Plays, playscripts, drama

Book SynopsisRattigan's well-loved play about an unpopular schoolmaster who snatches a last shred of dignity from the collapse of his career and his marriage. Twice filmed (with Michael Redgrave and Albert Finney) and frequently revived. Andrew Crocker-Harris' wife Millie has become embittered and fatigued by her husband's lack of passion and ambition. On the verge of retirement, and divorce, Andrew is forced to come to terms with the platitude his life has become. Then John Taplow, a previously unnoticed pupil, gives Andrew an unexpected parting gift: a second-hand copy of Robert Browning's translation of Agamemnon – a gift which offers not only a opportunity for redemption, but the chance to gain back some dignity. The Browning Version was premiered at the Phoenix Theatre, London, in September 1948. This volume also contains Harlequinade, a farce about a touring theatre troupe, written to accompany The Browning Version in a double-bill under the joint title, Playbill. 'Few dramatists of this century have written with more understanding of the human heart than Terence Rattigan' Michael Billington This edition includes an authoritative introduction and biographical sketch by Rattigan scholar Dan Rebellato, along with a chronology of his plays.Trade Review'The cruel inequalities of love always absorbed Rattigan; not least here – this is a play that has not dated' * The Times *

Read more less

Book SynopsisA strikingly original play combining traditional storytelling with physical theatre, created by The Imaginary Body. Imagine that you must choose one single memory from your life. Imagine that choosing this memory is your only way of passing through to eternity. Imagine that you have just one hour to choose... 100 was first performed at the 2002 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, where it won a Fringe First Award. It subsequently went on an extensive international tour, including a sell-out run at the Soho Theatre, London. 'Armed with only five bamboo sticks, the actors created a visual piece of theatre that captured the imagination of every spectator... They all left the theatre thinking about what their 'one memory' would be' Joyce McMillanTrade Review'A theatre show that actually makes you think about your own life... fascinating' * Guardian *'This play moved me more profoundly than anything I can remember seeing' * Scotsman *

Read more less

Book SynopsisDrama Classics: The World's Great Plays at a Great Little Price Molière's story of a covetous old miser, obsessively protecting his hoard of gold and neglecting his long-suffering children. Harpagon is obsessed with the wealth he has amassed and always ready to save expenses. Now a widower, he has a son, Cléante, and a daughter, Élise. Although he is over sixty, he is attempting to marry his son's own sweetheart, Mariane. But it seems that Harpagon's pinchpenny paranoia is finally catching up with him – his gold is missing, and this time it might really have disappeared for good... The Miser was first performed in 1668, at the theatre of the Palais-Royal, Paris. This English version, in the Nick Hern Books Drama Classic series, is translated and introduced by Martin Sorrell.

Read more less

Book SynopsisCaryl Churchill's spare and resonant version of Strindberg's enigmatic masterpiece. Written in 1901, a mysterious amalgam of Freud, Alice in Wonderland and Strindberg's own private symbolism, A Dream Play follows the logic of a dream: A young woman comes from another world to see if life is really as difficult as people make it out to be. Characters merge into each other, locations change in an instant and a locked door becomes an obsessive recurrent image. As Strindberg wrote in his preface, he wanted 'to imitate the disjointed yet seemingly logical shape of a dream. Everything can happen, everything is possible and probable. Time and place do not exist.' This version of A Dream Play, from a literal translation by Charlotte Barslund, is by leading playwright Caryl Churchill. It was first performed in the Cottesloe auditorium of the National Theatre, London, in February 2005, in a production directed by Katie Mitchell, with additional material by Katie Mitchell and the company. Also included is an introduction by Caryl Churchill.Trade Review'Elegant yet funereal and, like dreams, paradoxically serene and fraught' * Independent on Sunday *'100 minutes of disconcerting theatrical brilliance... spellbinding' * Daily Telegraph *

Read more less

Book SynopsisA unique collection of performance pieces and improvisation exercises in the Commedia style, a companion volume to the author's best-selling Playing Commedia. Commedia Plays offers eight original short plays from across the different periods and styles of Commedia dell'Arte - suitable for performance on stage as well as classroom and workshop study. Also included is a collection of Lazzi, the pieces of 'business' that form the basis of Commedia's comic action, ranging from the 'Double Takes' to 'The Unwanted Proposal'. These can be inserted into the written text or explored and improvised in the drama studio.Trade Review'Exceptionally funny... a useful working manual for the practitioner or teacher, and great fun for the more general reader' * British Theatre Guide *'A good solid addition to the commedia canon... particularly useful for initiating teenagers into the essence of commedia play. In an era in which political theatre and satire are re-emerging, the commedia templates offer a unique opportunity for the exploration of current events in the social and political landscapes' * Total Theatre Magazine *

