Plays, playscripts, drama

Book SynopsisJimmy McAleavey is the author of numerous stage plays, including: Inventors (Kabosh, 2013), The Queen's Shilling (Goldin+Senneby 2013), Titans (Kabosh, 2012), Monsters, Dinosaurs (Abbey Theatre, 2011), Get Gaddafi (Tinderbox, 2011), The Sign of the Whale (Tinderbox, 2010), The Joy (and Roy) of Irish (Kabosh, 2010), The Virgin Father (Tinderbox, 2009) and Weirdwolf (Tinderbox, 2008). He has had several radio productions: Hearing Voices (BBC Radio 4 Afternoon Play, 2011), Wigs on the Green (a six-part series co-written with John Murphy on RTE radio, 2010), Food of the Blue (Radio 4 Afternoon Play, 2009), Moonmen (BBC Radio 3, 2008), The Last Words of Van Helsing (BBC Radio 7, 2007), The Ballad of Shane O'Neill (Radio 4 Afternoon Play, 2006), Cemetery Sunday (Radio 4, 1995). He has written for feature films, written and directed short films, scripted TV drama and produced and directed factual TV.

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Book SynopsisTable of ContentsIntroduction (Dariusz Kosinski)Chapter 1: Innocent wizards. Orpheus after Jean Cocteau (Dariusz Kosinski)Chapter 2: Alpha, Omega and that which is in-between. Cain after George Gordon Byron (Dariusz Kosinski)Chapter 3: Farce-Mystery, or there can be no other Socialism. Mystery-Bouffe after Vladimir Mayakovsky (Dariusz Kosinski)Chapter 4: A Hindu erotica. Shakuntala after Kalidasa (Dariusz Kosinski)Chapter 5: A mystery ‘in-yar-face’. Forefathers’ Eve after Adam Mickiewicz (Dariusz Kosinski)Chapter 6: Polishness as madness. Kordian after Juliusz Slowacki (Dariusz Kosinski)Chapter 7: Our Acropolis. Acropolis after Stanislaw Wyspianski (Dariusz Kosinski)Chapter 8: ‘To heaven? You blaspheme in vain’. Tragical History of Doctor Faustus after Christopher Marlowe (Dariusz Kosinski)Chapter 9: Jerzy Grotowski's Hamlets. Hamlet Study based on the works of William Shakespeare and Stanislaw Wyspianski (Wanda Swiatkowska)Conclusion (Dariusz Kosinski)Index

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Book SynopsisMargherita Laera is a Senior Lecturer in Drama and Theatre at the University of Kent. She is the author of Playwriting in Europe: Mapping Ecosystems and Practices with Fabulamundi (Routledge Focus, 2022); Theatre & Translation (Red Globe Press, 2019) and Reaching Athens: Community, Democracy and Other Mythologies in Adaptations of Greek Tragedy (Peter Lang, 2013), and editor of Theatre and Adaptation: Return, Rewrite, Repeat (Bloomsbury, 2014). Margherita also works as a theatre translator from and into Italian and English. She is the founder of Performing International Plays, an organization promoting theatre (in) translation in secondary schools.BiographiesFrancesco Alberici is an actor, author and theatre director. Alongside his work with his company Frigoproduzioni, he collaborates with other artists too. With the company, Deflorian/Tagliarini, he took part in five shows as an interpreter and co-author: among them the Italian version of the m

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Book SynopsisJack Michael Stacey is a playwright and actor whose first play was shortlisted for the Verity Bargate Award; he was also the runner-up for the Sir Alec Guinness Award. His plays have been performed at Edinburgh International Fringe Festival, Waterloo East, Arcola, Bread and Roses and The Hope.Matthew Howell is an actor, writer and purveyor of sagacity with wit. He is one half of the sketch duo Horrigan and Howell. Their award-nominated show was a sensation at Edinburgh Fringe in 2022. His work has been performed at The Pleasance, Hen and Chickens and The Hope.

