Examples of Contemporary Themes

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'Themes in these new [Asian-American] plays are very different . . .. No more, thank God, Japanese internment camp dramas, inter-generational family melodrama or Chinese railroad stories. Been there, done that. Instead of letting our history and mythology determine the nature of our plays, we're digging up our own issues and problems. Being Asian then ceases to become a central issue; instead it's the tone, part of the landscape.'

-- Chay Yew

Most playwrights express their themes with considerable subtlety. That's the difference between a Theme and a Message. It's the job of Directors and Literary Managers or English professors to discover the Themes you've woven into the dialogue.

Some examples of themes in contemporary plays . . .

David Henry Hwang's M. BUTTERFLY
Racial stereotypes blind you to reality.
Wendy Wasserstein's THE HEIDI CHRONICLES
A heavy price is paid by women who were the career path-makers of the 1970's.
Beth Henley's CRIMES OF THE HEART
It's a crime not to follow your heart's desires.

And a grand old play . . .

Tennessee Williams' CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF
Overly sensitive people are crippled by the lies of the world we live in.

If the Theme's really important to you and you're not sure the audience will get it . . .

Using An Authorial Spokesperson

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