The act of critiquing institution as an artistic practice, known as institutional critique, historically originates from the field of the visual arts and the 20th century, so that the critiqued institutions in question were usually museums and galleries.

This course aims to enable students to critically reflect on their working modalities as well as to analyze the broader field of artistic and textual production within which their own conditions of production are shaped - specifically the theater apparatus. 

By looking into a number of texts, primarily plays, but also including novel excerpts, movie scripts, bylaw books and theoretical texts, that delve into the theater as a building and as a cultural apparatus or phenomenon, we aim to facilitate a reflective discussion on the issue of critiquing the theater from within itself - starting with the theater texts. From the meta plays, over the plays conceptually dealing with their own performativity, to the texts in which theater workers are the characters - we will research the theater, its production conditionalities, its relationship with the state and society, and its shortcomings when it comes to representing a site of true revolutionarity or at least representing all members of the society.

The outcome of the course, which will also include a drama workshop session with  theater director Ana Konstantinović, is for each participant to craft an outline for a play, along with accompanying author’s statement and mind map

Anwesenheit, Textentwurf, Mind Map, Autorenstatement