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Book SynopsisGurpreet Kaur Bhatti writes for stage, screen and radio. Her first play Behsharam (Shameless) broke box office records at Soho Theatre and the Birmingham Rep. Behzti (Dishonour) was sensationally closed after protests at the Birmingham Rep in December 2004. Behzti won the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, the play was then translated into French and did sell-out tours in France and Belgium. Behud (Beyond Belief) was co-produced by Soho Theatre and Coventry Belgrade and shortlisted for the John Whiting Award. Khandan had a sell out run at the Birmingham Rep before transferring to the Royal Court. Her latest play A Kind Of People opened at the Royal Court Downstairs in December 2019. Other credits include Elephant, Birmingham Rep; Dishoom, Rifco/Watford Palace Theatre, Fourteen, Watford Palace Theatre; the feature film Everywhere And Nowhere; DCI Stone, Radio 4; Londonee, Rich Mix; Dead Meat, Channel 4 and An Enemy Of The People (BBC World Service). Her first collection of plays, Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti: PLAYS ONE, is published by Oberon Books. She is currently writing screenplays for Moonage Pictures, Cuba Pictures and Martha Stone Productions. She is also adapting Sathnam Sanghera's Marriage Material for the Birmingham Rep.

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Book SynopsisNiall Moorjani is an award winning and critically acclaimed Scottish-Indian, non-binary and neurodiverse writer, storyteller and theatre maker based between Edinburgh and London. They create for both children and adults, but at the core of all their work are themes of hope, joy and kindness.

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Book SynopsisLeanna Keyes is a multi-hyphenate theatre artist and producer with a primary focus on queer and trans people. She aims to authentically portray the full complexities of queer life (past, present, and future).Lindsey Mantoan is the Ronni Lacroute Chair in Theatre Arts and an Associate Professor at Linfield University. Her current research focuses on contemporary musical theater. She is the author or co-editor of seven books, an intimacy director, a director, and a dramaturg.Angela Farr Schiller is an Emmy Awardwinning director, a multiple award-winning dramaturg, scholar, and professor at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee. Additionally, Angela works as a Dramaturg-in-Residence with the Atlanta-based Working Title Playwrights (WTP), the leading new play development organization in the Southeast, United States.

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Book SynopsisNima Taleghani is writer and performer, whose debut play Bacchae marks the first ever playwright debut on the National Theatre's Olivier stage. As an actor, he recently starred alongside Tom Holland as Benvolio in Jamie Lloyd's production of Romeo & Juliet, where he also served as the production's Text Editor. Nima's screen and stage performance credits include Heartstopper for Netflix as series regular Mr Farouk, and Cyrano de Bergerac alongside James MacAvoy in the West End & New York.

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Book SynopsisOver the past 25 years, Tanika Gupta has written over 25 stage plays that have been produced in major theatres across the UK and has written extensively for BBC Radio drama. Some of her theatre credits include: A Doll's House (Lyric Hammersmith); Lions And Tigers (Globe Theatre); The Empress (Royal Shakespeare Company); and Wah! Wah! Girls - A British Bollywood Musical (Sadler's Wells). In 2008 Tanika was awarded an MBE for Services to Drama and in 2016 was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book SynopsisI'm making a decision. I'm changing things. This is it. Three old friends in their mid-twenties. One remarkable day. For Ted, Danny and Charlotte, it's time to seize control. Make a difference. Change things. This is it. A day trip through the parks and raves and cafes of South London, where life is what you make it. The rapid fire words of Kate Tempest paint a picture of lives less ordinary in an unforgiving world, sound-tracked by an exhilarating score. The drama mixes rap-style poetry delivered with microphones and self-reflexive addresses to the audience. A play about love, life and losing your mind, and the first play from one of the UK's most exciting performance poets, Kate Tempest.Trade ReviewAn ingenious whole that's funny and true about growing up, getting wasted and – as they gather round a tree planted to remember their friend – wasting life. Tempest's writing oscillates between dynamic poetry that's full of vividly phrased acute observation and dialogue that's plainer but just as spot-on ... [a] very exciting new play. -- Elisabeth Mahoney * Guardian *Tempest is a distinct emerging voice on the poetry and rapping scene in London ... it’s an often electrifying script filled with sharp observations on life ... there’s also hope and, without sentimentality, the play becomes a lesson in when to seize the day. -- Daisy Bowie-Sell * Telegraph *Kate Tempest is a poet and rapper, jobs whose cadences shine enticingly through in the punchy rhythms of her writing. Theatre has borrowed her for her debut play and I heartily suggest we try to make the arrangement permanent, as Tempest provides a welcome shot in drama’s arm ... Tempest’s is a talent to be harnessed, not wasted. -- Fiona Mountford * Evening Standard *Kate Tempest’s debut Wasted is a punchy, poignant and perceptive play about life ... The three protagonists may be in their mid-20s but their sagas and struggles, aspirations and hesitations will resonate with audiences in generations above and below ... the characters are so close to home that it regularly strikes a nerve - and many a funnybone ... Tempest’s writing is smart and electric, all pith and wit, marking her out as one to watch. This may be her first play, but her poetry and rap experience shines through in the accomplished, confident script. -- Evelyn Curlet * Stage *As Ms. Tempest’s gorgeous streams of words flow out, they conjure a story so vivid it’s as if you had a state-of-the-art Blu-ray player stuffed into your brain, projecting image after image that sears itself into your consciousness. Both as writer and performer, Ms. Tempest stitches together words with such animate grace that language acquires an almost tactile quality * New York Times on 'Brand New Ancients' *

