Literature And Performance

Literature and performance is an interdisciplinary synthesis of literature and theatre. It brings together literary analysis, based on close reading, critical writing, and discussion, with practical and aesthetic elements of theatre. In this course, students engage with a range of literary works, perform dramatic texts, and transform texts into realized performances. The course is grounded in knowledge, skills, and processes associated with the individual disciplines while developing interdisciplinary understandings generated from the interactions between literature and performance. Literature and performance is only available as a standard level (SL) course. Literature and performance is one of the three Diploma Programme (DP) courses grounded in the study of language and literature. Expectations of language usage, the level of analysis, and critical reflection are the same across the three studies in language and literature courses. Yet literature and performance is unique in that it asks students to integrate understandings from two disciplines to develop further insight and create products that would not be possible within the single disciplines alone. Investigating a literary text through performance provides students with a unique perspective on the text; likewise, grounding a theatrical performance in literary understanding provides students with deeper sensitivity to the process of theatre-making. As an interdisciplinary course, literature and performance shares the course aims of both studies in language and literature and arts subjects.