Read more less

Book SynopsisA gritty adaptation of Dickens' least sentimental love story with a cast of some of his most unforgettable characters. Whilst at his parents' graveside, Pip is accosted by Magwitch, a convict escaped from one of the prison ships. Terrified, he is forced to help the man to get away. An unexpected invitation to the house of rich old Miss Havisham forces him into the path of her beautiful, cruel niece Estella and their strange, ruthless games. After an anonymous benefactor grants him a small fortune, Pip turns his back on his humble life as a blacksmith's apprentice – he moves to London to become a gentleman in the hopes of winning Estella. But he has no idea of the dangers that await him there, or from where his salvation will come. This adaptation of Charles Dickens' Great Expectations, by Nick Ormerod and Declan Donnellan, was first performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, in 2005.Trade Review'Expectations fulfilled ... a show that is by turns frightening, funny and deeply affecting' * Daily Telegraph *'A wonderfully involving and eloquent adaptation ... a fine example of fast, fluent ensemble story-telling ... tremendous' * Independent *'Bursting with snappy humour... Donnellan's adaptation beautifully conveys the world as seen by a child' * Sunday Telegraph *

Read more less

Book SynopsisAn energetic, fast-moving adaptation for the stage of this modern children's classic, by the best-selling author and 2005 Children's Laureate. Mandy's been picked on at school for as long as she can remember. That's why she is delighted when cheeky, daring, full-of-fun Tanya picks her as a friend. Mum isn't happy - she thinks Tanya's a 'bad girl' and a bad influence. Mandy's sure Tanya can only get her out of trouble, not into it. But can she? Vicky Ireland's stage adaptation of Jacqueline Wilson's novel Bad Girls was first performed at Polka Theatre, Wimbledon, in 2004. 'Vicky has adapted a handful of my books for the stage. I hope she works her magic on many more to come!' Jacqueline Wilson This edition comes with production notes indicating how the play can be staged even with minimal resources - plus a lot of ingenuity!Trade Review'Punchy, stimulating and theatrically ingenious... Bad Girls is a veritable model of theatre for young people' * Manchester Evening News *

Read more less

Book SynopsisYou're young, free and single and haven't had sex for the last eleven and a half months, then one morning you wake up pregnant, and here is the Angel Gabriel on your doorstep claiming parentage. In Oliver Lansley's "Immaculate", things quickly spiral into farcical confusion with no fewer than three more potential fathers claiming parentage, one of them an ex-boyfriend, one of them a nerdish contemporary from school that you wouldn't want to be seen dead with, and the third being Satan himself. "Immaculate" was first seen at the 2005 Edinburgh Festival, and is now embarking on an extensive tour including two dates in London.Trade Review"'Genuinely a laugh a minute, with some real strokes of comic genius' Metro 'In a Fringe which is filled with comedies, this has to be one of the funniest' British Theatre Guide"

Read more less

Book SynopsisAn exuberant comedy about four likely lasses from the Hull fish docks on a day trip to the races, from the author of Be My Baby. Work, love and life are just one long, hard slog for the fish-filleting foursome Pearl, Jan, Shelley and Linda. But their fortunes are set to change when Linda finds tickets to Ladies' Day at Royal Ascot the year it relocated to York. Out go the hairnets, overalls and wellies as the four ditch work, do themselves up to the nines and head off to the races for a drink, a flirt and a flutter. If their luck holds, they could hit the jackpot - and more besides... Amanda Whittington's play Ladies’ Day premiered at Hull Truck Theatre in 2005 and has been revived many times since, including at the Royal Court in Liverpool and the Oldham Coliseum. Ladies' Day is the first in Amanda Whittington's Ladies Trilogy, and is followed by Ladies Down Under (Hull Truck, 2007) and Ladies Unleashed (Hull Truck, 2022), all featuring the same four principal characters, Pearl, Jan, Shelley and Linda.Trade Review'With its Yorkshire heart and soul it has all the warmth of a Calendar Girls or a Full Monty' * Yorkshire Post *'Hull Truck Theatre Company clearly has a hit on its hands' * Hull Daily Mail *'Exuberantly up-to-the-minute comedy' * Guardian *'A tried-and-tested comedy... the epitome of a crowd-pleaser' * The Stage *

