Course

Comedy has entertained, challenged, and reshaped audiences for millennia. This course traces stage comedy from Aristophanes to Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, exploring Roman farce, Renaissance wit, French comedy, nineteenth-century farce, and vaudeville. We’ll examine how comic characters, structures, and performance styles evolved across eras and how comedy reflects changing ideas about society and human behavior. No theatre background required—just curiosity and a willingness to laugh and think.

Faculty Bio

Peter Davis is a retired theatre professor who taught for forty years at the University of Oregon, Tufts University, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he chaired the Theatre Studies and MA/PhD programs.

This is an In-Person, Livestreamed + Recorded Course

• Classes meet in person at the Golden Bear Center, Suite 202/204, at 1995 University Ave., Berkeley
• Classes will also stream live simultaneously, and be recorded
• You must be a current OLLI @Berkeley member to register. Learn about membership, including our fee assistance program.

Schedule Highlights

• Course starts on Tuesday, March 31, and ends on Tuesday, May 5
• Classes meet for 6 weeks, 2 hours per session (1–3 PM)
• Videos will post on Fridays in Member Dashboards
• All course materials, including videos, will remain available to view and enjoy through May 31

Member Praise for Peter Davis

I learned so much from Peter about how Broadway began and grew as well as the development of NYC. I.greatly appreciated how thorough this subject was covered and how well and interestingly it was presented.

Enjoyed the historical information, Peter's enthusiasm, and the slides with images. I learned a lot!! Thank you.

Faculty Q&A

• Read an interview with Peter Davis about his course.