This is an authoritative single-volume guide to the work of twenty-five American playwrights from the 1960s to the present written by a team of twenty-five eminent scholars from the USA, Canada, Britain, Germany and Ireland. It is the perfect companion for students of American literature and drama.
Unrivalled in its coverage of recent work and writers, The Methuen Drama Guide to Contemporary American Playwrights surveys and analyses the breadth, vitality and development of theatrical work to emerge from America over the last fifty years.
This authoritative guide leads you through the work of 25 major contemporary American playwrights, discussing more than 140 plays in detail. Written by a team of 25 eminent international scholars, each chapter provides:
· a biographical introduction to the playwright's work;
· a survey and concise analysis of the writer's most important plays;
· a discussion of their style, dramaturgical concerns and critical reception;
· a bibliography of published plays and a select list of critical works.
Among the many Tony, Obie and Pulitzer prize-winning playwrights included are Sam Shepard, Tony Kushner, Suzan-Lori Parks, August Wilson, Paula Vogel and Neil LaBute. The abundance of work analysed enables fresh, illuminating conclusions to be drawn about the development of contemporary American playwriting.
This volume is a very comprehensive anthology [and] ... the editors are impressive scholars in their own right ... It is highly recommended for inclusion in college and university libraries, as a supplementary reading source for courses and for anyone interested in an introduction to twentieth-century American playwrights and their plays.
