American Drama 565

Resources

Chronological Index

General

• History of American Theater: Early History and Contemporary --links to early and modern periods.
• Other 18th and 19th Century Plays --complete texts.
• An Outline History Of American Drama Colonial Theater and Drama.
• Broadway 101: History of the Great White Way--excellent theatrical history. Click on the appropriate time period and on the arrows at the bottom of each page.

Anna Cora Mowatt

• Fashion; or, Life in New York.  A Comedy, in Five Acts --complete text. (Another Fashion text.)
• Anna Cora Mowatt Site--good biography. Check "Author of Fashion" and "Career as Actress."
• Fashion (or Life in New York)--short review on modern relevance and production.
• Always in Style: Fashion--short review (opposite viewpoint).

George Aiken (and Harriet Beecher Stowe)

• Uncle Tom--complete text by Aiken.
• Uncle Tom's Cabin and American Culture--wonderful site, primarily on Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel, but with many links to related materials. See Uncle Tom's Cabin on Stage--browse the links. See in particular, Sentimental Culture; Reviewing Uncle Tom Onstage--see reviews of Aiken's Uncle Tom and other reviews; and Tom Shows--interesting article in Scribners Magazine, 1925. and Aunt Harriet Beecher Stowe--popular anti-Stowe (pro-slavery) song.
• Blackface Minstrelsy 1830-1852--several links.
• Minstrel Shows--long and thorough essay on the minstrel tradition, including the popular "Tom Shows."
• Uncle Sam's Uncle Tom--short background on Stowe, Aiken, and slavery; Harriet Beecher Stowe--short biography of author of Uncle Tom's Cabin (novel).
• Abolitionism 1830-1850--see, in particular, the "Interpret" link at bottom of page (then click "Interpretive Exhibits")--all the essays, but "Topsy and Eva" in particular.
• Sympathetic Vibrations: The Politics of Antebellum Melodrama--Mark Mullen's interesting redefinition of melodrama. See especially Project Context and Chapter One.
• Characteristics of Melodrama:

• The virtuous hero/heroine is hounded by a villain and is rescued from a series of life threatening events.
• An episodic story unfolds rapidly after a short expository scene.
• Each scene ends with a climax.
• Important events occur onstage including elaborate spectacle.
• Plot devices like disguise, abduction, concealed identity and fortunate coincidence are used.
• Villains are always defeated and then brought to justice.
• Servants or lowly characters provide comic relief.
• Song and Dance is used to highlight and underscore the production.

Susan Glaspell

• Trifles--complete text with links, and other short essays; Trifles (2)--complete text.
• Three Study Questions.
• Glaspell: Classroom Issues and Strategies--study guide.
• Realism and Naturalism-- short definitions.
• Characteristics of a Well-made play:

• Extensive exposition and careful preparation (foreshadowing) early in the play.
• A tightly knit cause-and-effect arrangement of plot incidents.
• Each scene builds to a strong climax (or crisis).
• A secret known to the audience, but not to the play's characters.
• A "show down" or confrontational scene between the play's two major characters near the climax.
• A careful resolution of the action so there are no loose ends.

Georgia Douglas Johnson

• Biography.
• Art, activism, and uncompromising attitude in Georgia Douglas Johnson's lynching plays--scholarly article.

