The Methuen Drama Guide to Contemporary American Playwrights

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Description

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 playwrights 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.

Reviews

An extensive survey of twenty-five prominent American playwrights whose careers span the last fifty years ... Readers might employ this guide as an introduction to a playwrights career and oeuvre, as supplemental reading to one of the playwrights plays, or as a starting point for further research. This guide provides useful and productive analysis of the playwrights. -- Amy Guenther * Theatre Topics *
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. -- Sharon Marie Britton, Director, Mildred F. Sawyer Library, Suffolk University, USA * Reference Reviews, Vol. 29.1 *

Author Bio

Martin Middeke is Professor and Chair of English Literature at the University of Augsburg, Germany. Peter Paul Schnierer is Professor and Chair of English Literature at the University of Heidelberg, Germany. Christopher Innes is a Professor of English at York University, Canada, and holds the Canada Research Chair in Performance and Culture. Matthew Roudan is Professor and Chair of English at Georgia State University, USA.