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Book SynopsisFirst performed at Edinburgh''s Royal Lyceum Theatre, the first stage play from the SUNDAY TIMES No.1 bestselling author of A SONG FOR THE DARK TIMESIt''s been 25 years since Alfred Chalmers was convicted of the gruesome murder of four young women in Edinburgh. Isobel McArthur, Scotland''s first Chief Constable, was the woman responsible for putting him behind bars, but the case has haunted her ever since.Now, with her retirement approaching, McArthur decides the time has come for answers. To uncover the truth, she revisits the case and interviews Chalmers for the first time in decades. But her decision rips opens old wounds and McArthur is soon caught up in a web of corruption, psychological mind-games and deceit that threatens not only her own life, but those of her fellow officers and even her own daughter.Tense, gritty and hard-hitting, DARK ROAD is the first ever stage play from bestselling crime writer Ian Rankin, co-written by the Royal Lyceum''Trade ReviewRankin continues to be unsurpassed among living British crime writers - THE TIMESOutstanding ... very ambitious and very confident - SUNDAY TELEGRAPHGritty and hard-hitting, it's the work of a writer at the very top of his game - SUNDAY MIRRORGenius ... Rankin once again proves himself to be the consummate master of crime - SCOTLAND ON SUNDAYRankin's dialogue flows so naturally that it's easy to dismiss his subtler gifts; no one captures the bleak grandeur of Scotland, or the mindset of those charged with upholding its law, in quite the same way - FINANCIAL TIMESA richly-plotted and densely-textured portrait of modern Scotland and its ills - INDEPENDENT

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Book SynopsisFrom the No.1 bestselling author of A SONG FOR THE DARK TIMESThe stage debut for the legendary detective John Rebus in this brand new, original story by Ian Rankin, written alongside the award-winning playwright Rona Munro.John Rebus is not as young as he was, but his detective instincts have never left him. And after the daughter of a murder victim turns up outside his flat, he''s going to need them at their sharpest.Enlisting the help of his old friend DI Siobhan Clarke, Rebus is determined to solve this cold case once and for all. But Clarke has problems of her own, problems that will put her at odds with her long-time mentor and push him into seeking help from his age-old adversary: ''Big Ger'' Cafferty.This haunting story takes Rebus to places he has never been before, sets him and his long-time foe on a collision course and takes us deeper into one of the most satisfying conflicts in modern fiction.Featuring an introduction

