Plays in Production (first term)

In the first semester of the Kenyon seminar we offer the course "Plays in Production." It is likely, however, that the opportunity to attend theater productions will extend throughout the year. This course was first introduced in 1976-77 and subsequently was made an integral part of program and budget. What makes the Kenyon-Exeter program unique among off-campus study programs is the extent to which students can have an opportunity to see excellent productions of the plays that they study. Kenyon students see plays from a range of periods and thus learn quite a bit about theater history. In addition, as they are able to see almost all of the plays produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company in any particular year, they have an opportunity to learn something about the company--what considerations informed their selection of plays for their season, what connections between plays were further established when casting an actor in a variety of roles, and so on.

Syllabus for 2002-2003 (first semester):

October 9 Tom Stoppard, Voyage (Part I of Coast of Utopia trilogy)

October 16 Stoppard, Shipwreck and Salvage (Parts II and III of Coast of Utopia trilogy)

TRIP TO LONDON OCTOBER 18-20 TO SEE COAST OF UTOPIA (October 19)

ROYAL NATIONAL THEATRE

October 21 Shakespeare, Winter's Tale

October 23 Shakespeare, Pericles

TRIP TO STRATFORD OCTOBER 25-27 TO SEE TEMPEST (Friday 7:30), PERICLES (Saturday 1:30), and WINTER'S TALE (Saturday 7:30) Royal Shakespeare Company

October 28 Shakespeare, Tempest

October 30 Ackroyd, Hawksmoor

Selections from Ackroyd's Biography of London

TRIP TO LONDON NOVEMBER 1-3 TO SEE CARYL CHURCHILL'S A NUMBER (Royal Court Theatre, Friday 7:30), TOUR OF LONDON'S EAST END AND HAWKSMOOR CHURCHES (Saturday 12-3), PARTY IN LONDON (Saturday 6:30)

November 13 Shakespeare, Coriolanus

November 20 Shakespeare, Twelfth Night

November 27 Shakespeare, Macbeth

TRIP TO LONDON NOVEMBER 29-DECEMBER 1 TO SEE MAPPA MUNDI (Cottesloe Stage, National Theatre Friday 7:30), TWELFTH NIGHT (Donmar Warehouse, Saturday 2:30) andMACBETH (Albery, Saturday 7:30)

December 2 Discuss productions of Twelfth Night and Macbeth

December 4 Shakespeare, Merry Wives of Windsor

TRIP TO STRATFORD DECEMBER 6-8 TO SEE THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE (RSC Main Stage, Friday 7:15),MERRY WIVES (RSC Swan, Saturday 1:30) and CORIOLANUS (RSC Swan, Saturday 7:30)

December 11 Discuss productions of Merry Wives and Coriolanus

January 15 Goldsmith, She Stoops to Conquer

SEE NATIONAL THEATRE TOURING PRODUCTION OF SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER, (Northcote Theatre, University of Exeter, Tuesday, January 21 at 7:30 p.m.)

January22 April de Angelis, A Laughing Matter

SEE NATIONAL THEATRE TOURING PRODUCTION OF A LAUGHING MATTER

(Northcote Theatre, University of Exeter, Wednesday, January 22 at 7:30 p.m.)

Syllabus for 1995-96:

October 2 Shakespeare, Julius Caesar
October 9 Shakespeare, Taming of the Shrew
October 16 Shakespeare, Richard III
TRIP TO STRATFORD OCTOBER 20-22
October 23 Richard II
October 30 Christopher Marlowe, Doctor Faustus
November 6 Ben Jonson, Devil is an Ass
November 13 Jonson, Volpone
TRIP TO LONDON FOR RICHARD II (Nov.18) and VOLPONE (Nov. 20)
November 20 No meeting (we will be in London)
November 27 Goethe, Faust (Parts I and II)
TRIP TO STRATFORD NOVEMBER 30-DECEMBER 3
December 4 John Vanbrugh, The Relapse