Theatre of the People: Performance Based Acting

Theatre of the People is a performance-based course that guides students through the process of creating and performing an original play that draws on popular theatre traditions to address burning social issues. Students will learn how the touring Commedia Dell'Arte troupes of Renaissance Italy subverted the Catholic Church's dominion over public performance and served as a channel for expressing the voice of the people and challenging the dominant power structure. By studying the plays of Dario Fo, the San Francisco Mime Troupe, Mbongeni Ngema, and Percy Mtwa, students will see how this subversive tradition has continued to inform theatrical resistance to oppressive systems all over the world. The historical context will be supplemented with training in physical theatre techniques and writing for the stage. Students will apply these lessons to the ongoing development of an original play, based on their burning issues, which will be performed for the public at the culmination of the course.