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Book SynopsisArguably Brecht''s greatest play, A Life of Galileo charts the seventeenth century scientist''s extraordinary fight with the church over his assertion that the earth orbits the sun.The figure of Galileo, whose heretical' discoveries about the solar system brought him to the attention of the Inquisition, is one of Brecht's more human and complex creations. Temporarily silenced by the Inquisition's threat of torture, and forced to abjure his theories publicly, Galileo continues to work in private, eventually smuggling his work out of the country.Brecht''s beautiful depiction of the explosive struggle between scientific discovery and religious fundamentalism is captured masterfully in this new translation by RSC writer-in-residence, Mark Ravenhill.Trade ReviewRavenhill has more to say, and says it more refreshingly and wittily, than any other playwright of his generation * Time Out *There are few stage authors writing more interestingly than Mark Ravenhill . . . He is . . . a searing, intelligent, disturbing sociologist with a talent for satirical dialogue and a flair for sexual sensationalism. * Financial Times *The real pleasure of ... Mark Ravenhill's slimmed-down translation lies in the absolute clarity with which [he] put[s] Brecht's masterpiece before us ... the real joy lies in seeing Brecht's timeless debate about scientific morality rendered with such pellucid swiftness. -- Michael Billington * Guardian *Lively and ultimately moving ... Ravenhill’s nifty and highly theatrical script, which pares down Brecht’s sometimes interminable speeches while retaining their essence -- Charles Spencer * Telegraph *A sharp new adaptation by Mark Ravenhill that emphasises the dark comedy and diversely rich theatrical inventiveness in a piece that Brecht kept revising -- Paul Taylor * Independent *

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Book SynopsisThe only difference between me and the people judging me is they weren't smart enough to do what we did.One of the most infamous scandals in financial history becomes a theatrical epic. At once a case study and an allegory, the play charts the notorious rise and fall of Enron and its founding partners Ken Lay and Jeffrey Skilling, who became the most vilified figure from the financial scandal of the century.' This Student Edition features expert and helpful annotation, including a scene-by-scene summary, a detailed commentary on the dramatic, social and political context, and on the themes, characters, language and structure of the play, as well as a list of suggested reading and questions for further study and a review of performance history.Mixing classical tragedy with savage comedy, Enron follows a group of flawed men and women in a narrative of greed and loss which reviews the tumultuous 1990s and casts a new light on the financial turmoil in which the Trade ReviewCaryl Churchill’s Serious Money skewered the 1980s; Prebble’s Enron knifes the Noughties. * Sunday Times *

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Book SynopsisWe''ve stood up - we''ve lain down - we''ve concentrated. We''ve sat interminably while that tiresome old woman recited extremely unflattering verses at us. We''re endured five séances - we''ve watched her fling herself in and out of trances until we''re dizzy, and at the end of it all we find ourselves exactly where we were at the beginning.Researching for his new novel, Charles Condomine invites the implausible medium Madame Arcati to his house for a séance. Whilst consumed in a trance, Madame Arcati unwittingly summons the ghost of Charles''s dead wife, Elvira. Appearing only to Charles, Elvira soon makes a play to reclaim her husband, much to the chagrin of Charles''s new wife, Ruth. One husband, two feuding wives and a whisper of mischief in the air - who will win in Coward''s unworldly comedy?Written in 1941, Blithe Spirit remained the longest-running comedy in the history of the British theatre for three decades thereafter. Dealing with relationshipsTrade ReviewThe wide-set eyes flash, the fingers fly like knitting needles, the teeth bulge and the cheeks quiver to comic effect. It is like being in a pre-war Lagonda and watching the old dashboard dials dance into life. This play . . . holds up well when played in a properly blithe spirit. * Daily Mail *. . . one of Noel Coward's most inventive comedies . . . It is a comedy that still startles and delights. Coward wrote it in the darkest days of the Second World War and in the circumstances its determinedly frivolous attitude to morality seems downright heroic. * Daily Telegraph *As Coward liked to say, what's so wrong with mere entertainment? * Sunday Times *. . . Noel Coward's eternal comedy classic. * Jewish Chronicle *Table of ContentsPlay text

