15 More Plays to Read
When You're Not Writing

THE PLAYWRITING SEMINARS > 5 PLAYS > 15 PLAYS

'I'll keep writing about the decreasing power of the individual and the increasing responsibility of the individual. I'm in pursuit of something, and it's a long-term notion.'

-- Jon Robin Baitz

More Plays to Read

• Lisa Loomer, The Waiting Room
  A marvelous innovation in Time structure, combining characters from different centuries and countries confronting attitudes toward medical treatments for women.
  [Available from Dramatists Play Service and in the December 1994 issue of American Theatre magazine.]

• Wallace Shawn, Aunt Dan & Lemon

  ORDER Aunt Dan and Lemon

  A tough play, though with a dose of humor, based on an extended opening Monologue by the Narrator.

• Wendy Wasserstein, The Sisters Rosensweig

  ORDER The Sisters Rosensweig

  A conventional Serious Comedy with a marvelous use of Curtain Lines.

• Robert Schenkkan, The Kentucky Cycle

  ORDER The Kentucky Cycle

  An example of a huge number of characters [33] arranged so they can be played by a small number of performers.

• William Hoffman, As Is

  ORDER As Is

  Still one of the best 'Seriocomedies' around with a great opening monologue by the Narrator.

• Amlin Gray, How I Got That Story

  ORDER How I Got That Story

  One of the best of the so-called American Vietnam plays, a technical miracle involving one of two characters playing nearly 30 roles.

• A. R. Gurney, The Dining Room

  ORDER The Dining Room

  A very clever use of an interwoven Time structure where characters existing at different time periods overlap with each other in the same stage setting.

• Athol Fugard, "Master Harold" . . . and The Boys

  ORDER Master Harold and The Boys

  One of the great plays of the last 50 years with a brilliantly violent -- but nearly non-violent -- Climax and a very mild Suspense Plot.

• Jules Feiffer, The White House Murder Case
  A classic of American violent farce by the famous American cartoonist using short Scenes to interweave related stories happening thousands of miles apart.

• David Mamet, Glengarry Glen Ross

  ORDER Glengarry Glen Ross

  One of his most famous plays, especially notable for his signature Voice and the rhythm of the dialogue.

• Frank Galati [Steinbeck], The Grapes of Wrath

  ORDER The Grapes of Wrath

  A fine Adaptation of the famous American novel by John Steinbeck.

• Jon Robin Baitz, Three Hotels

  ORDER Three Hotels

  A brilliant use of extended Monologues -- each act is a single monologue by one of two characters.

• Velina Hasu Houston, Tea

  ORDER Unbroken Thread including TEA and 5 other plays by Asian American women.

  A strong play on cultural isolation and connection in America involving Japanese 'war brides.'

• John Guare, Six Degrees of Separation

  ORDER Six Degrees of Separation

  A wild play based on only the briefest of news reports regarding an imposter claiming to be the [nonexistent] son of a famous celebrity.

• August Wilson, Joe Turner's Come and Gone

  ORDER Joe Turner's Come and Gone

  A classic by a lyrical writer -- who's also a poet -- with a powerful Climax.