About this course: Learn how theatre and globalization have affected each other over the past century, and how to conduct your own research on global theatre histories.
Who is this class for: There are no prerequisites for this course. That said, an interest in common media depictions of globalization will help you understand the main arguments more quickly. Relatedly, reading and writing comfortably in English at the undergraduate college level will enable your more active engagement in course discussion forums and peer assessment exercises. A basic understanding of theatre history, especially in the 20th century, would be advantageous.
Created by: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU)
Taught by: Christopher Balme, Professor
Institut für Theaterwissenschaft / Department of Theatre Studies
| Level | Beginner |
| Commitment | 3 hours/week |
| Language | English |
| How To Pass | Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. |
| User Ratings |
Syllabus
WEEK 1
Definitions, Methods, and Resources for Writing Global Theatre Histories
Introductions with definitions of "theatre" and "globalization"; conceptualizing 'global theatre histories'; overview of online resources for researching the history of theatre during the late 19th and 20th centuries.
6 videos, 5 readings
- Reading: Syllabus
- Reading: About Us
- Reading: Grading and Logistics
- Reading: Definitions, Methods, and Resources for Writing Global Theatre Histories
- Video: Globalization
- Video: Deterritorialization, Modernization, and Connectivity
- Video: Methodology
- Video: Course Outline
- Video: Resources for Global Theatre Histories
- Reading: Historical Newspapers Online
Graded: Researching Digital Newspaper Archives
WEEK 2
Theatre on the move: Migration, Mobility and Modernization
How we can relate migration and mobility to the dissemination of theatre.
6 videos, 2 readings
- Reading: Theatre on the Move
- Video: Mobility
- Video: Theatre on the Move
- Video: Touring
- Video: The Exhibitionary Complex
- Video: Mei Lanfang - Interview with Catherine Yeh
- Reading: Resources for Module 2
WEEK 3
Global Players: Actors, Managers and Agents
Actors, Managers, and Theatrical Agents; with a focus on the people who organized the global migration of theatre.
7 videos, 2 readings
- Reading: Global Players: Actors, Managers, and Agents
- Video: Sarah Bernhardt
- Video: Connecting the World. Newspaper Networks
- Video: Daniel Bandman
- Video: Kawakami Otojirō and Sadda Yacco
- Video: Theatrical Management
- Video: Theatrical Agents
- Reading: Resources for Module 3
Graded: Midterm
WEEK 4
Global Hubs and Local Theatres
Theatre Buildings as 'Cultural Hubs' and 'Contact Zones'; methodologies and concepts for approaching theatres as places where different people, languages, and cultures met and interacted.
6 videos, 2 readings
- Reading: Global Hubs and Local Theatres
- Video: Cairo
- Video: Bombay
- Video: Manila
- Video: Shanghai
- Video: Theatres and Modernization - Assignment
- Reading: Resources for Module 4
Graded: Researching Local Theatres
WEEK 5
East versus West: Cold War Rivaleries
Theatre and the Cold War; theatre as a site of the rivalry between East and West.
10 videos, 2 readings
- Reading: East versus West: Cold War Rivalries
- Video: The Iron Theatrical Curtain
- Video: Cultural Diplomacy
- Video: The Stanislawski System
- Video: Interview with Dr. Li Yinan
- Video: Porgy and Bess in the Soviet Union
- Video: Theatrical Public Goods
- Video: The Cost Disease
- Video: Interview with Prof. Stephen Wilmer
- Video: Decolonizing the Stage: Theatrical Interweaving
- Reading: Resources for Module 5
WEEK 6
Festivalization, Megamusical and Theatrical Global Media
Festivals, Megamusicals, and Livestreaming; how contemporary types of theatre reflect globalization and new technologies.
9 videos, 2 readings
- Reading: Festivalization, Megamusicals and Theatrical Global Media
- Video: Theatre Festivals
- Video: Megamusicals
- Video: Interview with Christina Lagao
- Video: Interview with David Savran
- Video: New Theatre Buildings
- Video: Transmedia Storytelling
- Video: Theatrical Global Media: Livecast
- Reading: Resources Module 6
- Video: Wrapping Up
Graded: Final
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Creators
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU)
As one of Europe's leading research universities, LMU Munich is committed to the highest international standards of excellence in research and teaching. Building on its 500-year-tradition of scholarship, LMU covers a broad spectrum of disciplines, ranging from the humanities and cultural studies through law, economics and social studies to medicine and the sciences.
Ratings and Reviews
Interesting and challenging material which provokes reflection on the past and future of world theatre traditions and how migration, modernity and connectivity influences the development and evolution of the arts over time and space.
I LOVED this course! Plans are to visit the university in the near future!
The course was extremely informative and actually inspired a vested interested in theatrical preservation. As a burgeoning theatrical storyteller, this course was extremely helpful in framing my own course of future graduate study and professional development. It was also quite user-friendly and though I felt connected to other students I did not rely on them to complete the course as is the case with several other courses on this platform. Thank you!
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