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Book SynopsisWritten specifically for GCSE students by academics in the field, the Methuen Drama GCSE Student Editions provide in-depth explanatory material alongside the play texts frequently studied at Key Stage 4. Whether for use in the classroom or independent study, these editions offer a fully comprehensive and lightly glossed play text with accompanying notes specifically directed towards readers of this age, which unravel essential topics and challenge all students to delve further into literary analysis. In Simon Stephens''s multi-award-winning stage adaptation of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, based on Mark Haddon''s novel, Christopher''s investigation into the death of the neighbour''s dog tears his world apart and confronts him with the struggle to survive when everything feels foreign.In addition to some on-page explanatory notes and the play text itself, this edition contains sub-headed analyses of themes, characters, context and dramatic devices, as well asTrade ReviewTrue to the original novel, Simon Stephens's version drips with ideas * Evening Standard *Table of ContentsConcise critical commentary, focusing upon key speeches/events; language; dramatic technique Expanded sections on theme, dramatic technique, characterisation and context Close reading of selected passages Press reviews including up-to-date reviews Words of actors and directors who have been involved in the play Playwrights' own words (annotated) Short extracts from critical writings on the playwright Extensive activities involving other works by the playwright

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Book SynopsisThis book presents a comparative study of the history, performances and politics of the FTP by drawing and exposing further links between American modernism and its European counterparts.

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Book SynopsisA brand new edition of the smash-hit play, now a wildly popular CBC TV series. Mr. Kim is a first-generation Korean immigrant and the proud owner of Kim's Convenience, a variety store located in the heart of downtown Toronto's Regent Park neighbourhood. As the neighbourhood quickly gentrifies, Mr. Kim is offered a generous sum of money to sell enough to allow him and his wife to finally retire. But Kim's Convenience is more than just his livelihood it is his legacy. As Mr. Kim tries desperately, and hilariously, to convince his daughter Janet, a budding photographer, to take over the store, his wife sneaks out to meet their estranged son Jung, who has not seen or spoken to his father in sixteen years and who has now become a father himself. Wholly original, hysterically funny, and deeply moving, Kim's Convenience tells the story of one Korean family struggling to face the future amidst the bitter memories of their past.

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Book SynopsisUncle Vanya (1898) is a four-act play by Russian short story writer and playwright Anton Chekhov. It was first performed at the Moscow Art Theatre in 1899, directed by acclaimed actor Konstantin Stanislavski—who also played the role of Astrov. Reviews were lukewarm at first, but as the play continued to run, Uncle Vanya gained both popularity and critical prowess, and has since become one of the most influential dramas ever produced. When retired Professor Aleksandr Serebryakov and his young second wife Yelena arrive at their country estate, they disrupt the mundanity and relative boredom of provincial life for its inhabitants. While the elderly Serebryakov enjoys life in the city, Sonya, his daughter, and Vanya, his first wife’s brother, remain at the estate to manage its daily upkeep. Vanya, whose only companion is Mikhail Astrov, a doctor dissatisfied with his life and role in the rural community, regrets his failure to become a man of letters, and blames Serebryakov for saddling him with responsibility for the estate. He also loves the beautiful Yelena and wishes he had realized it before she married his brother-in-law. Meanwhile, Sonya secretly loves Astrov, but fears he thinks of her as only a friend. As Serebryakov’s decision to sell the estate in order to increase his income is revealed, Vanya—incensed by years of disappointment and disrespect, as well as his by own mother’s idolization of the Professor—reaches his breaking point, bringing the play to its startling, powerful conclusion. Uncle Vanya is a masterful drama that illuminates the intersecting obligations of family while dissecting the bitterness and ambition which so often define the relationships of men. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Anton Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya is a classic of Russian literature reimagined for modern readers.

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Book SynopsisNora Helmer is a dutiful young wife and mother of three children whose attempt to secure her family’s future may ultimately lead to its destruction. Ibsen’s play explores female identity and independence in a male dominated society. The Helmer family consists of Torvald and Nora, as well as three children: Ivar, Bobby and Emmy. From the outside, they appear to live a happy and idyllic life. Yet, a secret from Nora’s past threatens to destroy everything she loves. One of Torvald’s employees blackmails Nora, hoping she can influence her husband in the workplace. When she doesn’t succeed, Torvald is informed of her misdeeds. This leads to a life-changing confrontation that forces Nora to reevaluate her marriage and desire for a family. A Doll's House a one of Ibsen’s most forward-thinking plays. It was deemed scandalous for its depiction of a wife who prioritizes her own well-being over others. It’s an insightful examination of how gender roles dominated nineteenth century Europe. With an eye-catching new cover, and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of A Doll’s House is both modern and readable.

