Theatrical London: contemporary performance in the city

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label Diverse autorenew 2025-09-29, 17:01 history_edu Diana Ignat
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.You will experience and analyse diverse performances from London's theatre scene and will gain a knowledge of the main contours of London's theatre history from its birth in the Renaissance period, to its commercial growth in the 18th and 19th century West End and, finally, contemporary and modern developments.As we move from London's theatre past to present, each week of the module will use one London theatre as a case study, allowing us to experience performances in very different venues in the capital.

Period
01-07-2013 - 19-07-2013 (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
7.5 ECTS credits

Many of our students get credit for the summer courses taken at Kings. You should approach your home university before applying to find out whether they accept our courses for credit. We would recommend a three-week course to be equivalent 4 US credits or 7.5 ECTS, for instance.

Course fee
GBP 1350: tuition fee only

Course leader
Dr Sarah Dustagheer completed a collaborative doctoral thesis at King's College London and Shakespeare's Globe which examines the relationship between theatre space and playwriting.

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