1069 - Classic vs. Contemporary Plays
In-Person Course | Registration opens 9/8/2026 10:00 AM EDT
Discover your creativity and deepen your appreciation of theatre in this six-week Creative Age class with the Educational Theatre Company (ETC). Participants will read, discuss and analyze one classic and one contemporary play, comparing how each reflects its time and society. Through guided group readings and lively discussion, the class will explore themes, characters and dramatic structure, considering how playwrights across eras approach universal questions of love, power and identity.
This session we will be looking at Anton Chekov's The Seagull and Stephen Karem's The Humans. We will explore modern adaptations as well as a translation of Chekov's original masterpiece, alongside Karem's blistering, funny 2015 tragicomedy. Whether you are revisiting old favorites or encountering new voices, you will engage in thoughtful conversation and creative reflection in a welcoming, supportive space.
This course will be offered in-person at George Mason University.
Tessa Klein Harber
Tessa Klein Harber has been a teaching artist with ETC’s Creative Age program since 2023. She has performed in numerous shows in the Washington metropolitan area; and appears regularly at Studio Theatre, Shakespeare Theatre, Round House Theatre, Theater J and Olney Theatre. Her Broadway and off-Broadway credits include Tony Award-winner War Horse at Lincoln Center and many shows at the Irish Repertory Theatre. She holds a BFA from Carnegie Mellon University.