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe award-winning play that follows one man's desperate attempts to buck the system, and asks what really makes us who we are in the 21st century. When a young executive reaches breaking point and decides to disappear, he pays a visit to a master of the craft in the form of a seafront fortune teller in Southend. Haunted by visitations from a pathologist who swears he is already lying flat out on her slab, he begins a nightmarish journey to the edge of existence that sees him stripped of everything that made him who he was. Fin Kennedy's play How To Disappear Completely and Never Be Found won the 2005 Arts Council’s John Whiting Award and was subsequently staged at the Crucible Studio, Sheffield, in March 2007.Trade Review'An unsettling, dangerous play that makes you want to run away from yourself' * Guardian *'The sort of thrilling new work that completely restores your faith in theatre' * Sheffield Star *

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Doorway of Initiation – The Trial of the Soul – The Guardian of the Threshold – The Souls Awaken Rudolf Steiner’s four modern mystery dramas are powerful portrayals of the complex laws of reincarnation and karma, transporting us to landscapes of soul and spirit where supra-sensory beings are visible, active and influential. Through perception of these hidden worlds, we are given tools to comprehend the background to the struggles we face in everyday life – both in human relationships and in our attempts to practise spiritual development. Written between the years 1910 and 1913, during periods of intense inner and outer work, the dramas are powerful testimonies to Steiner’s artistic creativity. By manifesting soul and spirit forms on stage, they foreshadow a dramatic art of the future. Rudolf Steiner planned for all four mystery dramas to be performed in August 1923, but this was no longer possible because of the burning of the first Goetheanum on New Year’s Eve, 1922. They were eventually performed together for the first time in 1930 and since then have been staged regularly, in many languages, throughout the world. This fresh rendering into English by Richard Ramsbotham also features an extensive introduction by him.

Read more less

Book SynopsisWhen Tommy Shelby, Steve Knight's principal character in The Peaky Blinders, first rode onto our television screen, viewers were presented with a battle-scarred, but still relatively young veteran, from the Great War. Meanwhile, in the neighbouring, real-life streets of Balsall Heath and Sparkhill, the Wareing family of eight children (and a musicallygifted mother, Lilian) struggled to cope with their invalid father's return to 65 Brunswick Road, fresh from the hell-hole of Gallipoli. Harry Senior, the author's grandfather, having contracted meningitis, returned home as a self centred, ruthless stranger. With a Good Old Days MC introduction, by Comedian, Entertainer and Papal Knight, Don Maclean, it features 12 of the author's newly composed songs. A Power Point display runs throughout, linked by five Edward Elgar compositions – the composer and Shirley's maternal Great Grandfather, Eustace Baylis, having been schoolboy friends. Introductory pages are followed by the main script, interspersed with song scores. All scenes are slide-illustrated, to correspond with the Power Point Disc (included). Music for the show's five 'a cappella' songs is in the Appendices. Add a diverse range of characters, plus shades of Oliver Twist, and we have an exciting new musical – just ripe for performance!

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe most studied of Thomas Heywood's plays, A Woman Killed With Kindness explores the boundaries of marital punishment and the moral weight of mercy. This major new edition of this startling domestic tragedy offers the standard, depth and range associated with all Arden editions. The on-page commentary notes explain the language, references and staging issues posed by the text while the lengthy, illustrated introduction offers a lively overview of the play's historical, performance and critical contexts. This is the ideal edition for study and performance.Table of ContentsIntroduction A Woman Killed With Kindness Appendices Bibliography Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisA play in two Acts with an Introduction by the author. The story of John 'Babbacombe' Lee is one of the most bizarre in English criminal history. Lee is the only person to have been reprieved by a Home Secretary after standing on a gallows trap which failed to open. This happened at Exeter Prison in 1885 when the notoriously inept public hangman James Berry gave up after three abortive attempts. Lee spent 23 years in prison before being released. On retirement, Berry from Heckmondwike, Yorkshire, who carried out 131 executions, was the first executioner to write about his experiences in My Experiences As An Executioner. His resulting celebrity led to him taking to the boards, spinning gruesome tales of his former trade and showing audiences his dark souvenirs. Mike Crowley's imaginative play is set in a down-at-heel northern music hall where the proprietor is bent on reviving the venue's glory days by persuading the now released Lee to team up with Berry in a double act. Did John Lee commit the murder for which he was due to hang? Did poetic justice intervene on that fateful day in Exeter to prevent a miscarriage of justice? Will Lee stand on the scaffold once again with the noose around his neck, on stage and for the paying public? And will the truth come out or not as Lee begins to confide in the woman designated as leading lady during rehearsals? 'The Man They Couldn't Hang' by prison writer in residence Mike Crowley is an ideal vehicle for raising issues of crime and punishment. It will be particularly useful for drama groups in and out of prison, and tutors or group leaders seeking innovative ways of involving those they work with in issues of criminal justice and crime and punishment. The play is also suitable for full-scale drama productions.Trade Review'This work would undoubtedly provide a wealth of meaty material for any drama workshop worth its name, whether inside or outside of the prison wall. I hope to have the opportunity to see it performed some time, if only to have a good laugh at a good (or rather bad) hanging': Prison Service Journal.Table of ContentsACT I ACT II

