American Playwrights, a Critical Survey, Volume 1The first of a planned two-volume introduction to contemporary American dramatists, this selection of 18 represents the off-Broadway movement of the last two decades. Each general introduction to an author's work includes full specifics on theatrical techniques, analysis of individual plays and a final assessment of the author's creative development and place in American drama. Also traces the history of the New York experimental theater companies where several of these playwrights' careers developed: Langford Wilson in the Circle Repertory Company; Paul Foster in La Mama Experimental Theater; and Jean-Claude Van Itallie and Megan Terry in the Open Theater. |
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absurd actors American audience Baraka Buried Child cartoon characters comedy contemporary conventional Cowboy Mouth cowboys create culture dance death dialogue dramatic action dramatic structures dream Drexler's earlier plays emotional encounter Eyen Eyen's fantasy Fefu film final Fornes Gelber Girl grotesque Guare Guare's homosexual human humor imagery images imagination Itallie Itallie's Juanita Castro Karl Marx Kenneth Koch Koch Koch's Kopit's La Turista landscape language literary lives lyrical McClure's Melfi's metaphor Mouse Singer moves movie musical Muzeeka myth mythic narrative notion off-Off-Broadway onstage Open Theater Operation Sidewinder parody Patrick's performance play's playwright poetic political present Queen realistic reality reflects rhythms Ridiculous ritual rock music Ronald Tavel Sam Shepard satire Satyricon scenes sexual Shepard sing sixties social society songs speech spirit stage story structure style symbolic takes talk Tavel techniques Terry theatre theatrical thematic theme Tooth of Crime transformation turns vision Wilson woman women writing young