English 345FD - Revisit. American Family Drama

Dramas focused on the always-fraught dynamics of the family have dominated American theatre since the appearance of Royall Tyler's "The Contrast" in 1789. This course examines the trajectory and endurance of the form, from eighteenth- and nineteenth-century works through realist, avant-garde, and absurdist plays of the twentieth century, and on to the adoption and revision of the form by writers of color and by gay, lesbian, and transgender artists. Dramatists include Eugene O'Neill, Zona Gale, Langston Hughes, Tennessee Williams, Maria Irene Fornes, Sam Shepard, Christopher Durang, Sung Rno, Suzan-Lori Parks, Paula Vogel, MJ Kaufman, Stephen Karam, A. Rey Pamatmat, and Taylor Mac.

Prereq: 8 credits in department.