David Savran

A conversation with some of the playwrights on the American stage in the 1990s. There appears to be no particular criteria for selection, except the author is looking for playwrights who write ghosts - but he has an extremely broad definition, which fits more closely to memory or just autobiography. Some of the playwrights are very interesting, others not so much, but there is a lot to learn from this volume about inspiration and what playwrights want to see when their play is produced. show more Perhaps the most interesting was the first - Edward Albee. Albee is blunt and irascible, which can be refreshing when combined with a strong wit. The author's comments could have been left out; efforts to over-analyze plays or direct the authors toward accepting a particular interpretation of their work are met with resistance by many of the playwrights. And don't read the first chapter unless you want to realize what a strange idea the author has of what "proves" something. A decent resource for someone interested in theatre, but a bit discouraging for the aspiring playwright. show less

For the last 25 years, The Wooster Group has been one of the most influential and important experimental theatre groups in the country. They have managed, along with such contemporaries as Richard Foreman and Robert Wilson, to redefine the boundaries of what theatre is and what it can do while all the while having a wonderfully fun and zany time. This book not only gives in-depth analysis of seven of the group's pieces, but also manages to record the feelings and personalities of the group show more members through the countless interviews and dialogues represented. show less

A great history of the Wooster Group, with many interviews with and comments by company members. Lots of LeCompte and Spalding Gray.

Albee, Baitz, Gotanda, Hughes, Kushner, McNally, Parks, Rivera, Shange, Silver, Deavere Smith, Vogel, Wasserstein, Wellman, Wolfe