Gertrude Stein, 1874-1946
-stream-of-consciousness writing style
-"The Mother of Us All" (libretto of 1946 opera)
Susan Glaspall, 1876-1948
-"Trifles", 1916
-won Pulitzer Prize
-worked with Federal Theatre Project
-Provincetown Players with Eugene O'Neill
Sophie Treadwell, 1885-1970
-Machinal, 1928 (The Life Machine in London premiere)
Clare Booth Luce, 1903-1987
-congresswoman, ambassador, & playwright
-1936, The Women
Lillian Hellman, 1905-1984
-The Children's Hour
-The Little Foxes
-blacklisted by Hollywood during the McCarthy era
Alice Childress, 1920-1994
-first black woman to produce her play AND direct it
-Trouble in Mind
Lorraine Hansberry, 1930-1965
-A Raisin in the Sun
-first Broadway-produced play written by a woman
Maria Irene Fornes (1930- )
-Mud, 1983
-Fefu & Her Friends, 1977 (rotate around rooms!)
-won 9 Obies (Obie = covers off-Broadway awards)
-mentor of Nilo Cruz
-immigrated from Cuba when she was just 15 years old
Adrienne Kennedy
-Funnyhouse of a Negro
-surrealist writing style
Megan Terry (1932- )
-Viet Rock, 1962
Tina Howe
-Coastal Disturbances
-Tony-nominated, 2-time Pulitzer nominee
Caryl Churchill
-Cloud Nine, 1979
-most famous Feminist playwright of 20th Century
-Vinegar Tom
-influenced by Brecht & Artaud
Marsha Norman, 1947-
-'night, Mother (1983)
-Getting Out, 1977
-Pulitzer winner
-wrote libretti for numerous Broadway musicals
(The Color Purple & The Secret Garden)
Ntozake Shange (1948- )
-For Colored Girls..... , 1975
-Obie winner
-Guggenheim fellow
Wendy Wasserstein, 1950-2006
-Tony & Pulitzer winner
-Guggenheim fellow
-Heidi Chronicles, 1988
Anna Deavere Smith, 1950-
-one woman shows
-Tony & Pulitzer-nominated
-known for many TV & film roles
-Fires in the Mirror, 1992
Paula Vogel
-How I Learned to Drive, 1997
-Pulitzer winner
-KCACTF Award named after her
-The Baltimore Waltz
-Brechtian devices (i.e. Chorus) to prevent audiences from getting too freaked out by subject matters
Beth Henley, 1952-
-Abundance
-Crimes of the Heart
-grad of SMU in Dallas
-Pulitzer winner
-Magic Realism or Realism
Theresa Rebeck, 1959-
-Omnium Gatherum, 2003 (visually difficult, but great play- like No Exit)
-MFA and PhD
-worked on NYPD Blue, Law & Order, & Smash
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| Omnium Gatherum |
Yasmina Reza, 1959-
-Art, 1994
-God of Carnage, 2006
-French playwright
-International award-winner
Suzan-Lori Parks
-Topdog/Underdog
-MacArthur Award
-Pulitzer winner
Lynn Nottage, 1964-
-Ruined, 2008
-Intimate Apparel, 2003
-plays deal with issues in Africa
Rebecca Gilman, 1964-
-The Glory of Living
-really no catharsis in this piece
-Boy Gets Girl
-hard subject matters
Regina Taylor
-Crowns
-first black woman to play Juliet on Broadway
Julia Jordan, 1968-
-Tatjana in Color, 2004
-writes for As the World Turns
Sarah Ruhl, 1974-
-Eurydice
-Dead Man's Cell Phone
-In the Next Room
-MacArthur fellow & Pulitzer winner
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| Dead Man's Cell Phone |
Like African-Americans, women have made huge strides in their theatrical accomplishments. Lillian Hellman was a brilliant playwright, having written two of my favorite plays: The Children’s Hour and The Little Foxes. Unfortunately she was blacklisted by Hollywood during the McCarthy era. Anna Deavere Smith is a brilliant playwright and actress. She performs dozens of characters in her one-woman shows that deal with very serious topics in places where something catastrophic has recently occurred. Yasmina Reza and Sarah Ruhl are two of the best & biggest modern female playwrights. They have both already produces multiple hit plays that are currently influencing the landscape of contemporary theatre.
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