Are you coming to Thursday’s City Talk with the extremely distinguished Dr. Jean Howard of Columbia University’s Department of English and Comparative Literature? You should! Her topic:“Theatre in the City:Early Modern London in Reality and on the Stage”.
ABSTRACT:Between 1550 and 1600 London grew from a city of 50,000 to one of 200,000 residents. This demographic surge was accompanied by changes in many other aspects of the city’s life from an increase in pollution to growth in international trade to a spike in certain kinds of criminality. In cultural terms,one of the biggest changes was the establishment of purpose-built playhouses in the city and in its suburbs,playhouses in which a vibrant drama quickly took shape. In this lecture I explore the various ways that the theatre responded to the city of which it was a part,sometimes by setting plays in an imaginary London and sometimes by creating dramatic fictions that more indirectly spoke to the social issues posed by rapid urbanization and the acceleration of commercial activity within what was quickly becoming a bustling metropolis.
The talk starts 7:30 at the Legacy Art Gallery and Cafe (630 Yates),but seating is limited,so come early.