Read more less

Book SynopsisA reduced, simplified dialogue version of the Original Text for a fast-paced read. Two young gentlemen living in 1890's England use imaginary friends to inject some excitement into their seemingly dull lives. Jack Worthing invents a brother, "Ernest", whom he pretends to be in order to visit his beloved Gwendolen in the city. Meanwhile, friend Algy Moncrieff uses the name "Ernest" while visiting Jack's beautiful young ward, Cecily in the country. Much confusion ensues as the two women find out they have been deceived by their "Ernests". Some would call this a society comedy; others, a Victorian farce. Regardless of the term used, this full colour graphic novel captures the era effortlessly. With an intricate attention to detail, wonderful characterisation and dramatically expressive and humorous artwork, this really is a graphic novel to cherish.Table of ContentsDramatis Persona The Importance of Being Earnest Act 1 Act 2 Act 3 Oscar Wilde De Profundis Wilde Timeline The Original Four-Act Play Page Creation

Read more less

Book SynopsisTurtlemen… a myth born from the loss of myth. A book of prose, poem and play arising from generations of a people who were isolated on the mid-Atlantic island of Bermuda, a people torn from their continent and severed from their ancestral stories. In a language often raw and heartbreaking, Turtlemen is composed to take you to the deepest recesses of sex, oppression, intimacy and ultimately what it means to survive – it is for speaking out loud.Trade Review‘There are so many paintings I want to make having read this beautiful, amazingly visual material. Andra Simons shares a series of deep insights into a world full of people bursting with high energy, tangible emotions and an understandable urgency, in an extraordinary collection of sumptuous writing about lives lived at the frayed edges. It shudders with layered sound, bittersweet tastes, and everyday objects made mystical.’ – Lubaina Himid

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisWhere are all those movements you made, those passions, those sighs, those sentences, those monologues? They're still here somewhere, in this air, in this space. Things like that don't just vanish. (from Shades of Babel) Goran Stefanovski (1952-2018) was an internationally recognised ex-Yugoslav playwright. Four of his five plays published here have never been available in English before. They all illustrate Stefanovski’s characteristic use of source material, particularly folk tales and myth, to present a striking vision of the human condition, especially in the extreme circumstances of war, exile and political insecurity. Except for the elegiac Sarajevo, these plays are written in the playwright’s favourite genre of tragi-comedy. The short scenes and robust dialogue mark them out as the work of a connoisseur of the language of theatre. The Black Hole, the first play in this collection, is considered by the Italian theatre director Paolo Magelli to be the best European play of the 1980s and is still regularly performed in theatres worldwide. The Conrad Press is proud to be publishing this remarkable, highly engaging, intensely dramatic collection of plays by a master playwright.Table of ContentsThe Black Hole Shades of Babel Sarajevo Odysseus Figurae Veneris Historiae

