The Play’s the Thing

Agon: Agonistic, protagonist, agony, antagonistic, et al.
From the Greek: to struggle, contest, conflict.

The play is among the oldest and most immediate literary forms. Some think the drama best presents the dramatic. Plays tell our greatest stories, pry into the most difficult questions, and provoke deep thought about the nature of man and his condition. If the essence of drama is conflict, William Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Luigi Pirandello’s Six Characters in Search of an Author push dramatic conflict to its limit. During our week together, we will read and thoughtfully discuss these two extraordinary plays, attend performances at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival and Toronto’s Soulpepper Theatre, and probe into the essence of the dramatic form. Please note: For this seminar there is a $150 Cdn surcharge which covers a day trip to the Stratford Festival. Production TBA Online, January 2009.

LEADER

Gary Schoepfel spent ten years working as a stage actor, director, and acting instructor. He is currently a faculty member at Harrison Middleton University, a Great Books distance learning institution, and formerly a vice president at the Great Books Foundation. Gary finds Toronto Pursuits a delight-filled week of great books, great folks, and great fun.

BOOKS

Participants are required to obtain the specified editions in order to facilitate the group’s ability to find and cite portions of the text during discussion.

William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
Folger Shakespeare Library edition, Washington Square Press (2004)
ISBN-10: 0743482786

Luigi Pirandello, Six Characters in Search of an Author
Penguin Classics (1996)
ISBN-10: 014018922X

This seminar involves a mid-week excursions to the renowned Stratford Festival and is subject to $150 surcharge. The fee covers the matinee performance and return transportation.