Experience downtown Manhattan’s premier cultural center in a new, exciting way! This spring, see cutting-edge live performances in a range of genres – dance, theater, music, and multimedia. In this course, we will discover and connect themes between the works and consider these questions: how does genre shape our expectations as audience members? What role does the audience play in each performance? What throughlines and concerns emerge between the performances? We will attend four shows in NYU Skirball’s spring season and meet every four weeks to discuss the artist’s body of work and its social and cultural context.  Participants will be responsible for purchasing their own tickets for performances, to allow greater flexibility in scheduling (tickets can be purchased at nyuskirball.org or in person at the NYU Box Office). We will also read selected texts to develop a broader understanding of the landscape of contemporary performance and enrich discussions. We will meet as a class on February 3rd, March 3rd, April 7, and April 28th from 6:30 - 7:45 pm. The shows we will watch and discuss are:

1- Show/Boat: A River- Target Margin Theater  (United States) (Theater)

2- Robert Wilson & Isabelle Huppert: Mary Said What She Said (France) (Theater)

3- Reggie Wilson & The Fist and Heal Performance Group: The Reclamation (USA) (Dance)

4- Lukasz Twarkowski: The Employees (Poland) (Theater)
 
Continuing Education Units (CEU) : 0.5

You'll walk away with

• Access to cutting-edge performances at the NYU Skirball Center
• Familiarity with leading artists, musicians, choreographers and playwrights of today
• An inside look and analysis of each performance

Ideal for

• Savvy New Yorkers
• Art and culture enthusiasts
• All members of the community—working, retired, and in between