Read more less

Book SynopsisIntroduced by Farindokht Zahedi, Associate Professor, College of Fine Arts / Theater / Faculty of Performing Arts and Music, University of Tehran. Editors Aubrey Mellor and Cheryl Robson. A wide-ranging collection of plays from new and established voices from today's Iran and the global Iranian diaspora. Plays cover life in contemporary Iran, the hopes of women finding new ways to assert their individuality in a time of great of upheaval, the lives of those trapped in a migrant camp and the need to challenge stereotypical views. The plays shine a light on a rapidly changing Iran, one that is vastly different from the misconceptions outsiders have of it. Includes: A Moment of Silence by Mohammad Yaghoubi - (Iran) Home by Naghmeh Samini - (Iran) Shame by Sholeh Wolpe -(Iran-USA) Manus by Leila Hekmatnia (Iran), Keyvan Sarreshteh (Iran), Nazanin Sahamizadeh (Australia) Isfahan Blues Torange Yeghiazarian - (Iran-USA) Editors: Aubrey Mellor Aubrey is a leading Australian Theatre Director. Currently Senior Fellow at LASALLE, in Singapore, he was the first Australian to study Asian writing. Formerly Director of the Australian National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA), he is well-known as an acting teacher to a generation of acclaimed Australian actors. He has directed for all major companies, commissioned and premiered plays by Australia's leading playwrights and is a leading proponent of new Australian writing. Aubrey founded several writing awards for playwrights and is an advisor to arts bodies including the Performing Arts Board of The Australia Council and The Australian National Playwright's Conference. Awards include the OAM in 1992, the Australian Writer's Guild's Dorothy Crawford Award for services to Playwriting and the International Theatre Institute's Uchimura Prize for best production, Tokyo International Festival. Cheryl Robson Cheryl has edited several collections of international drama. After studying drama at Bristol University, she worked for the BBC and as a film lecturer. She founded the Virginia Prize for Fiction in 2009 in the UK. She is an award-winning playwright who has received Arts Council UK commission and option awards and had several plays produced. She ran a theatre company for several years in London, developing and producing international plays by women. She has won numerous awards for her filmmaking and was recently named a finalist in the ITV National Diversity awards - Lifetime Achievement. .Trade Review“I was drawn to the characters. A Moment of Silence made me think about life, art, and freedom of expression.” – Mooney on Theatre; “Isfahan Blues is presented as a memory play…[and] this is a play that knows how to have fun with itself.” – Bay Area Reportero; “Manus, however, for all its pain, hums with vital life – not least the power, good and bad, of storytelling.” – The Guardian; The soggy wetness is a metaphor for the state of mind of detainees at Manus Island, whose real-life stories of oppression are told verbatim in this production by Iranian playwrights Leila Hekmatnia and Keyvan Sarreshteh. It also, however, has a more literal meaning: representing how these “boat people” tried to reach Australia and a new life: by floating on – and sometimes drowning in – water." - The Guardian.