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Book SynopsisEllida Wangel grew up loving the sea, but she eventually moved away and married a doctor instead of the sailor who originally stole her heart. This has put a strain on her relationship with her husband and his two daughters, from his previous marriage. Ellida Wangel is the second wife of widower, Dr. Edvard Wangel. She is the stepmother to his daughters, Bolette and Hilde, who prefer to keep their distance. The family dynamic is often cold as the marriage is more about convenience than love. Ellida spent her formative years near the sea and has always yearned to return to it. But her life and responsibilities have kept her away. When a former lover reappears, he attempts to convince Ellida to leave her husband and travel abroad. She is forced to choose between the family she knows and the future she desires. The Lady from the Sea examines the trappings of what appears to be a happy marriage. Despite a stable husband and two children, the wife is unfulfilled. She must look inside herself to discover what truly matters in her heart. With an eye-catching new cover, and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of The Lady from the Sea is both modern and readable.

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Book SynopsisLove’s Victory by Lady Mary Wroth (1587–1651) is the first romantic comedy written in English by a woman. The Revels Plays publishes for the first time a fully-authorised, modern spelling edition of the Penshurst manuscript, the only copy of the play containing all five acts, handwritten by Wroth and privately owned by the Viscount De L’Isle. Edited by Alison Findlay, Philip Sidney and Michael G. Brennan, their critical introduction provides details of Wroth’s remarkable life and work as a member of the Sidney family, tracing connections between Love’s Victory, her prose and poetry and her family’s extensive writings. The editors introduce readers to the influence of court drama on Love’s Victory and offer a new account of the play’s stage history in productions from 1999–2018. Extensive commentary notes guiding the modern reader include explanatory glosses, literary references and staging information.

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Book SynopsisThe first single-text scholarly edition in English. An indispensable resource for scholars, students, and theatre practitioners. Edited by Ruth Lunney. -- .

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Book SynopsisOscar Wilde's early fame ensured that throughout his short life he was written about by many of those he met. He was celebrated - or mocked - as the master of the ingenious epigram, the provocative paradox, the witty aside or the extravagant conceit. In researching his monumental biography of Wilde Matthew Sturgis found, in every major archive, sheets of foolscap in Wilde's distinctive handwriting, setting down a series of unfamiliar epigrams - unpublished try-outs. There were fascinating new discoveries. He uncovered dozens of unfamiliar and previously ungathered anecdotes about Wilde: sidelights on his days in Oxford, London, America and Paris and beyond, by society hostesses, men-about-town, actors, lawyers, minor litterateurs, artists and politicians, diligently setting down his actions, his mannerisms and above all his sayings.The items in this volume are all small additions to the Wilde story: some unfamiliar, others unexpected, they enrich and alter the picture of his life.Trade ReviewWildeana is an intriguing, entertaining miscellany of recollections, letters, descriptions, skits, about Oscar Wilde by his contemporaries, as well as scraps of his own writing. An enlightening collection, perfect for dipping into, for Oscar Wilde fans and newcomers alike. * Tatler (Autumn books roundup) *

