How bold does a play have to be to make audiences walk out of the theatre these days? How comfortable have people become watching things that are uncomfortable? Has everyone been so desensitized by sexuality, violence, and disturbing subject matter that nobody knows how to be offended by it anymore? In the first half of the 20th century, Antonin Artaud advocated a “theatre of cruelty,” attempting to throw audiences into the center of the action and force them to respond to the art on a visceral level. Through scene study, students in this class will explore the kind of material that shocks the audience, unsettles them, jars them. In this class, students will investigate the visceral.
*First class meets Wednesday, June 12. All other classes will meet on Tuesday.
