Drama and the Human Spirit

Drama and dramatic literature are at the heart of the human experience. This course will examine the history of Western Drama, reading plays from Ancient Greece, through Medieval, Renaissance and early Modern times to current Broadway hits. Drama will be examined from several perspectives: its relation to religious festivals in the ancient and medieval world; its use as a “mirror” that is held up to human nature (in Hamlet’s words); its relation to the history and culture of its various eras; and its ongoing symbolic and ritualistic aspects, even in our current age.

Students will learn the elements of dramatic literature, including staging, plot, character development, catharsis, denouement, etc., and will get a taste of various theories of Drama, from Aristotle to Nietzsche.

More than anything, students will be exposed to a survey of great dramatic literature, including Sophocles, Plautus, Shakespeare, Marlowe, Ibsen, Shaw, O’Neil, Miller and others. The course will also delve into the manifestations of Drama in popular culture, studying Commedia Dell’arte, Vaudeville, Musical Comedies, Improvisation and more.

FALL 2024: 13 Sessions - Wednesdays at 7:00 am Pacific; 8:00 am Mountain; 9:00 am Central; 10:00 am Eastern from Sept. 11 to Dec. 11, 2024, with no meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 27 for Thanksgiving Break.

SPRING 2025: 13 Sessions - Wednesdays at 7:00 am Pacific; 8:00 am Mountain; 9:00 am Central; 10:00 am Eastern from Jan. 14 to April 16, 2025, with no meeting on Wednesday, March 12 for Spring Break.

Age Range: Middle School and High School

Offered through Royal Fireworks Online Classes.

Live Courses 2024-2025

Here are the live courses I'll be teaching online Fall 2024 and Spring 2025. I'll be adding links as more info become available! Adventures in Writing - Grades 6 & 7 Speech, Debate and Communications - High School Drama and the Human Spirit - Middle School and High School Dystopias in Fact and Fiction - High School Symbolism, Allegory and Imagery - High School

About Me

I'm Kevin O'Brien! I am a creative and passionate online teacher. Here are a few things about me ... Professional Actor and Comedian Many years ago, I made a living as a stand-up comedian. I also owned my own singing telegram company and performed over 2,000 singing telegrams in the St. Louis metro area. In 1991, I performed at military bases around the world with an Old Fashioned Comedy Melodrama that I wrote and produced, on a USO-style tour. Since 1989, I have been producing and performing in my own interactive murder mystery dinner theater shows. I appear in about 150 live performances a year, at venues such as mansions, wineries and dinner trains. I write all of the scripts and we perform a different script every month! Click on the photo below to visit my murder mystery website. To get a better idea of the kind of shows we do, check out the promo video I put together for George R. R. Martin, who hired us to perform murder mysteries on his train in New Mexico. I'v

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"I cannot tell you what a difference your class has made this semester for [my daughter]. She came downstairs the other day and said, 'I'm so sad that Mr. O'Brien's class is over.' This semester I watched some of your classes with [my daughter] because she'd say, 'Mom, you're going to love this! Pull up a chair!' You are an outstanding teacher ... We are so grateful for your impact on my daughter's life," "We love Mr. O'Brien!! Our son is really enjoying his class this semester. Thank you so much!" You are so very real and down to earth, so spontaneous. You're not afraid to just be who you are. You are alive and that's what your students love. Of course you can throw in a great sense of humor and intelligence to boot. Thank you for drawing all your friends more deeply into the mysteries of life. We can't help but think about the deeper things, the most important things in life...you lead us

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