ATH 348 - Non-Western Theatre and Performance Traditions

Course Units: 1

This course is a survey of nonwestern theatrical and performance forms, engaging with practices and traditions from a global perspective. We will examine a variety of traditions, likely including Japanese Noh, Kyogen, Kabuki, and Bunraku; Chinese Xiqu (Chinese opera), Indonesian Wayang and Topeng, Indian Kathakali dance-drama, Persian Ta’ziyeh, Arabian shadow puppetry, Native American Indian Potlatch ceremonies, West African Griot (praise singing), and Caribbean carnival performance and Latin American protest theatre. To conduct our examinations of these diverse traditions, we will read firsthand accounts, critical and theoretical literature, and theatrical texts, and interrogate the intersections between these performance traditions and social culture, including both political structures and religious ceremony and ritual. CC: LCC, HUL, HUM