IN PERSON: Widely considered the greatest English-language playwright since Shakespeare, George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) revolutionized the stage, and his influence can be observed in contemporary playwrights as diverse as Tony Kushner, Caryl Churchill and David Hare. Over the course of a career that spanned more than half a century, he wrote masterpieces such as "Major Barbara," "Pygmalion" (the basis of the musical "My Fair Lady") and "Heartbreak House" that are performed worldwide to this day. Students in this course will read one major play per week (with two weeks spent on "Man and Superman"). While some attention will be paid to historical, philosophical, literary and theatrical contexts, class discussions will focus on the themes at the heart of Shavian drama and Shaw’s engagement with the world: genre (Shaw’s valorization of comedy), gender (Shaw’s feminism and concern with sexual equality), politics (Shaw’s Fabian socialism) and prophecy (Shaw’s notion of “Creative Evolution”). | Lecture + Q&A, Facilitated discussion.
Max enrollment: 18.
Location: Judea Reform Congregation, 1933 W. Cornwallis Rd, Durham NC 27705