Read more less

Book SynopsisA book packed with one hundred monologues, aimed at young performers from pre teens to young adults. The book has been written by a drama teacher with over twenty years' experience which includes heading up a performing arts faculty in a secondary school, GCSE and A-Level examining and most currently residing as the principal of a successful theatre school. She also has her work published in the 2019 LAMDA Acting Anthology and has several published plays. The original monologues and scenes can be used for class work, festivals and exams. The monologues have guidance on age suitability, and there is a good mix of male and female characters, with some written as non-gender specific in order to give the performer a wider selection of pieces to choose from. This collection of creative material would be a great asset to any drama teacher’s resources and be of benefit to primary and secondary schools as well as youth groups, and those preparing for auditions. “A great series of monologues, funny, sad and heart warming. Like a little sidekick in paperback form! Extremely reliable resources for all genres of monologue. The author has, thankfully, broadened the horizons for anyone looking for suitable and appropriate audition material. Students will be thrilled to perform these fun, new, fresh, quirky and up to date pieces.” Dave King (Drama Teacher and LAMDA Tutor)Table of ContentsMonologue Activities 1 Rehearsal Tasks 3 Suitability: Pre-teen Feisty Fairy 6 Jack 7 My Friend Henry 8 Peter Pan in Wonderland 10 Extraordinary 11 My World 13 I Won’t Choose 15 Alfie 16 It’s Here Somewhere 18 I’m Not Ready 20 My Grandma Never Sits Down 22 A Mermaid’s View 24 Magical Pet 25 Cowboy Trumps Indian 27 Wilderness Badge 29 Pirate Not Princess 30 Fame club 31 Santa Can Only Be Red 33 Check Mate! 35 Queen of Hearts and the Best Tarts 37 No One Understands Me 39 I Love the Ice 40 Poof! 42 Circus Dog 44 Show and Tell 46 I’m Not Contrary 48 Suitability: Pre-teen/Young Teen I’m not Contrary 48 Gran Says 50 Evacuee 52 Fleeced 54 Winner 56 Loves me, loves me not 57 The Light 59 I Dated an Elf 61 The Breakup 63 There’s Nothing Merry About Me 65 Geronimo! 67 If Walls Had Ears 69 Caravanning 71 Angry Waves 73 Life in Black and White 75 Unsinkable 77 Happy Place 79 Dystopia — The Taste That Once Was 81 Turbulent Times 83 Mission Complete 85 Excitement is Exhausting! 88 One Last Spell 90 A Striking friendship 92 Hard Times 94 Bitter Sweet Nightmares 96 I’m Not Scared 98 The Audition 100 Suitability: Teen The Audition 100 Cyber Torture 102 Dear Jenny 104 More Dragons 106 Dear Diary 109 Karma 111 Inner Beauty 113 Chapped 115 I’m Not a Vandal 117 Underworld 120 Mirror, Mirror 122 Less is More 124 The Ugly Vase 126 Curtain Going Up! 128 Enjoy the Moment 131 Going Solo 133 An Unwanted View 135 I Miss You 137 Trouble 139 The Lodger 141 Stinky Shoe 143 Sparkle 145 Little Red Lie 147 The Big Apple 149 Hair We Go! 151 Suitability: Teen/Young adult Hair We Go 151 Solitary 153 Eat Me! 155 When the World Turned Grey 157 Haunting 159 No Stars on this Jacket 161 What Am I Doing Here? 163 The Beauty Treatment 165 The Loft 167 New Home 169 Oxbridge Material 171 And the winner is… 173 The Urge 175 Evil Personified 177 Rest in Purgatory 179 Sometimes 181 Suitability: Young Adult Sometimes 181 Stood Here Looking at You 183 The Robbery 185 Desperate 187 Fashion Buzz 189 Me Too! 191 I Do 193 What I Never Had 195

Read more less

Book SynopsisSalomé, the haunting one-act tragedy that marks Wilde’s first great success in the theatre, retells the Biblical story in which the stepdaughter of the tetrarch Herod Antipas demands the head of John the Baptist on a silver platter as a reward for her dancing for her stepfather’s amusement. Written in 1891, and prepared for its first run in 1892, rehearsals of Salomé had to be cancelled when the play was banned by the Lord Chamberlain due to its depiction of religious characters. Undaunted, Wilde moved on to the drawing-room and society comedies he is today best known for, wowing London audiences with Lady Windermere’s Fan and A Woman of No Importance, and it was only in 1894 that Salomé saw the light of day in an English translation, with a series of specially commissioned illustrations by the up-and-coming Aubrey Beardsley.Trade Review'If I craved for entertaining conversation by a first-class raconteur, I should choose Oscar Wilde.' (George Bernard Shaw) 'An extraordinarily illuminating intellect.' (William Rothenstein)Table of ContentsList of the Pictures; Salomé; Note on the Text; Notes; Extra Material: A Brief Introduction to Oscar Wilde, More Information about Oscar Wilde; Appendix: A Note on Salomé by Robert Ross; Notes to the Appendix

Read more less

Book Synopsis‘I just need someone to hear these words to know what it’s like for me and people like me.’ Unmute is an arresting and essential collection of contemporary monologues written by young people, for young people. In the wake of the pandemic the theatre company LUNG, Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and Salamander Street launched a call out for 11-18 year olds in order to find the next generation of socially engaged playwrights. This anthology features fresh and original young writing talent from across the UK. Investigating mental health, sexuality, racism, culture, class, unrequited love and so much more, these remarkable voices unflinchingly tackle some of the most pressing issues young people face today. Packed with fury, honesty and playfulness, this is a collection from a generation that won’t be silenced and will be heard.

