Clare Finburgh
Centre for Theatre Studies
University of Essex
LT343 Politics and Performance
SEMINAR PROGRAMME AND ASSESSMENT
Academic
Seminar Content
Week
LEARNING PLAYS
16.
General introduction to students, teacher and course: What is political theatre?
Bertolt Brecht, Lindbergh’s Flight and The Exception and the Rule in
Brecht Plays 3: Part 2 (London: Methuen, 1997). Exam texts.
What is a ‘Learning play’?
What kind of politics does Brecht advocate?
Preparation
Read notes from last class (available online).
Read Peter Weiss, Marat/Sade. Watch Peter Brook’s film Marat/Sade.
What argument is presented in the play concerning individualism and
collectivity?
What elements of Brechtian epic montage are apparent in the play?
17. Set text
Study skills
Preparation
18. Set text
Study skills
Preparation
19. Set text
Study skills
Preparation
EPIC THEATRE
 Peter Weiss, The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat As
Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton under the Direction
of The Marat/Sade, trans. Geoffrey Skelton, verse adaptation Adrian Mitchell
(London/New York: 2001). Essay text.
Essay titles and essay-planning for Essay 1 (see ‘Essay-Writing’ hand-out).
Information on plagiarism and zero tolerance for late essay submission.
Read notes from last class (available online).
Read Peter Weiss, The Investigation.
What is verbatim theatre and in what ways is this a verbatim play?
Would you say this is a documentary play, or a more poetic dramatic form?
How would you describe the narrative structure?
VERBATIM THEATRE
 Peter Weiss, The Investigation (London: Marion Boyars, 1966). Essay
text.
How to do a text commentary (see ‘Close Reading’ hand-out).
Read notes from last class (available online).
Read Michel Vinaver, 11 September 2001.
Does the play reach any conclusions regarding East and West, terror and
peace?
The play is made up entirely of extracts from newspapers and the media. What
statement might Vinaver be making about the media and editing?
 Michel Vinaver, 11 September 2001. Essay text.
Essay-planning in-progress.
How to use apostrophes (see ‘Apostrophes’ hand-out).
Read notes from last class (available online).
Read Debbie Tucker-Green, Generations.
What can you say about the form and style of the play?
Would you describe the play as emotional, or detached?
POLYPHONIC THEATRE
20. Set text
Study skills
Preparation
Debbie Tucker-Green, Generations (London: Nick Hern, 2005). Essay
text.
Online research skills; word-processing and the Departmental Style Sheet.
Student feedback on the course.
Read notes from last class (available online).
Read Jean Genet, The Blacks.
What does the play say, or not say about ‘black’ identity?
Preparation
META-THEATRE
Jean Genet, The Blacks: A Clown Show (New York, Grove Press, 1988).
Exam text.
Read notes from last class (available online).
Read Eugène Ionesco, Rhinoceros.
How does Ionesco portray the surrender of the individual to a totalitarian
ideology both in the themes, and language in the play?
22.
ESSAY-WRITING WEEK
21. Set text
23. Set text
Study skills
Preparation
24. Set text
Preparation
25. Set text
Preparation
30. Revision
31. Revision
DRAMATIC ALLEGORY
Eugène Ionesco, Rhinoceros (London: Faber, 2007). Exam text.
Text commentary practice.
Read notes from last class (available online).
Read Bernard-Marie Koltès: Black Battle with Dogs.
Think about how the play discusses ‘difference’ and ‘otherness’.
In what ways is this play ‘classical’ and in what ways is it not?
RETURN TO NARRATIVE THEATRE
Bernard-Marie Koltès, Black Battle with Dogs in Plays: 1 (London,
Methuen, 1997). Exam text.
Read notes from last class (available online).
Read Wole Soyinka, Death and the King’s Horseman.
Is African ritualism shown to be reactionary or progressive in the play?
In what ways does Soyinka integrate the traditions of his native Nigeria into the
play?
Wole Soyinka, Death and the King’s Horseman (London, Methuen Student
Edition, 1998). Exam text.
Read all the notes from the course so far (available online).
Think about the political themes of each play and how they are presented. Think
about what styles and forms of plot, character, time and space the course has
examined.
Revision quiz on all texts and notes.
Text commentary in the exam.
Essay-writing in the exam.
EXAMS
KEY
Please buy the book. Copies will be ordered for you to collect from Waterstone’s at Essex
University. For second-hand books, see amazon.co.uk or abebooks.co.uk.
Please buy photocopies from the LiFTS Department Office.
ASSESSMENT
50 % COURSEWORK:
 45% = One essay (2500–3000 words). Deadline: MONDAY 14 MARCH. Please note that you may
only write your essay on the texts marked Essay text. Your tutor cannot check through a completed
draft of your essay before you hand it in. However, she can read through your essay plan and discuss it
with you.
Essays must be submitted online. A paper copy must be submitted to the Department Office the day
after the deadline.
IF YOUR ESSAY ARRIVES AFTER THE DEADLINE, YOU WILL RECEIVE ZERO PERCENT.
PLEASE organise your time efficiently. Make a timetable for yourself. Decide what weeks you will
devote to research and reading for your essay, to planning, to writing a first draft, and to checking.
 5% = Participation Mark (This 5% could be the difference between a 1st and a 2.1., or a 2.1 and a
2.2 so it’s important. You can receive the full 5% if you get hold of all the texts, read all the texts, come
to all the classes, and participate fully in group discussions. Please see the Student Handbook for
details).
50% EXAMINATION
 50% = Written Examination. Please note that you may only answer on the texts marked Exam text.
Please see Clare Finburgh (module supervisor) if you have any queries.