History of Drama American Drama

Early American Drama The American Company, managed by David Douglass, was the first professional company to produce plays in the American colonies. The first production was The Prince of Parthia in 1767 in Philadelphia. The first actual theatre was built in Williamsburg, Virginia in 1716, but no trace is left of it. The Contrast by Royall Taylor was the first American comedy to achieve professional success.

Early American Actors The first actors on American stages were English professional troupes who presented popular London plays. Ira Aldridge (1804-1867) was the first African American actor to achieve international fame. He travelled overseas to perform in London and Russia, portraying such roles as Shakespeare’s Othello and King Lear.

Early American Actors Charlotte Cushman (1816-1876) was the first American woman to gain success. She also travelled abroad and performed in England, popularizing the practice of women playing male roles by portraying characters such as Hamlet and Romeo.

Early American Actors Edwin Booth (1833-1893) is one of the greatest American romantic actors. His career came to a halt when his brother, John Wilkes Booth, also a well-known actor, assassinated President Abraham Lincoln. Edwin retired and never again appeared again in Washington D.C.

American Playwrights Beginning in the 1920s, American theatre became innovative and experimental. Plays began exploring and explaining the social problems that have long affected the lives of American citizens. Topics once too controversial for public discussion could now be safely examined in the anonymity of a darkened theatre

American Playwrights Leading the way was Eugene O’Neill. His tragedies deal with issues ranging from interpersonal relationships to faith. His most famous work is Ah, Wilderness, which deals with a teenager and his coming of age.

American Playwrights Clifford Odets developed theatre of social protest in the 1930s. Wrote predominately about the Great Depression, and is most famous for composing Waiting for Lefty.

American Playwrights Arthur Miller won the Pulitzer Prize and Drama Desk Critics Award. Became the greatest American writer of social and political tragedy. Famous for Death of a Salesman and The Crucible.

American Playwrights Thornton Wilder examines everyday life in a small town in Our Town.

American Playwrights As the 20th Century progressed, new playwrights wrote about the problems in American society. James Baldwin influenced the civil rights movement of the 1960s with his plays Blues for Mister Charlie and Amen Corner.

American Playwrights Lorraine Hansberry wrote about a variety of social issues, including equality for women and family solidarity. She was the first African American and the youngest person to win the New York Drama Critics Circle Award.

American Playwrights Hansberry is most famous for the award-winning A Raisin in the Sun. About an African American family struggling with poverty in 20th Century Chicago. Has been compared to Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, although this story concludes with a sense of hope.

American Playwrights Susan Glaspell was known as the playwright of woman’s selfhood. Influenced the feminist movement in the 20th Century. Her most critically acclaimed work is Trifles.

American Playwrights David Mamet wrote plays dealing with loneliness, gender conflict, and the difference between reality and myth. Wrote in quick and pointed dialogue. His works include Glengarry Glen Ross and Oleanna.

American Playwrights August Wilson’s plays examine African Americans in the 20th Century. His goal was to ask questions about society and answer them in his plays. Famous for writing the Pulitzer Prize winning play, Fences.

American Playwrights Beth Henley, famous for Crimes of the Heart, examines the emotional struggles of southern women and their families .

American Playwrights Ntozake Shange gained critical acclaim for his play, For Colored Girls who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow is Enuf. Deals with the experiences of women who feel isolated from the rest of society. In 2009 it was brought to the big screen in For Colored Girls starring Janet Jackson and Whoopi Goldberg.

American Playwrights Neil Simon was one of the most prolific writers of the 20th Century, producing comedies rather than tragedies or social dramas. His plays are known for being both universal and personal. Famous for Barefoot in the Park, The Odd Couple, and Fools.

American Playwrights The later 20th Century saw plays based on the gay civil rights movement. Tony Kushner’s world-renowned play Angels in America deals with the AIDs epidemic of the 1980s.

American Playwrights Angels in America won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama as well as two Tony Awards. Was later filmed for HBO with a cast headed by Al Pacino and Meryl Streep.

American Playwrights In 2000, Moises Kaufman and the members of the Tectonic Theater Project produced a docu-drama called The Laramie Project. A docu-drama is a play that features dramatized reenactments of historical events.

American Playwrights The Laramie Project is about the real- life murder of a Wyoming student who was killed for being gay. The playwrights conducted hundred of interviews with people from the town of Laramie, Wyoming.

American Playwrights All of the characters of the play are real people. Their lines consist of word-for-word documentation from the interviews. The play was also adapted into a film starring an ensemble cast of over 30 actors, including Christina Ricci, Laura Linney, and Steve Buscemi.