230226 History on the Stage: The Works of Howard Brenton (S) (SoSe 2016)

It is a truism of theatre studies that on the stage 'it is always here an now'. How does that affect the treatment of historical themes? If historography is basically a form or narrative, as many theoreticians have claimed, how is history 'told' on the stage? Which strategies of selection, emplotment and evaluation do authors choose to bring complex historical constellations and events before the eyes and ears of modern audiences? Starting with one early example of a history play, William Shakespeare's King Richard II, we will consider basic features of historical drama; we will then read four plays by Howard Brenton, a contemporary British playwright who has repeatedly tackled historical topics, from the Roman presence in Britain via the life (and death) of Anne Boleyn and the trial of King Charles I to, most recently, the First World War.

Literaturangaben

Students are expected to obtain their own copy of William Shakespeare, King Richard II (preferably the Oxford Shakespeare, or Arden, or New Cambridge Shakespeare editions). The four plays by Howard Brenton will be made available in a reader at the beginning of the semester:
The Romans in Britain (1980)
Anne Boleyn (2010)
55 Days (2012)
Doctor Scroggy's War (2014)