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Book Synopsis"Theater such as Kenneth Koch cannot be simply paraphrased, and presents to the audience the classic Mennipean challenge: to ponder, to mull it over, to think."--Mac Wellman The Banquet brings together 144 plays, ten screenplays, and five operas spanning more than five decades of experimental work from a writer John Ashbery has called "simply the best we have." Witty, provocative, and playful, Kenneth Koch's work draws on poetry, musicals, improvisational comedy, satire, and other forms for their inspiration and touches on subjects ranging from the silly to the sublime. Kenneth Koch (1925--2002), known for his association with the New York School of poetry, wrote many collections of poetry, fiction, plays, and nonfiction. His books include Seasons on Earth, On the Edge, Thank You and Other Poems, The Art of Love, One Thousand Avant-Garde Plays, Hotel Lambosa, and The Collected Fiction, and several books on teaching children how to write poetry. Koch was awarded numerous honors, including the Rebekah Johnson Bobbitt National Prize for Poetry, awarded by the Library of Congress in 1996, as well as awards from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the Fulbright, Guggenheim, and Ingram-Merrill foundations. In 1996 he was inducted as a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Kenneth Koch lived in New York City, where he was professor of English at Columbia University.Trade ReviewThe Banquet succeeds in spades, giving us an entire 'world of pure experience,' to borrow William James's phrase, one that is just waiting to be brought to life." --Los Angeles Review of Books "Some writers excel in more than one form ... the 600-plus pages of The Banquet suggest that the late poet Kenneth Koch had two right hands."--New York Observer "[T]he plays abolish time and space... If we lived in Koch's Arcady, the text seems to ask, might we live forever?" --Poetry Magazine "[These plays] are as funny and inventive as Koch could be. Count him among the few to move beyond Gertrude Stein in establishing alternative performance texts." --Rain Taxi Review "These are bursts of charming joy, mystery, surprise and delight animated by a love of language and a deep belief in its possibilities... The Banquet is the perfect title for this collection, a book to be read and reread." --BODYTable of ContentsPLAYS Pericles The Merry Stones Without Kinship Guinevere, or The Death of the Kangaroo George Washington Crossing the Delaware Six Improvisational Plays The Academic Murders Easter Mexico City The Lost Feed The Gold Standard Coil Supreme The Return of Yellowmay The Revolt of the Giant Animals The Building of Florence Scenes from Angelica E. Kology The Tinguely Machine Mystery or The Love Suicides at Kaluka The Moon Balloon The Election The Gold Standard Youth The Enchantment Time and his Trumpet Manet Elfred the Dancer Searching for Fairyland Tawai Nakimo Incident on the Street The Brave Bull The Promenade in Oaxaca Six Tones The Cowries Two Tall Individuals The End of Comedy Cook Four Loves The Umbrella of Stage Directions The Party The Animated Room Happiness Searching for the Tomb of Alexander The Tomb of Alexander An Atmosphere of Heavy, Intense (Summer) Stillness Pervades the World of Christineet Édouard Mary Magdalene’s Song A Song to the Avant-Garde The Two Bulls Spices Happiness Comes Back, in a Car Agamemnon Husserl Angels The Underground Army The Mediterranean Gospel Red Riding Noh Tanayachi Robert Wilson Riding Hood In China None The Black Spanish Costume Similar Events Gospel Toothbrush Permanently The Burning Mystery of Anna Départ Malgache On the Edge Smoking Hamlet La Comtesse De Bercy Hamlet Team Hamlet Little Red Riding Hamlet Hamlet Rebus Transposed Hamlet Aux Seins De Mandarine Different Rooms Doctor The Chinese Rivers Christine, Edward, And The Cube From The M’vett The Arrival of Homosexuality in Greece, or the Fagabond Watteau’s Reputation Hippopotamus Migration in Africa Wittgenstein, or Bravo, Dr. Wittgenstein! Tadeusz Kantor and the Duck The Theatre at Epidauros The Great Ball The Boat from Mandraki The Choice in Shanghai Dumplings Alexander Olive Oyl Commandeers Popeye’s Gunboat and Sails Off to Attack Russia After The Return of the Avant-Garde Les Bousculades de L’Amour, Suivies de the Mexicana The Yangtse Athens Extended Place Beijing Opera League Byron in Italy (On) A Corner (of Nothing) in Africa The Coast of West Africa, 1782 Conceptions of Things A Tale of Two Cities Down and Out Near the Bay Of Naples The Conquest of Mexico Quetzalcoatl and The Cook The Vanished God The Meeting in Mexico The Return of Odysseus Other Return of Odysseus The Harbor of Rhodes Crêpe de Chine St. Petersburg in 1793 A Love Play Trade Allegory of Sports Mao Tse-Tung Comes Back to Life Un Mélange De Styles In The Market Economy, or Lost in Finance The Precious Sea Mahx Bruddahs The Return of Brad Garks Vuillard Gnossos Time and the Sea Glory, or The Anthology Ages El Nacimiento de Federico García Lorca in Seville The Composition of Louise The Taps The Four Atlantics The Lost Moment Transposition—Bell to Europe, from China À La Banque de France The Duke of Wellington’s Nose In the Storm of Love Cook Comes Homes A Mournful Geography City Vanguard The Stove of Peace The End The Death of Sir Brian Caitskill The Red Robins The Strangers from the Sea A Heroine of the Greek Resistance Edward and Christine Popeye Among the Polar Bears The New Diana FILMS Ten Films Because The Color Game Mountains and Electricity Sheep Harbor Oval Gold Moby Dick L’Ecole normale The Cemetery The Scotty Dog The Apple OPERA LIBRETTOS Bertha A Change of Hearts The Construction of Boston Garibaldi En Sicile The Banquet

