Fall 2026 Honors Seminar ~ Geographies/Topics
THE AMERICAN DREAM
Professor Kristen Wright
kw3340@nyu.edu
THEA_UT 801.003 ~ 4 credits
Tuesdays 2:00-4:45 pm
The phrase “American Dream” was first used by author James Truslow Adams in his 1931 book The Epic of America. Adams dreamed that all Americans would be able to achieve “the fullest stature of which they are innately capable,” regardless of the circumstances of their birth.
This course includes a multi-ethnic and international roster of playwrights and composers who explore the highs and lows of the American Dream, including mid-20th century writers and composers like Edward Albee, Arthur Miller, and Stephen Sondheim. Also included are contemporary first-and second-generation immigrant perspectives from Nilo Cruz, Ayad Akhtar, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Mfoniso Udofia; the intimate kitchen-table play cycles of Richard Nelson and Lucy Thurber; feminist perspectives from Suzan-Lori Parks, Dominique Morriseau, Lorraine Hansberry, and Heidi Schreck; and UK and European playwrights tackling questions of American identity like Lucy Prebble (Enron) and Stefano Massini (The Lehman Trilogy).
By examining a wide range of plays and musicals about the American Dream from the mid-20th century to the present, students will study how the American Dream has shaped the creative imagination of a broad group of theater artists.