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ENGL1066 – Introduction to modern drama
The course introduces students to key characteristics of modern Anglophone stage drama spanning from the late 19th century to contemporary times. Using a diverse range of modern plays and productions, students will develop skills in analysing, critiquing, and enacting dramatic texts. Students will learn about modern drama’s conventions, theories, movements and contexts – from traditional dramas and Naturalism to contemporary physical theatre and site-specific performances – deepening their understanding of the representative plays as well as its practical implementation in performance settings.
Topics
- Dramatic Realism, Naturalism, Symbolism, Surrealism and Changing Ideas of the Avant-garde
- Theatre Semiotics and Phenomenology
- Alienation Effects
- Space and Place
- Feminism, Race and Class in Theatre
- Postmigrant Theatre
- Site-specific theatre
- Embodying and acting characters
Objectives
• Understand the role of theatre in society, its distinctive genre and communal significance, and the transformative power of performance
• Use critical vocabularies to generate interpretations of dramatic texts, and reflect on readings and activities
• Apply knowledge of drama’s structure, conventions, and contexts in written and performed tasks, analyse speech or performance elements critically
• Grasp the intricacies of acting, scenography and technical arts, theatre language, spatial aesthetics, and the collaborative process.
organisation
The sessions will consist of lectures, performance workshops, creative activities, student-led presentations and other discussion-based activities.
Assessment
- Participation (15%)
- Response papers (30%)
- Mid-term oral/written exam (25%)
- Final group theatre project/performance (30%)
Texts
There are lots of useful resources on Drama Online (https://www.dramaonlinelibrary.com/) and Digital Theatre+(https://edu.digitaltheatreplus.com/). They will be used as class materials and for student assignments.
Primary Texts (subject to change and will be updated on Moodle in due course):
-Beckett, Samuel. The Complete Dramatic Works of Samuel Beckett. Faber, 2006.
-Brecht, Bertolt. Brecht on Theatre: The Development of an Aesthetic. Trans. John Willett. Hill and Wang, 1978.
-Chekhov, Anton. Five Plays. Oxford UP, 2008.
-Churchill, Caryl. Plays: Vol 2. Methuen Drama, 1985.
-Ibsen, Henrik. Four Major Plays. Oxford UP, 2008.
-Soyinka, Wole. Collected Plays: Vol 1. Oxford UP, 1973.
-Stanislavski, Konstantin. An Actor’s Work. Trans. Jean Benedetti. Routledge, 2007.
-Synge, J. M. The Complete Plays. London: Methuen, 2014.
Other plays may include Shelagh Delaney, A Taste of Honey (1961), Sarah Kane, Blasted (1995), Tennessee Williams, A Streetcar Names Desire (1947), Suzan-Lori Parks, Topdog/Underdog (2001)
Recommended Secondary Readings:
-Artaud, Antonin. The Theatre and Its Double. Trans. Victor Corti. Alma, 2010.
-Brook, Peter. The Empty Space. Touchstone, 1968.
-Carlson, Marvin. The Haunted Stage: The Theatre as Memory Machine. U of Michigan Press, 2003.
-McAuley, Gay. Space in Performance: Making Meaning in the Theatre. U of Michigan Press, 1999.
-Pavis, Patrice. Dictionary of the Theatre: Terms, Concepts, and Analysis. Trans. Christine Shantz. U of Toronto P, 1998.
-Shepherd-Barr, Kirsten E. Modern Drama: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford UP, 2016.
-Styan, J. L. Modern Drama in Theory and Practice (Vol.1-3). Cambridge UP, 1981.
-Ubersfeld, Anne. Reading Theatre. Ed. Paul Perron and Patrick Debbèche. Trans. Frank Collins, U of Toronto P: 1999.
Instructor(s) 
Semester 2025-2026 Second Semester
Credits 6
Contact Hours per week 2
Form of Assessment 100% Coursework
Time Tuesday , 1:00 pm – 3:50 pm , CPD-LG.54
Prerequisite A minimum Level 5 in English Language HKDSE exam, or an equivalent score in another recognized English proficiency test.
