Theatrical London: Contemporary Perfomance in the City

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label Diverse autorenew 2025-09-29, 17:01 history_edu Silviu Marinescu
Dr Sarah Dustagheer researches playwriting, performance and theatre space in early modern London, as well as contemporary Shakespearean performance. After completing her BA in English Language and Literature at St Anne's College Oxford, and MA in Shakespearean Studies at King's College London and Shakespeare's Globe, she received an AHRC funded Collaborative Doctoral Award to continue her study at King's and the Globe.

Her thesis examined the relationship between repertory and theatre space at the early modern Globe and Blackfriars, an indoor playhouse, as well as the repertory of new plays written for the reconstructed Globe since 1997. Dr Dustagheer is currently preparing her first book, Shakespeare's Playhouses: Repertory and Theatre Space at the Globe and the Blackfriars, 1599-1613 for publication. Before joining King's English Department for the term, she has been a Globe Education Lecturer, as well as an associate lecturer at the University of Kent and the Central School of Speech and Drama.

On this course, you'll have the exciting and unique chance to experience and study London's vibrant theatre scene, exploring a variety of theatre spaces to examine the city's theatrical past, present and future.You'll see the shows, but you will also learn about performance through tours of theatrical venues and visits to cultural sites within London. In the classroom, lectures and seminars will be an exciting opportunity to discuss and contextualise these performances and trips.

Throughout the course, you will be introduced to seminal ideas surrounding actors, audiences and architecture throughout London's theatre history. But you will also develop your own ideas about, and language for, the critical analysis of theatre.Using a range of texts - from plays, to theoretical writing to newspaper reviews to theatre marketing material - the course begins with an investigation of London's theatrical past and how it is presented today in the museum, archive and so-called 'heritage' theatre. We'll move on to West End performance, examining its historic roots and its current commercial success. Finally, we will consider the socio-political trends in contemporary theatre, including site-specificity and new playwriting.

Period
07-07-2014 - 25-07-2014 (3 weeks)

Target group
This course would be suitable for anyone interested in theatre, performance and plays or crafts of theatre making, such as acting and playwriting as well as anyone seeking to improve their critical responses to and analysis of performance.

Course aim
By the end of this course you be able to:



- Write and speak critically about theatre history and performances, using key theories about acting, architecture and audiences;

- Understand contemporary debates around London's theatre industry such as the role of 'heritage' or 'reconstruction' theatre, commercialisation, trends in modern playwriting and the move away from traditional theatre spaces

Credits
0.0 ECTS credits

Course fee
GBP 1430: tuition fee only

Course leader
Dr Sarah Dustagheer

Dr Sarah Dustagheer researches playwriting, performance and theatre space in early modern London, as well as contemporary Shakespearean performance.

King's College London
Address: Strand, London
Postal code: WC2R 2LS
City: London
Country: United Kingdom
Website: http://www.kcl.ac.uk/summerschool
E-mail: summerschool@kcl.ac.uk
Phone: +44 20 7848 1533