DRAMA 202 A & B

History and Performance

Description

Explores a range of major plays from ancient Greek tragedy to contemporary New Zealand drama. This course examines plays in their historical context and as texts for performance. In Semester Two, students learn skills in theatre production by staging a full-length play, directed by an outside professional director.

For full course information see the Digital Course Outline.

Digital Course Outlines for 2025 will be refreshed around November/December

Availability 2025

Semester 1 and 2 (full year)

Lecturer(s)

Coordinator(s) Dr Rina Kim

Reading/Texts

Semester 1 only

Aeschylus, The Oresteia (Part I Agamemnon) – E-resource available via Library. Read Tony Harrison’s version, but you can also compare it with Ted Hughes’s translation.

Euripides, Bacchae – E-resource available via Literature Online (http://literature.proquest.com/) (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site., translated by John Davie. Please see the Modules for the text.

William Shakespeare, Hamlet– E-resource available via Library Catalogue and Talis.

Moliere, Tartuffe – E-resource available via Literature Online (Richard Wilbur for rhymed version). https://shsutextanalysismctier.files.wordpress.com/2019/03/tartuffe.pdf (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

Ibsen, Hedda Gabler – E-resource available via Library Catalogue and Talis. Read John Osborne’s translation.

Anton Chekhov, The Seagull (in Plays) – E-resource available via Literature Online (http://literature.proquest.com/), translated by Tom Stoppard.

NB: The Course Reader provides only the excerpts of those plays and you should read the full version of each play-text. 

Assessment

Coursework only

Points

DRAMA 202A: 15 points

DRAMA 202B: 30 points

Prerequisites

60 points passed including DRAMA 100

Restrictions

DRAMA 204