Summary
Praise for the previous edition:
"...outstanding...This attractively formatted companion will be useful in academic, public, and high school libraries."—American Reference Books Annual
"...useful...recommended for high-school, public, and academic libraries."—Booklist
"...well-written...Excellent articles...Recommended."—Choice
The Facts On File Companion to American Drama, Second Edition is a comprehensive guide to American dramatic literature, from its origins in the early days of the nation to American classics such as Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman and Thornton Wilder's Our Town to the groundbreaking works of today's best writers. Entries new to this edition include August Wilson's Gem of the Ocean and Radio Golf, Tracy Letts's August: Osage County, Lynn Nottage and her Pulitzer Prize-winning play Ruined, Nilo Cruz, Stephen Adley Guirgis, and much more.
Coverage includes:
- Playwrights, such as Royall Tyler, Eugene O'Neill, Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller, Neil Simon, and Suzan-Lori Parks
- Major plays, including Long Day's Journey into Night, A Streetcar Named Desire, and Angels in America
- Influential directors and critics, such as Elia Kazan and Harold Clurman
- Theater companies, movements and topics, including the Provincetown Players, the Theatre of the Absurd, and African-American drama.
Specifications
Index. Appendix. Bibliography. Cross-references.
About the Author(s)
Jackson R. Bryer holds a Ph.D. in English from the University of Wisconsin. He is a professor emeritus of English at the University of Maryland, where he taught an undergraduate survey course in American drama for 30 years, along with undergraduate courses and graduate seminars on individual American playwrights. He has written or edited books and articles on Eugene O'Neill, Tennessee Williams, Lillian Hellman, and Thornton Wilder, among other subjects. Bryer has served as editor of modern drama in the G.K. Hall Reference Guide series and is founding editor of Resources for American Literary Study. His recent drama-related books include The Playwright's Art: Conversations with Contemporary American Dramatists, Lanford Wilson: A Casebook, and The Selected Letters of Thornton Wilder.
Mary C. Hartig has a master's degree in education from George Washington University. She has taught high school English courses for several years and is an adjunct professor of English at Montgomery College in Rockville, Maryland. She is coeditor with Jackson R. Bryer of Conversations with August Wilson.