Book Description

The introduction gives the background of Modern American Drama which is a kind of slow evolution and has taken place in the form of an amalgamation of various schools. It presents the gradual growth of the American dramatic literature right from Eugene O’ Neill up to Edward Albee. This chapter includes the dramatists like Eugene O’ Neill, Maxwell Anderson, Robert Sherwood, Lillian Hellman, Clifford Odets, Philip Barry, Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller and Edward Albee in order to have an understanding of the overall development of the American dramatic literature. In February 1915, an enthusiastic group of young amateurs calling themselves the Washington Square Players waved a solemn manifesto in the face of New York Drama critics. They opened the Band Box Theatre near the corner of 57th street and Third Avenue. Just a year and a half later, another group equally young and enthusiastic, took possession of a stable in MacDougal Street to be known thereafter as the Province-town Theatre. The dramatists of the Washington Square Players were more influenced by Ibsen, Shaw and Maeterlinck whereas that of the Province-town group happened to accept Eugene O' Neill as their torch-bearer.