Contemporary Black American Playwrights and Their Plays: A Biographical Directory and Dramatic Index

(Hardback)

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Description

This work provides a wealth of information on obscure and overlooked American playwrights as well as some famous ones; it will be a welcome addition for collections specializing in the theater arts. Reference Books Bulletin This directory and index, the first such volume devoted exclusively to contemporary black American dramatists, will have an important place in theatre collections. It captures and preserves an elusive part of artistic endeavor, giving access to literally thousands of dramatic works that would otherwise be lost to scholars and the public. Organized as an encyclopedia, it provides information on more than 600 noteworthy Black American playwrights whose plays have been written, produced, or published between 1950 and the present. The volume begins with an introductory essay surveying the history of contemporary black American drama. Playwrights, screenwriters, radio and television scriptwriters, and musical theatre collaborators are treated in individual entries that comprise the bulk of the book. The volume also supplies a bibliography of anthologies, books, and periodicals cited; mailing addresses for more than 200 of the playwrights; and title and subject indexes.

Reviews

A comprehensive directory that is the only reference work devoted to contemporary black American dramatists. It lists more than 700 US and US-resident dramatists, screenwriters, radio and TV scriptwriters, musical theater collaborators, and other originators of theatrical works written, produced, or published, 1950 to the present. It is more accurate and reliable than E. S. Arata and N.J. Rotoli's Black American Playwrights, 1800 to the Present (CH, Nov'76) or Arata's More Black American Playwrights (CH, July '79). . . It includes both well-known playwrights and those whose plays have been produced by regional or community groups. . . Highly recommended for all libraries.-Choice
Most of the source material for this book was personally collected by the author over the last 20 years. Of the more than 700 biographies in the collection, two-thirds were located by the author . . . Most of the material in this collection does not seem to be available in other standard reference sources. Fewer than 10 percent of the people included in this work are also covered by Macmillan's Contemporary Playwrights, and slightly less than one-third are included in Gale's Contemporary Authors and its derivatives. This work provides a wealth of information on obscure and overlooked American playwrights as well as some famous ones; it will be a welcome addition for collections specializing in the theater arts.-Reference Books Bulletin
This major reference work lists over 700 black Americans who have written for the theater, film, television, and radio from 1950 to the present. Coverage, which includes brief biographical data and an annotated list of plays, ranges from such national figures as Lorraine Hansbury and Amiri Baraka (Leroi Jones) to those whose work has been produced by local, nonprofessional groups. A particularly helpful feature is a mailing address for each writer. . . A comprehensive bibliography completes this essential purchase for drama and black studies collections.-Library Journal
"A comprehensive directory that is the only reference work devoted to contemporary black American dramatists. It lists more than 700 US and US-resident dramatists, screenwriters, radio and TV scriptwriters, musical theater collaborators, and other originators of theatrical works written, produced, or published, 1950 to the present. It is more accurate and reliable than E. S. Arata and N.J. Rotoli's Black American Playwrights, 1800 to the Present (CH, Nov'76) or Arata's More Black American Playwrights (CH, July '79). . . It includes both well-known playwrights and those whose plays have been produced by regional or community groups. . . Highly recommended for all libraries."-Choice
"This major reference work lists over 700 black Americans who have written for the theater, film, television, and radio from 1950 to the present. Coverage, which includes brief biographical data and an annotated list of plays, ranges from such national figures as Lorraine Hansbury and Amiri Baraka (Leroi Jones) to those whose work has been produced by local, nonprofessional groups. A particularly helpful feature is a mailing address for each writer. . . A comprehensive bibliography completes this essential purchase for drama and black studies collections."-Library Journal
"Most of the source material for this book was personally collected by the author over the last 20 years. Of the more than 700 biographies in the collection, two-thirds were located by the author . . . Most of the material in this collection does not seem to be available in other standard reference sources. Fewer than 10 percent of the people included in this work are also covered by Macmillan's Contemporary Playwrights, and slightly less than one-third are included in Gale's Contemporary Authors and its derivatives. This work provides a wealth of information on obscure and overlooked American playwrights as well as some famous ones; it will be a welcome addition for collections specializing in the theater arts."-Reference Books Bulletin

Author Bio

BERNARD L. PETERSON, Assistant Professor of English and Drama at Elizabeth City State University, North Carolina, has had a long career in theatre and theatre education.