Eugene O'Neill

• The Emperor Jones--complete text.
• O'Neill biography. Another O'Neill biography (2).
• Study questions (1)--on Hairy Ape, Mourning Becomes Electra, and Long Day's Journey into Night.
• Study Questions (2)--on Emperor Jones and Long Day's Journey.
• Eugene Gladstone O'Neill : Nobel Autobiography--short account of his life in his own words.
• A ghost in the expressionist jungle of O'Neill's The Emperor Jones--scholarly article addressing the issue of racism in O'Neill's play.
• Contour in Time: The Plays of Eugene O'Neill--table of contents for Bogard's book-length study of O'Neill's plays. See especially Amateur's End: The Emperor Jones--from Chapter III of the book; The Triumvirate Desire Under the Elms--from Chapter VI of the book; The Door and the Mirror: Long Day's Journey into Night--from Chapter X of the book.
• An Electronic Eugene O'Neill Archive--excellent site with many links. The "Production Archive" links to reviews of the early productions of his plays.
• Eugene O'Neill's First Stage: Provincetown--Chapter One from Provincetown as a Stage by Egan. O'Neill's early years at the Provincetown Theatre.
• James and Ella, 1845-1877--the actual lives of O'Neill's parents compared with the parents in Long Day's Journey into Night. Chapter One from Black's recent book-length study Eugene O'Neill: Beyond Mourning and Tragedy.
• The Expressionist Plays of Eugene Neill as Political Dramas (scroll down the page)--Rufolo-Horhager's long abstract for a conference paper contrasting O'Neill's expressionistic plays and his hyperrealistic Long Day's Journey into Night.
• Eugene O'Neill Newsletter--several issues available online.
• Strindberg and Our Theatre¹ (1923)--essay by O'Neill

Sophie Treadwell

• Biography
• Machinal-- excellent introduction to the play.
• Curtain Up Review
• Reviews of Machinal
• Production photos
• Ruth Snyder --summary of the real-life case that inspired Treadwell.
• Expressionist Art Gallery--the art resource for our American Drama class. Links at the end to essays on expressionism in all the arts.

Elmer Rice

• Rice biography.
• Review of a recent revival.
• Revival Production of the Year--scroll down to several reviews describing the productions and production photos.
• In the Black--another recent production.
• Expressionist Art Gallery--the art resource for our American Drama class. Links at the end to essays on expressionism in all the arts.

Clifford Odets

• Biography.
• Clifford Odets--some comments on "Lefty" and study questions.

Lillian Hellman

• Hellman biography; Hellman--short biography
• The Children's Hour--background and several movie versions.
• Oleanna and The Children's Hour: Misreading Sexuality on the Post/Modern Realistic Stage--scholarly article comparing modernist realism vs postmodernist realism in Mamet's and Hellman's sexual harassment plays.
• "Blacklists and Other Economic Sanctions" from: Ellen Schrecker, The Age of McCarthyism--context for Children's Hour.
• Lillian Hellman's FBI file.

Thornton Wilder

• Biography; Short biography
• Five Thousand Years of Suburban Family Fortitude--introduction to The Skin of Our Teeth.
• Synopses and Reviews--good introduction to the play and historical contexts and reception.
• Epic Theater--helpful definition.
• Epic Theater of Brecht.

Arthur Miller

• Miller biography; Miller biography (2); another Miller biography (3)
• Death of a Salesman Study Questions
• Miller Study Questions--on Death of a Salesman and The Crucible
• Study Questions for Advanced Students.
• "Tragedy and the Common Man" --Miller's famous essay. Another copy of the Miller essay. Compare with Tragic Hero Classically Defined.
• Theme, Motifs, Structure, Character Analysis--helpful comments.
• Expressionistic Devices in Salesman--Lounsberry's excellent essay.
• Broadway Review.
• Review of and Second Thoughts on a recent expressionist production and re-interpretation of Miller's classic play.
• The System and the American Dream: Death of a Salesman--Garrison's essay critiquing Willy and family as failures, not tragic heroes.
• Recent Miller Interview--comments on Salesman.
• Excerpt from Moss's Arthur Miller--surveys common approaches to Miller's plays and Miller's "dilemma."
• The Poet: Chronicler of the Age--Bigby's essay on Miller and Salesman.
• Classroom Issues and Strategies --for The Crucible.
• Salem Witchcraft Trials 1692 --lots of background information for Miller's play The Crucible.
• Why I Wrote The Crucible: An Artist's Answer to Politics --Miller essay of how and why he wrote The Crucible.

