Cost and Registration Information
Early Registration Price (January 8 at 9 am** – January 25 at 4 pm): $220
Regular Registration Price (January 25 at 4 pm – first day of class): $242
** Registration opens online at 9 am. Phone registration will be accepted starting at 10 am.
Members, seniors, and students get a 10% discount.
Seminar Description
The plays of Miller, Albee, Mamet, and Hansberry aimed to define what it meant to be an American during a period of great social flux. In this lecture- and discussion-based seminar, we will explore the racial, cultural, and political changes taking place in this country at mid-twentieth century by focusing on the motif of the family. Concentrating on theme, structure, and social impact, we will read and discuss such plays as Death of a Salesman, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, The Crucible, and A Raison in the Sun, all the while reflecting on what makes American theater uniquely powerful and influential.
Eight sessions. E - $220, L - $242
Todd Bauer is a playwright and director whose work has been performed in Chicago and New York. He holds an MA in liberal studies from Northwestern University.
Materials List
Required:
- Edward Albee, At Home at the Zoo, any edition
- Edward Albee, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, any edition
- Arthur Miller, Death of a Salesman, any edition
- Arthur Miller, The Crucible, any edition
- David Rabe, Sticks & Bones, any edition
- Loraine Hansberry, A Raison in the Sun, any edition
- David Mamet, American Buffalo, any edition
- David Mamet, Glengary/Glen Ross, any edition
- Sam Shepard, True West, any edition
- Sam Shepard, Buried Child, any edition
First Reading:
- For the first class, please read Act II of At Home at the Zoo.
This class is part of the Newberry’s Adult Education Seminars Program. Learn more about our registration procedures.