Read more less

Book SynopsisEncompass is a collection of three plays set in the past, the present and the future.Featuring The Deserter and Birth by Roger Goldsmith and 2049 AD by Janet Rawson.The Deserter The First World War over. Jack Smith is back on civvy street. He dreams of his dead Mother. And of the war, and the deserter they found in a barn.Birth Sybil reflects on how her life has changed since the birth of Rose. ''My Rose of England''. And how happy she is. And of a man she visits in prison.2049 AD Derek is having an interview for an unusual and important

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisWhat motivates a scientist? One key factor is the pressure from the competition to be the first to discover something new. The moral consequences of this are the subject of the play "Oxygen", dealing with the discovery of this all-important element. The focus of the play is on chemical and political revolutions, as well as the Nobel Prize, which will be awarded for the 100th time in 2001. The action takes place in 1777 and 2001; and the play is written for 3 actors and 3 actresses who play a total of 11 characters. The world premiere will take place in early 2001 in San Diego, and the German premiere in September. The world-famous authors Carl Djerassi and Roald Hoffmann are a guarantee of excellence and suspense, both in their role as scientists -- Carl Djerassi is known as the "Father of the Pill" while Roald Hoffmann received the Nobel Prize for chemistry in 1982 - as well as in their role as authors -- Djerassi has written several successful novels, while Hoffmann is renowned for his poetry.Trade ReviewPart of a feature story on Carl Djerassi: "It is 50 years since Carl Djerassi invented the contraceptive pill... and changed human behaviour for good. He has not stood still since... His latest work... a play called... "Oxygen"... examines the nature of achievement and accolades." (The Economist Technology Quarterly, June 23, 2001) Part of the information regarding the ACS meeting on the editor's page: "If you are one of those lucky chemists going to San Diego, be sure to... see on of the performances of the world premiere of "Oxygen"... If you're not coming,... you might want to read the play, which is being published by Wiley-VCH." (Chemical and Engineering News, March 5, 2001) "...the mere existence of the play is to be applauded, and the authors congratulated." (Education in Chemistry, November 2001) "The play works very well." (The Lancet, 17 November 2001) "Oxygen is an important stage in the move towards a more inclusive form of education and plays testimony to the power of theatre to open up the possibility of an interdisciplinary way of viewing the world." (Irish Times, 23 November 2001) As the play's cover notes declare, 'the ethical issues around priority and discovery at the heart of this play are as timely today as they were in 1777'...Harold Varmus, Nobel Prize in Medicine, comments ‘With wit, scholarship, and stage craftsmanship, Oxygen shows us how much scientists have learned about the world and how little they have changed.'" (Advanced Materials & Processes, July 2001) "The book of the play is stylishly produced.... If you have not seen the play, I thoroughly commend the book to you." (Interdisciplinary Science Review, Vol.27, No.1, 2002) "...We give Oxygen, an enjoyable, engrossing, and above all provocative and thought-provoking play and enthusiastic two thumbs up."(The Chemical Educator, Vol.8, No.2, 2003)Table of ContentsBy the same Authors. Foreword. Production History. Cast of Characters. Scene 1. Intermezzo 1. Scene 2. Intermezzo 2. Scene 3. Scene 4. Intermezzo 3. Scene 5. Scene 6. Scene 7. Scene 8. Scene 9. Intermezzo 4. Scene 10. Intermezzo 5. Scene 11. Scene 12. Acknowledgments.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe renowned author Andy Adams' fascinating Western book Wells Brothers: The Young Cattle Kings is set in the Old West. This engrossing story chronicles the exploits of the Wells brothers, an adventurous pair who set out on a spectacular voyage across the wild and rocky American frontier. The Wells brothers, the young cattle monarchs, manage herds, deal with competing ranchers and outlaws, and other obstacles unique to the cattle business. The brothers try to establish their empire and stake out their territory in the Wild West with their unyielding resolve, inventiveness, and indomitable spirit. With his colorful paintings of huge open plains, perilous cattle drives, and the clash of personalities in this turbulent age, Andy Adams deftly brings the Western environment to life. Readers are taken back in time to a period when the American West was supported by the cattle sector and strong family and loyalties were valued via his brilliant writing. The immersive reading experience provided by Wells Brothers: The Young Cattle Kings combines aspects of adventure, drama, and the eternal themes of family, honor, and pursuing one's aspirations. This book will enthrall Western aficionados and take readers to a bygone period of cowboys and cattle drives with its rich characterization, exciting plotlines, and realistic Old West representation.

