EXI575: The Playwright's Playground

Theatre-making often begins with the playwright's script-and ends with the work of an entire community of collaborators: directors and actors, literary directors and dramaturgs, designers and stage managers, producers and marketers, community organizations and advocates, and more. The students will consider the following questions in Harkness discussions and writing: How do we stage a production in an ethical and responsible way about a community that is not one's own nor represented by our audiences? Should it be done? Which collaborators are essential to preserve the integrity of the play's meaning? How do we engage the playwright? How do we engage the communities represented as theatre-makers and artists? Students will read plays by and about BIPOC characters, be in conversation with the playwright, and direct readings of Sahar Ullah's plays including Hijabi Monologues and The Loudest Voices.