Tennessee Williams

• Williams biography--with helpful quotes by Williams.
• Streetcar Named Desire: Leading Questions--excellent study questions, plus other interesting information related to the play.
• Instructor Notes on Streetcar Named Desire.
• Assessment--helpful comments on Streetcar.
• Main Themes in Streetcar--short summaries
• Last Stop: Blanche's Breakdown--essay by drama instructor.
• The Smashed Mirror: Representations of Blanche in A Streetcar Named Desire--Harringtin's abstract for conference paper about the sexual politics motivating Stanley and Mitch (scroll way down the page).
• Sexual Outcasts in A Streetcar Named Desire--Chapter two of Haley's dissertation on Williams.
• Love and Death in Tennessee Williams--Fritscher's published 6-chapter dissertation on Williams.
• Tennessee Williams' Streetcar Named Desire--many helpful links.

Lorraine Hansberry

• Hansberry biography.
• Study Questions: Raisin in the Sun--click "cancel" when box appears.
• Hierarchy of Needs Theory and the Younger Family--Maslow's theory, study questions, paper topics.
• Confusion in a Dream Deferred: Context and Culture in Teaching A Raisin in the Sun--scholarly article.
• Black Women on Broadway: The Duality of Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun and Ntozake Shange's for colored girls --scholarly article.

Edward Albee

• Albee biography. Another biography--short.
• Study Questions on The Zoo Story.
• Allegory in Albee's American Dream--scholarly essay.
• Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf--background and comments on several Albee plays.
• Questions for Discussion: Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf. See also Critical Comments about Who's Afraid and by Albee --the Albee comments are particularly interesting.
• "I am the Earth Mother: Pagan Elements in Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf."
• When Love Hurts--well-written essay on Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf.
• Albee, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf--selection from Bottom's scholarly book.
• Historical Contexts--the Cold War/Berlin Wall context of Who's Afraid . . . .
• Requiem Structure and Lyrics--religious context of Act III.
• Production Photos: The Sandbox--Waiting for the Inevitable; Grandma and the Young Man Chat, the Musician Waits; The Musician, Grandma, and Death; Grandma's Funeral.
• Theatre of the Absurd--helpful definition. See also Absurdism--explanation of the philosophy.

Adrienne Kennedy

• The Theatre of Adrienne Kennedy--biography and brief commentary on her plays.
• Saluting an Innovative Dramatist: Ahead of her Time, Playwright Adrienne Kennedy--part biography, part critical commentary.
• Stretching the Umbrella: The Theatre of Adrienne Kennedy --good discussion of Kennedy as symbolist, absurdist, surrealist, expressionist.
• Passed Over: The Tragic Mulatta and (Dis)Integration of Identity in Adrienne Kennedy's Plays--scholarly article.
• Reversing Blackface Minstrelsy, Improvising Racial Identity: Kennedy's Funnyhouse of a Negro--scholarly article.

Sam Shepard

• Sam Shepard Web Site
• The Times--actors analyze their roles in Fool for Love.
• Shepard Study Questions--for True West
• Sam Shepard and the Anxiety of Identity--M.A. thesis.
• Masculinity and Performance--essay on gender as masquerade and performance; several other related essays also.

Marsha Norman

• Norman biography--plus commentary, links.
• Study Questions: 'Night, Mother. See also class notes.
• American Psychiatric Society: 'Night, Mother--some facts about suicide.

Maria Irene Fornes

• Fornes biography--plus commentary, interview, links.
• Fornes Study Questions--for Conduct of Life. (Click "cancel" when box appears.)

Ntozake Shange

• Authorizing Desire Erotic Poetics and the Aisthesis of Freedom--scholarly essay; long section on Simone de Beauvoir's ideas precedes the discussion of Shange's Spell #7 and Morrison's Beloved.
• The Minstrel Mask and The American Minstrel--good background for Spell #7.
• Minstrel Shows--long and thorough essay on the minstrel tradition, including the popular "Tom Shows."
• Elam, Harry J., ed. Colored Contradictions: An Anthology of Contemporary African-American Plays, Plume 1996--introduction to Elam's collection; contemporary black plays revising the Uncle Tom and minstrelsy tradition.

