Decades of Modern American Drama: Playwriting from the 1930s to 2009

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Description

The Decades of Modern American Playwriting series provides a comprehensive survey and study of the theatre produced in each decade from the 1930s to 2009 in eight volumes. Each volume equips readers with a detailed understanding of the context from which work emerged: an introduction considers life in the decade with a focus on domestic life and conditions, social changes, culture, media, technology, industry and political events; while a chapter on the theatre of the decade offers a wide-ranging and thorough survey of theatres, companies, dramatists, new movements and developments in response to the economic and political conditions of the day. The work of the four most prominent playwrights from the decade receives in-depth analysis and re-evaluation by a team of experts, together with commentary on their subsequent work and legacy. A final section brings together original documents such as interviews with the playwrights and with directors, drafts of play scenes, and other previously unpublished material. Lead volume authors include: Anne Fletcher (1930s); Felicia Hardison Londr (1940s); Susan C. W. Abbotson (1950s); Mike Sell (1960s); Michael Vanden Heuvel (1970s); Sandra G. Shannon (1980s); Cheryl Black and Sharon Friedman (1990s), and Julia Listengarten and Cindy Rosenthal (2000-2009).

Reviews

This series is essential for any college or university library collection; it can be used in any fine arts, theater, and cultural history class as an introductory text as well as for individual examination and research on major American playwrights and their works. * American Reference Books Annual *

Author Bio

JULIA LISTENGARTEN is Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies at the University of Central Florida, USA. Brenda Murphy is Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor of English at the University of Connecticut, where she has taught since 1989, following fourteen years as a faculty member and administrator at St Lawrence University. She is the author of many articles, books, and reviews on drama and American literature. Brenda Murphy is Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor of English at the University of Connecticut, where she has taught since 1989, following fourteen years as a faculty member and administrator at St Lawrence University. She is the author of many articles, books, and reviews on drama and American literature. JULIA LISTENGARTEN is Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies at the University of Central Florida, USA.