The Oberon Anthology of Contemporary American Plays


Book Description

This new series brings together some of the best new writing from contemporary American playwrights. Volume One is introduced by Andre Bishop, Artistic Director of the Lincoln CenterTheater, the most prestigious theatre in the USA. Each play is introduced by critically acclaimed writers themselves. The volume includes: KIN by Bathsheba Doran, (with an introduction by Chris Durang) Kin sheds a sharp light on the changing face of kinship in the expansive landscape of the modern world. 'Simply terrific. Perhaps the finest new play of the season. Funny andaudacious, haunting, and exquisitely wrought.' Charles Isherwood, New York Times MIDDLETOWN by Will Eno (with an introduction by Gordon Lish) Middletown was awarded the prestigious Horton Foote Prize for Promising New American Play in 2010. 'Middletown glimmers from start to finish with tart, funny, gorgeous little comments on big things: the need for love and forgiveness, the search for meaning in life, the long, lonely ache of disappointment.' Charles Isherwood, New York Times COMPLETENESS by Itamar Moses (with an introduction by Doug Wright) Completeness is a 21st-century romantic comedy about the timeless confusions of love. 'A funny, ridiculously smart new play. I haven't seen another play recentlythat so perfectly captured love – hot-blooded, fearless, fi ckle – at this stagein life. I was left with nothing but admiration.' Jeremy Gerard, Bloomberg News GOD'S EAR by Jenny Schwartz (with an introduction by Edward Albee) 'This ode to love, loss and the routines of life has the economy and drywit of a Sondheim love song ... Schwartz is a real talent and she is trying something ambitious ... In [her] very modern way, [she is] making a rather old-fashioned case for the power of the written word.' Jason Zinoman, New York Times




The Oberon Anthology of Contemporary American Plays


Book Description

The second volume in this series brings together some of the best new writing from contemporary American playwrights. Each play is introduced by critically acclaimed writers themselves. THE EDGE OF OUR BODIES by Adam Rapp, Introduced by AM Homes, follows a teenage girl Bernadette who has to grow up quickly when she discovers she is pregnant. THE COWARD by Nick Jones, introduced by Marsha Norman, is an absurdist comedy set in 18th century England. Lucidus initiates a pistol duel, but when he finds he'll have to fight the son of the man he challenged, he doesn't want to go through with it. His plot to avoid the duel creates more trouble. THE BOOK OF GRACE by Suzan-Lori Parks, introduced by Oskar Eustis, portrays a dysfunctional American family, where anger and mistrust are symptoms of historical abuse. WHAT ONCE WE FELT by Ann Marie Healy, introduced by Paula Vogel, is set in a mysterious parallel universe, where Macy is the last ever author to be published in print, the system has an underclass named the Tradepack, and a woman can only have a baby if she possesses the right kind of 'scan card'.




The Oberon Anthology of Contemporary Argentinian Plays


Book Description

From Ushuaia, the southernmost town in the world to the edges of the great Paraná river, and from the city of Buenos Aires to its fertile plains and the estuaries of northern Argentina, The Oberon Anthology of Contemporary Argentinian Plays provides a unique insight into the preoccupations and the creative responses of one of the major theatre-producing countries in Latin America. Includes the plays: La vida extraordinaria (Extraordinary Life) by Mariano Tenconi Blanco, translated by Catherine Boyle Pato verde (Green Duck) by Fabián Miguel Díaz, translated by Gwen MacKeith Fonavi by Leonel Giacometto, translated by Rosalind Harvey Nou Fiuter (No Future) by Franco Calluso, translated by William Gregory Poema ordinario (Poor Men's Poetry) by Juan Ignacio Fernández, translated by William Gregory Fuego de dragón sobre dragón de madera (Dragon Fire over Wood Dragon) by Candelaria Sabagh, translated by Kate Eaton




The Oberon Anthology of Contemporary Greek Plays


Book Description

A diverse selection of plays from the nineties, noughties and 2010’s from a range of established and up-and-coming playwrights based in Greece. The collection includes a foreword and introductions to each play by prominent academics in Greek Contemporary Theatre. 1. M.A.I.R.O.U.L.A by Lena Kitsopoulou, translated by Aliki Chapple (2012) 2. Angelstate by Nina Rapi, translated by the author (2015) 3. Wolfgang by Yannis Mavritsakis, translated by Christina Polyhroniou (2008) 4. Hungry by Charalampos Giannou , translated by the author (2016) 5. Juliet by Akis Dimou, translated by Elizabeth Sakellaridou (1995)




The Oberon Anthology of Contemporary American Plays


Book Description

Some of the best new writing from contemporary American playwrights, collected together and introduced by other acclaimed writers. Includes:The Edge of Our Bodies by Adam Rapp (introduced by AM Homes),The Coward by Nick Jones (introduced by Marsha Norman),The Book of Grace by Suzan-Lori Parks, andWhat Once We Felt by Ann Marie Healy (introduced by Paula Vogel).