David Mamet

• Mamet biography.
• Study Questions: Glengarry Glen Ross
• Study Notes on Glengarry Glen Ross
• Glengarry Glen Ross: Introduction
• Oleanna and The Children's Hour: Misreading Sexuality on the Post/Modern Realistic Stage--scholarly article comparing modernist realism vs postmodernist realism in Mamet's and Hellman's sexual harassment plays.

Suzan-Lori Parks

• Parks Biography.
• Venus in Tears --good short summary of the life of Saartjie Baartman.
• 'A poem for Sarah Baartman' By Diana Ferrus --see right-side column; poem credited with raising public awareness the Hottentot Venus problem.
• Fetching Saartjie --personal reflections on the life of and return to Africa of Saartjie Baartman.
• Displaying Sara Baartman, the Hottentot Venus --scholarly article on Sara Baartman as historically exhibited and turned into contemporary icon.
• Teaching Justice: The Idea of Justice in the Structure of Drama--scholarly article on Parks's Venus and other comedies.
• The Re-objectification and Re-commodification of Saartjie Baartman in Suzan-Lori Parks's Venus--scholarly article.
• The Hottentot Venus--many links to the 19th century "Venus" and the current controversy over her remains, as well as to contemporary art, documentaries, and theatre on the subject.
• Postmodern Theatre and Postmodern Philosophy--helpful definitions.

David Henry Hwang

• Hwang biography--plus commentary, interview, links.
• Hwang Study Guide.
• Madame Butterfly, Story Origins --summaries of all the earlier Butterfly narratives.
• Afterward--Hwang's comments on his play.
• 'Making His Muscles Work For Himself': An Interview with David Henry Hwang --interview.
• Projected bodies in David Henry Hwang's M. Butterfly and Golden Gate--Shin's scholarly article.
• Of Monkeys and Butterflies: Transformation in M.H. Kingston's 'Tripmaster Monkey' and D.H. Hwang's M. Butterfly --scholarly article.
• M. Butterfly--comparison of the theatrical and cinematic versions.
• The Phenomenology of Nonidentity and Theatrical Presence in M. Butterfly --scholarly article.
• Postmodern Theatre and Postmodern Philosophy--helpful definitions.

August Wilson

• Wilson biography--with reviews and assessments of his work, and links.
• Scene Design Photo--for Ma Rainey's Black Bottom; click on the thumbnail.
• From Chaos to Collage: The Influence of Romare Bearden's Art on August Wilson--interesting short essay on collage in The Piano Lesson.
• Call-and-Response: Parallel "Slave Narrative" in August Wilson's The Piano Lesson--scholarly article.
• "We's the leftovers": Whiteness as Economic Power and Exploitation in August Wilson's Twentieth-century Cycle of Plays--Usekes' scholarly article; covers several plays.
• August Wilson, Doubling, Madness, and Modern African-American Drama--scholarly article on Fences and other plays.
• The Shaman's Apprentice: Ecstasy and Economy in Wilson's Joe Turner--scholarly article.
• A Transplant That Did Not Take: August Wilson's Views on the Great Migration --scholarly article.

Tony Kushner

• Kushner biography--plus commentary, interview, links.
• Kushner links
• Scene Design Photos--click on thumbnails.
• Issues: Kushner's Millenium Approaches--helpful study questions.
• Class Notes: Angels in America: Millennium Approaches--questions and ideas.
• HIV/AIDs Information--many links.

Paula Vogel

• Study Questions on How I Learned to Drive
• How I Learned to Drive by Paula Vogel --theatre review.
• How I Learned to Drive --theatre review.
• What's Love Got to Do With It? --negative review of Vogel's play.
• 'Incest is Best (When It's Kept in the Family)': Staging a Re-conceptualization of the Oedipal Family Matrix in Paula Vogel's How I Learned to Drive --scholarly article.

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