Looking for an online 6-week summer course? 

Looking to fulfill DS or DV general education requirements?

THET-293: Black Theatre and Performance I

Online Summer Session I: May 28-July 5, 2024

General Education: DSHU, DSSP, DVUP

Instructor: Kristopher Pourzal (PhD Candidate)

This course is an introduction to African American-authored dramatic texts and performances of the mid-19th to mid-20th centuries. We will study the works of playwrights, choreographers, musicians, performers, and other cultural producers, with particular attention to the political and social impacts of their works. Given that this course covers the antebellum period through Black Power, our timeframe includes histories of white supremacist violence as well as African American flourishing. We will trace how texts/performances demonstrate strategies that African Americans have used to do something in the world. Whether that “doing” was forging a sense of self, protesting slavery, cultivating joy, or something else entirely, we ultimately consider how the color line in America has fundamentally shaped—and been shaped by—theatre and performance.

Meets virtually Mon, Tues, Wed; 10:00am-12:15pm ET

Reach out with any questions! kpourzal@umd.edu