The Oberon Anthology of Contemporary Spanish Plays


Book Description

From a colonial past to a precarious European present, this selection of works by contemporary writers challenges the accepted vision of the Spain to explore the national themes, historical legacies and modern-day concerns of a country of great geographical and cultural diversity. A Basque History by Borja Ortiz de Gondra (2017 Max Award, Best Playwright) explores the impact of war, regional and national identity, language and culture on the Basque people of the Iberian north. The Sickness of Stone by Blanca Domenech. An idealistic restoration expert clashes with an old-school pragmatist over the best way to acknowledge and heal the wounds of Spain's bloody and oppressive past. Cuzco by Víctor Sánchez Rodríguez. A Spanish couple travels to Peru to save their relationship, but find themselves confronted by post-colonial guilt, depression and disconnectedness. The Greyhound by Vanessa Montfort. This comic tale of a homeless greyhound explores the clash between the EU's prosperous north and the austerity-stricken Mediterranean. On The Edge by Julio Escalada explores the little-known underworlds of Spain's North African territories where the fight for survival leads to prejudice, volatility and violence.




Albee and Influence


Book Description

Albee and Influence contains essays, written by leading Albee scholars, that focus on literary and philosophical influences on Edward Albee’s plays as well as essays on writers and works that Albee influenced.




Women Writing and Directing in the USA


Book Description

Women Writing and Directing in the USA: A Stage of Our Own features interviews with some of the most successful theatre artists currently working on and off Broadway and beyond. The book provides an insight on what it means and what it takes to be a successful female-identifying playwright and director in the USA, where the professional theatrical landscape is still mostly dominated by straight white men. The interviews explore a wide range of themes, including if and how the artists’ female perspective influenced their art, the social and cultural significance of their work, and how theatre and women working in theatre can participate in awakening greater social awareness. Readers will learn about some of the most current and relevant American theatre artists, such as Young Jean Lee, Pam MacKinnon, Dominique Morisseau, Rachel Chavkin, and Martyna Majok. Written for students in directing and playwriting courses, Women Writing and Directing in the USA: A Stage of Our Own features inspirational and informative stories that will help young theatre artists find and pursue their artistic voices.




Selected Plays by Cuban Playwright Abel González Melo


Book Description

"One of Cuba's most important contemporary playwrights, Abel González Melo is known for a hybrid poetics in which he employs contemporary formal features, such as non-linear storytelling and flashbacks, interwoven with elements from the classical tradition in order to stage the ignoble realities of postmodern life. " (Lillian Manzor, University of Miami) Born in Havana in 1980, Abel González Melo is a rare example of a contemporary Cuban playwright whose work is performed and celebrated not only in Cuba, but also in the US, the Americas more widely, Europe, and beyond. Investigating a raft of national and universal themes, such as queer sexuality, the dilemma of leaving or remaining, political power and censorship, family dynamics, the ambition and responsibility of the artist, and so-called 'cancel culture', González Melo's work is international and universal in scope. The result of a 20-year collaboration with translator William Gregory, this collection of six plays surveys González Melo's eclectic two-decade career: from his beginning with earlier works exploring the pulsing underworld of early-2000s Havana in Chamaco and Nevada, through to his most recent takes on theatre and its intersection with contemporary issues in Tell Me the Whole Thing Again and Abyss. Complete with an edited introduction by Ernesto Fundora and a translator's note from Gregory, Selected Plays by Cuban Playwright Abel González Melo explores not only González Melo's oeuvre but also his distinctive stylistic and aesthetic variety, gained from living in both Spain and Cuba.




Contemporary Farce on the Global Stage


Book Description

Contemporary Farce on the Global Stage provides audiences and practitioners a detailed survey of how the genre of farce has evolved in the 21st century. Often dismissed as frivolous, farce speaks a universal language, with the power to incisively interrogate our world through laughter. Unlike farces of the past, where a successful resolution was a given and we could laugh uproariously at adulterous behaviour, farce no longer guarantees an audience a happy ending where everything works out. Contemporary farce is no longer ‘diverting us’ with laughter. It is reflecting the fractured world around us. With a foreword by award-winning playwright Ken Ludwig, the book introduces readers to the Mechanics of Farce, and the ‘Four Ps,’ which are key elements for understanding, appreciating, and exploring the form. The Five Doors to Contemporary Farce identify five major categories into which farces fall. Behind each door are a wide selection of plays, modern and contemporary examples from all over the world, written by a diverse group of playwrights who traverse gender, race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation. Supplementing each section are comments, observations, and reflections from award-winning playwrights, directors, actors, designers, dramaturgs, and scholars. Designed specifically to give theatre-makers a rounded understanding that will underpin their own productions, this book will also be of use to theatre and performance studies students.