An examination of the historical conditions of performance, either given in a historical period or comparatively, with specific attention to the relationship between methods of historical studies and performance; may involve visiting artists. Topics vary from semester to semester.

As one generation turns to another, so do the stories of pivotal moments such as 1992 in the San Francisco Bay Area and around the world. A review of the early nineties includes world upheavals and social movements, a shift to a multi-polar world with the supposed end of the cold war, the AIDs pandemic, and a reckoning of the 500-year anniversary of Columbus' invasion. Racial profiling and police abuse set Los Angeles in flames and the Gulf War had just been launched. We will study major theater works, performance art, and art exhibitions as documents of the times. With a focus on 1992, we will examine this legacy of performance and activism including the shutting down of the quincentennial celebration of the Myth of Discovery, and the end of apartheid in South Africa. Students in this class will have an opportunity to see live theater in the Bay Area (including Tony Kushner’s renowned play Angels in America that debuted in 1992) and learn archival research methods with hands-on access to collections at the Bancroft Library and the Freedom Archives.

Repeat Rules

Requirements class fulfills