Theatre and citizenship

Instructions
How does theatre reflect society? How can theatre be used to explore questions of citizenship? In this essay
assignment you will explore the theme of citizenship by screening a film or streaming theatre production and
writing about how theatrical activities respond to social questions.Before you screen the film or theatre
production: Think about how you are a citizen of the MSU community. What does citizenship mean to you?
How do you participate in campus life? What aspects of your identity affect your citizenship? What things are
important to know in order to be a successful citizen of this community? Think about how it might be different to
engage as a citizen in a different time and place.
While watching the film/production: Think about how the characters negotiate citizenship. When does
citizenship lead to conflict? Are some characters better citizens than others? How do design elements support
the theme of citizenship? Does the scenery relate to essential qualities of citizenship in a particular historical
and cultural moment?
After the show: Write a cogent essay in which you make an argument about the theme of citizenship as
presented in the film or theatre production you screened. Use your own reflections on citizenship to write
introductory and concluding paragraphs. Use evidence from the film or play to support your ideas. Be sure to
link your evidence to your overall thesis; the best way to do this is to write a strong topic sentence for each
paragraph.