PBS
Career Connections | Senior Vice President of Theatre Operations
What's involved in making sure the show does go on? Go behind the curtain with Gina Vernaci, the senior vice president of theatre operations for the second largest theatre district in the United States. Vernaci details all the roles she...
Crash Course
Hrotsvitha, Hildegard, and the Nun who Resurrected Theater: Crash Course Theater #9
The ninth video in the Crash Course Theatre series focuses on how two women brought theater back into the Christian world. Canoness Hrotsvitha, the first female playwright and Hildegard of Bingen, a nun who composed liturgical dramas,...
Crash Course
Zola, France, Realism, and Naturalism: Crash Course Theater #31
Using an informative video about French theater and drama, scholars learn about the idea of realism in the theater before taking a look at naturalism. Viewers hear about writing styles from Victor Hugo in his works Cromwell and Hernani,...
British Council
Romeo and Juliet
An engaging video featuring William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is accompanied by six activities designed to reinforce vocabulary, story elements, and comprehension. Scholars match words to pictures, place events in sequential order,...
British Council
William Shakespeare
After watching a three-minute video detailing the life of William Shakespeare, scholars take part in several activities designed to show what they know about the famous writer. Learners read a series of eight sentences and put them in...
Crash Course
Into Africa and Wole Soyinka: Crash Course Theater #49
There are two distinct periods of African theater: BC (before colonialism) and AC (after colonialism). The 49th installment of the Crash Course Theater and Drama introduces viewers to African dance and theater traditions. However, they...
Crash Course
Poor Unfortunate Theater: Crash Course Theater #48
Sometimes it's impossible to keep up with the Joneses. Scholars watch video 48 in the Crash Course Theater and Drama series that describes poor theater, which takes out the typical lights, costume, and sets that rich theater includes....
Crash Course
The Birth of Off Broadway: Crash Course Theater #47
Many Broadway shows, including Hamilton, got their start off the infamous street. Video 47 from the Crash Course Drama and Theater playlist focuses on the creation of Off-Broadway theater. Discussion centers around specific theaters and...
Crash Course
Broadway, Seriously: Crash Course Theater #46
Not all Broadway shows feature exciting kick lines and jaw-dropping ballads. The 46th video from the Crash Course Drama and Theater Playlist talks about the serious side of Broadway. Part of the video covers the work of Tennessee...
Crash Course
Beckett, Ionesco, and the Theater of the Absurd: Crash Course Theater #45
Life doesn't make sense, so theater shouldn't make sense either. A video about the theater of the absurd, the 45th installment of the Crash Course Drama and Theater series, discusses the unique movement in theater history. An overview of...
Crash Course
Bertolt Brecht and Epic Theatre: Crash Course Theater #44
A video, number 44 on the Crash Course Drama and Theater playlist, covers the work of Bertolt Brecht, who believed theater should be more than an escape from reality. Content covers a range of Brecht's styles and includes a summary of...
Crash Course
Antonin Artaud and the Theatre of Cruelty: Crash Course Theater #43
Despite spending many years in a sanatorium, Antonin Artaud became a well-known playwright. Video 43 from the Crash Course Drama and Theater playlist describes the life work of the French playwright with a focus on the theater of...
Crash Course
Federal Theatre and Group Theatre: Crash Course Theater #42
Method acting got its start in the 1930s. A video, the 42nd video in the Crash Course Theater and Drama playlist, describes the theater scene during the 1930s, including the introduction of method acting. Information on Waiting for...
Crash Course
The Harlem Renaissance: Crash Course Theater #41
Artists shattered stereotypes during the Harlem Renaissance. Video 41 on the Crash Course Drama and Theater playlist describes art and theater during the time period with a focus on Broadway plays and musicals written by...
Crash Course
Little Theater and American Avant Garde: Crash Course Theater #40
When it comes to quality theater, Americans were tardy to the party. A video on early American theater, number 40 on the Crash Course Drama and Theater playlist, shares information about plays during the early 20th century. ...
Crash Course
Futurism and Constructivism: Crash Course Theater #39
Politics and theater go hand-in-hand. The 39th video in the Crash Course Theater and Drama series introduces plays from the futurist and constructivist movements, including works from an Italian fascist. A summary of "The Storming of the...
Crash Course
Expressionist Theater: Crash Course Theater #38
Darkness. Murder. Emotion. These traits characterize expressionist theater. A video, number 38 on the Crash Course Drama and Theater playlist, discusses key themes and works from the period. An overview of Spring Awakening, which...
Crash Course
Dada, Surrealism, and Symbolism: Crash Course Theater #37
Video 37 in the Crash Course Drama and Theater playlist discusses surrealism, as well as symbolism and dadaism in the world of theater. Playwrights the narrator discusses include Maurice Maeterlinck, Paul Fort, Lugne Poe, and Andre...
Crash Course
Synge, Wilde, Shaw, and the Irish Renaissance: Crash Course Theater #36
Some of the greatest plays contain only one act. A video, the 36th in the Crash Course Theater and Drama playlist, provides an overview of playwrights connected to the Irish Renaissance, particularly J.M. Synge, who was known for his...
Crash Course
Chekhov and the Moscow Art Theatre: Crash Course Theater #34
Were they worth the wait? Naturalistic Russian plays were hidden for years due to government censors who only wanted to display melodrama. In 1898, a private theater opened and began showing plays not approved by the government. Viewers...
Crash Course
Symbolism, Realism, and a Nordic Playwright Grudge Match: Crash Course Theater #33
Two European playwrights of the nineteenth century shared a love of theater—but also happened to be enemies. Viewers learn of the differences between Henrik Isben of Norway and August Strindberg of Sweden and how their rivalry changed...
Crash Course
Realism Gets Even More Real: Crash Course Theater #32
Just how real is realism? It seems that the Theater Duke, as the video discusses, felt every realistic detail mattered. Scholars learn about the use of realism in plays and the importance of realistic details in props, costumes, and more.
Crash Course
Race Melodrama and Minstrel Shows: Crash Course Theater #30
Does theater really influence society? In the nineteenth century, drama displays that depicted the treatment of different races actually contributed to the spread of racism. Scholars view images from such plays to gain a better...
Crash Course
The Horrors of the Grand Guignol: Crash Course Theater #35
Fight or flight? Could a play be so scary that it makes the audience want to run from the theater? Andre de Lorde actually had the dream of writing such a play. Scholars learn of him and other French playwrights that focused on the...