Plays

Contents: Marathon Man Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid The Princess Bride Misery.

Garry O'Connor's biography creates a vivd impression of Shakespeare's family life, his marriage and sexuality, the intimate details of his background, and his relationships with the theatre, his audiences and the towering political figures of his time such as Queen Elizabeth and the Earl of Essex. It captures the darkness and confusion of his religious feelings, and his painful search for identity as well as his continuous commitments to change and development. O'Connor imaginatively and persuasively reconstructs the playwright's life and career.

The English Channel, the United States Government, Hitler, cancer - these are a few of the obstacles which these extraordinary women hurdle on their way to ticker tape parades, prison cells and anonymous fates. These are not theatrical accolades to daring public feats; the inner frontiers we learn, are the most treacherous to navigate. So these figures are not statues in the park being polished for public view. And not heroines in a male melodrama, but heroes in their own right, and in their own world - meet them in Julia Miles' new collection from The Women's Project.

This anthology gathers together recent work by the finest and most controversial contemporary American women dramatists. Collectively, this magnificent seven seeks to break the mold of the well-wrought psychological play and its rigid emphasis on realisticsocio-political drama. Includes: Occupational Hazard (Rosalyn Drexler) Us (Karen Malpede) What of the Night? (Maria Irene Forne) Birth and After Birth (Tina Howe) and more.

The voices of five major playwrights offering a vibrant range of styles and themes can be heard here as they resound from the stage of The Women's Project. Cassandra Medley - Ma Rose; Lavonne Mueller - Five in the Killing Zone; Marlane Meyer - Etta Jenks; Maria Irene Forenes - Abingdon Square; Sally Nemeth - Mill Fire.

Do you have an idea for a play? A situation or experience from your home or work life? Fantasy? With helpful, clear examples, taken from his own experiences in teaching, directing and playwriting, Milton Polsky shows how to find and shape a dramatic idea and bring it to fruition. In addition to providing many practical exercises, suggestions and tips, he discusses and illustrates with examples from established playwrights the importance of giving shape to your idea so that what is in your head and heart can be expressed to the fullest. To facilitate this creative process, there are What if?, Just for You, Playwright's Page sections; diagrams, journal exercises; and for this revised edition, end of chapter Suggested Activities for the Classroom (solo and group); addditional appendices, including one on feedback; and over 50 new photos. This invaluable and basic guide to writing plays is ideal for teachers, students, camp counselors, community theatre leaders - and for anyone who knows there's a play inside, trying to get out!