.
- Theatre/Theory/Theatre. Ed. Daniel Gerould. Wisconsin: Hal Leonard Corp., 2000.