THDA 210 - Community-based Theater

In almost every town in the world, in a rich tradition spanning millennia, communities make theatrical representations of themselves: their heroes, their unsung neighbors, their struggles, their aspirations. Community-based theater is made by, for and about communities, and the varieties, strategies, controversies and triumphs of this form are the content of this course. In the United States, which is the geographical focus of this course, community-based theater has emerged from rural and urban communities, communities of color, communities of coalitions united toward a cause - we will learn from historical and scholarly accounts, and from local participants, about many of these efforts. We also will explore the Twin Cities’ own deep history of community-based theater-making, and participate in a major community project during the semester. You will be off campus for a good amount of time in the later part of the semester connecting and experiencing work. (4 Credits)