Compulsory
Directorial Trends: Theory and Applications
LEARNING OUTCOMES: Upon completing this course, students will be able to appreciate contributions of major directors of the first half of the 20th century to theatre and to describe their achievements. Moreover, they will be able to identify and to study comparatively similar approaches, such as those of Antoine and Stanislavsky vis-à-vis realism, or those of Appia and Craig vis-à-vis symbolism. Beyond general affinities, they will also be able to appreciate finer distinctions between directors. For example, they will be able to appreciate the differences in the political approach to theatre in the work of Meyerhold, Piscator and Brecht. The extensive use of audio-visual material in class also cultivates the ability of students to identify and compare aesthetic styles. Assignments for the course have a practical orientation, enabling students to apply their knowledge, by outlining, for example, directing proposals for particular works, in the manner of the directors studied in this course.