The Decades of Modern American Drama 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documents such as interviews with the playwrights and with directors, drafts of play scenes, and other previously unpublished material.
The major playwrights and their works to receive in-depth coverage in this volume include:
- David Rabe: The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel; Sticks and Bones; and Streamers;
- Sam Shepard: Curse of the Starving Class; Buried Child; and True West;
- Ntozake Shange: For colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf; Spell #7; and Boogie-Woogie Landscapes
- Richard Foreman: Sophia = (Wisdom) Part 3; The Cliffs; Pandering to the Masses: A Misrepresentation; and Rhoda in Potatoland (Her Fall-Starts).
List of Boxes
Acknowledgements
Biographical Note and Notes on Contributors
General Preface: Brenda Murphy and Julia Listengarten
1. Introduction to the 1970s by Mike Vanden Heuvel, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA.
2. American Theatre in the 1970s by Mike Vanden Heuvel, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA.
3. 'An Idiom That is a Kind of Vision of the World' - David Rabe's Plays of the 1970s: The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel (1971), Sticks and Bones (1971) and Streamers (1975) by Jon Dietrick, Babson College, USA.
4. Sam Shepard: Curse of the Starving Class (1977), Buried Child (1978), True West (1980) by Mike Vanden Heuvel, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA.
5. Ntozake Shange: for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf (1975), spell #7 (1979), boogie-woogie landscapes (1979) by Neal A. Lester, Arizona State University, USA.
6. Richard Foreman: Sophia = (Wisdom) Part 3: The Cliffs (1972), Pandering to the Masses: A Misrepresentation (1975) and Rhoda in Potatoland (Her Fall-Starts) (1975) by Geoffrey King and Craig Werner, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA.
Afterword
Documents
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Author(s): Michael Vanden Heuvel
Series: Decades of Modern American Drama: Playwriting from the 1930s to 2009, 5
Publisher: Bloomsbury Methuen Drama
Year: 2018
Language: English
Pages: 304
City: London
FC
Half title
Decades of Modern American Drama: Playwriting from the 1930s to 2009
Title
Copyright
Contents
List of Boxes
Acknowledgements
Biographical Note and Notes on Contributors
General Preface Brenda Murphy and Julia Listengarten
1 Introduction to the 1970s Mike Vanden Heuvel
Overview
Living in the decade
Domestic life
Work life
Sex and porn
Feminism and gay rights
Culture
Music
Books
Art
Architecture
Film
Sport
Travel and leisure
Fashion
Political events
Contexts
Events by year
Media
Television
Radio
Print
Science and technology
Race
2 American Theatre in the 1970s Mike Vanden Heuvel
Setting the stage: The political and social context
American theatre(s): Devolution and evolution
Broadway: Infrastructure
Off-Broadway: Infrastructure
Off-Off-Broadway: Infrastructure
Regional theatre: Infrastructure
Playwriting and production: Broadway
The Broadway musical
Broadway imports
Playwriting and production: Off-Broadway
Playwriting and production: Off-Off-Broadway
‘Black is beautiful on Broadway’: Contextualizing identity-based theatre of the 1970s
The women’s movement and theatre
New writing/new performance theatre
Home away from home: Regional theatres and the resident playwright
Conclusion
3 ‘An Idiom that is a Kind of Vision of the World’: David Rabe’s Plays of the 1970s – The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel (1971), Sticks and Bones (1971) and Streamers (1975) Jon Dietrick
Introduction
The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel
Sticks and Bones
Streamers
Minor works and conclusion
4 Sam Shepard: Curse of the Starving Class (1977), Buried Child (1978) and True West (1980) Mike Vanden Heuvel
Introduction
Curse of the Starving Class
Buried Child
True West
Conclusion
5 Ntozake Shange: For colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf (1975), spell #7 (1979) and boogie woogie landscapes (1979) Neal A. Lester
Introduction
for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf
spell #7
boogie woogie landscapes
Conclusion
6 Richard Foreman: Sophia = (Wisdom) Part 3: The Cliffs (1972), Pandering to the Masses: A Misrepresentation (1975) and Rhoda in Potatoland (Her Fall-Starts) (1975) Geoffrey King and Craig Werner
Introduction: Cogito ergo boom – Richard Foreman’s Ontological-Hysteric Theatre
A cross between a (white) college professor and an acrobat
How to activate a space (at a distance)
Manheim as muse: The Lillian Gish of the avant-garde
Thinking against oneself: Language
Politics and the dialectics of consciousness
Sophia = (Wisdom) Part 3: The Cliffs
Pandering to the Masses: A Misrepresentation
Rhoda in Potatoland (Her Fall-Starts)
Conclusion: Foreman since 1981 (the established avant-garde)
Afterword Mike Vanden Heuvel
Documents
David Rabe
Sam Shepard
Ntozake Shange
Richard Foreman
Notes
Bibliography
Index
