LIT 2001 at Actor’s Theatre of Charlotte: Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
650 E Stonewall St, Charlotte, NC 28202
Throughout the term, our focus has been an analysis of the text; tonight, however, the text will come alive on stage.
Literature, and literary drama, at their very core, plumbs the depths of what it means to be human, imperfect spiritual creatures, and seeks to understand the mysteries and the frailties of the human mind, body, and spirit as well as the borders and boundaries between each of these.
During tonight’s performance make note of the “borders and boundaries” that are explored in the play and pay particular attention to themes that you rise to the surface of each scene through each actor’s performance and dialogue as well as choices that the director made in the set design and costuming.
Take extensive notes during the performance (snippets of dialogue, actions characters take, setting, etc.).
In a minimum of TWO FULL PAGES (and no more than three full pages), argue what you see as the play’s central theme and trace it through the entire performance making note of other minor sub-themes that are an important part of the play’s overall message.
Assume your audience is made up of academics, scholars, and literary critics that have also read and seen the play. These means there should be no informal language at all (first person, personal pronouns, contractions, or slang).
Your essay must follow the conventional structure of a formal essay (an intro with a claim that previews the entire body of your paper, a body that provides the details of your argument, and a conclusion that summarizes the main points of your argument and restates your claim).