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Book SynopsisSet in an enchanted forest, Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is the ideal subject for artist Marcel Dzama, whose work frequently references dreams, fairy tales, and mythical worlds. Inspired by Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Shakespeare’s celebrated romantic comedy intertwines multiple narratives under the influence of transformation and witchcraft. The play is often staged with actors wearing animal masks, an aspect that appeals particularly to Dzama, whose work is characterized by the fusion of human and animal, fantasy and reality. As the second title in David Zwirner Books’s Seeing Shakespeare series, this book revisits this ultimate fairy tale through the eyes of a contemporary artist who feels a special affinity for its imagery.

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Book SynopsisSet on a remote island, Shakespeare’s The Tempest is an ideal subject for artist Rose Wylie, whose work frequently references classic stories and well-known characters. Likely the last play written entirely by Shakespeare, The Tempest brings together various themes the bard explored in his prior plays, including magic, revenge and forgiveness, order and society, and nature versus art. The shipwreck and remote island, the spirits, and the dukes and their children, offer rich material for Wylie’s works on paper and canvas. As the third title in David Zwirner Books’s Seeing Shakespeare series, this book pairs a complex narrative with equally layered works by a contemporary artist who approaches the play and art-making from a unique perspective.

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Book SynopsisSKiNFoLK: An American Show by Jillian Walker Is a quilted ritual of liberation, bearing witness to the playwright-performer’s identity, heritage and legacy as a Black woman in this America. This ancestor-revering epic collides with blues, jazz, neosoul, pop, rock, and spiritual Black legacies. What will you see in the archive? Who will you meet? What is down at the root? What color is the sky, again?Trade Review"A sensuous evening filled with the promise of mutability, an existence without the restraints of what our skin color binds us to.""A buoyant experimental cabaret of Black womanhood." * Vulture *

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Book SynopsisWhen forced to choose a topic for a mandatory high school project, Alex sarcastically says hummingbirds because one is hovering outside the window. Alex has no idea that this offhand choice will lead them to uncover hidden family histories in a mysterious journal from the 1860s, find an essential role in a community nest-finding network, open up to a vibrant ecosystem, and learn how a hummingbird disrupted a major pipeline project.

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Book SynopsisA selection of Oscar Wilde's best and most important plays - sharp, relevant and brilliant to this day. Who would have thought a comedy of manners written more than a hundred years ago would still be so apt and so funny? Oscar Wilde was a genius of play-writing, and his deftness, wit and sharp eye for social satire keep audiences in thrall to this day. Alongside Earnest, discover a biblical tragedy retold, Lady Windemere and her infamous fan and Wilde's take on an ideal husband, in this selection of Wilde's most important plays. ‘[The Importance of Being Earnest] has a strong claim to being the most perfect comedy in the English language’ Daily TelegraphTrade Review[The Importance of Being Earnest] has a strong claim to being the most perfect comedy in the English language * Daily Telegraph *[The Importance of Being Earnest] remains a thing of inimitable brains and beauty; the sharpest of social satires, wrapped in the most perfect of gossamer-light romantic comedies * Scotsman *Oscar Wilde's masterpiece about political chicanery, fraud, blackmail and the hypocrisy of public figures retains an alarming currency * Express (on An Ideal Husband) *

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