Read more less

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

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Man with the Clubfoot is a mystery novel written through Valentine Williams. Set against the backdrop of pre-World War I Europe, the tale follows the protagonist, Detective Inspector Cleek, as he investigates a complicated case related to espionage, murder, and worldwide intrigue. The significant determine in the thriller is the elusive and enigmatic criminal mastermind known as the Man with the Clubfoot. Cleek, a smart and inventive detective, navigates via a web of deception and threat to uncover the identity and reasons of this crook genius. The narrative is characterised through its suspenseful plot twists, complicated espionage elements, and the cat-and-mouse game among Cleek and the cunning adversary. As Cleek delves deeper into the investigation, he unravels a chain of interconnected activities that lead him to the coronary heart of a shadowy world where loyalties are uncertain, and secrets and techniques are carefully guarded. Valentine Williams crafts a gripping story that combines factors of detective fiction with the thrill of espionage, developing a captivating tale that continues readers on the brink of their seats until the very last revelation. The Man with the Clubfoot stands as a testament to Williams' ability in weaving a compelling narrative inside the rich tapestry of early 20th-century Europe.

Read more less

Book SynopsisGeorge Bernard Shaw, a famend Irish playwright, wrote the comedian play You Never Can Tell. The novel is about in a seashore metropolis in England and follows the Clandon circle of relatives as they go back to England after many years abroad. Mrs. Clandon, who is independent and modern-day, lives along with her 3 youngsters, Dolly, Philip, and Gloria. When they emerge as involved in a chain of miscommunications, misunderstandings, and love entanglements, the plot takes a flip for the comedic. The drama delves into issues of society requirements, love, and the unpredictability of human relationships. Shaw's trademark wit and caustic criticism on elegance and etiquette are present during the tale. The protagonists struggle with the results of their deeds and the subtleties of love, thinking the traditions of the day. The play is identified for its smart communicate and Shavian wit, which spotlight Shaw's potential to merge humor with social critique. You Never Can Tell is a famous instance of George Bernard Shaw's humorous skills and potential to look at and critique cultural standards in a crisp and pleasing manner.

Read more less

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

Read more less

Book SynopsisMeineck and Woodruff''s new annotated translations of Sophocles'' Ajax, Women of Trachis, Electra, and Philoctetes combine the same standards of accuracy, concision, clarity, and powerful speech that have so often made their Theban Plays a source of epiphany in the classroom and of understanding in the theatre. Woodruff''s Introduction offers a brisk and stimulating discussion of central themes in Sophoclean drama, the life of the playwright, staging issues, and each of the four featured plays.Trade ReviewIn these new translations Meineck and Woodruff have struck a near-ideal balance between accuracy and readability, formality and colloquialism. Their versions are simply a pleasure to read, conveying with remarkable vividness the powerful characterizations and poetic variety of the originals. The addition of succinct but illuminating notes makes this an exemplary volume for anyone interested in Sophocles' dramatic art. --Andrew Szegedy-Maszak, Department of Classics, Wesleyan University[T]his sequel to the same pair's well-received translation of the Theban plays hits an appropriate mean . . . a text that I could happily adopt for teaching. --Malcolm Heath in Greece and RomeTable of ContentsIntroduction; Notes on the Translations; Map: Sophoclean geography; House of Pelops Family Tree; Ajax; Women of Trachis; Electra; Philoctetes; Endnotes.

Read more less

Book SynopsisWritten during the English Civil War and Interregnum when the public theatres were closed and Margaret Cavendish was living away from England in exile, Bell in Campo and The Sociable Companions are scathing satires that speak to the role of women's agency amidst this cultural tumult. In Bell in Campo, a group of virtuous women follow their husbands to war and, refusing to remain docilely out of harm's way, form an army of their own. The Sociable Companions details the struggles of four women from impoverished Royalist families trying to survive in a rapacious marriage market at the war's end.This Broadview Edition presents these two complementary plays together, along with supplementary materials on Cavendish's life, the participation of women in the combat of the English Civil War, the conduct of the Royalist military forces, and seventeenth-century social and marriage conventions.Trade Review“This useful edition is supported by excerpts from Cavendish’s autobiography and prefaces as well as by new and interesting materials taken from historical sources. Of particular value are the two appendices on warrior women, one of which transcribes portions of the correspondence of Queen Henrietta Maria. The edition will be valuable for beginning students and advanced scholars alike.” — James Fitzmaurice, Northern Arizona University“This edition forms an important and useful contribution to contemporary Cavendish scholarship. It is the first Cavendish play-text edition to present a 1662 and a 1668 play on similar subjects side by side, thus enabling comparative critical perspectives on Cavendish’s response to the English Civil War, as well as appraisal of her evolving dramatic technique. The edition is generously supplied with secondary materials; the contextual appendices detailing the exploits of contemporary women warriors or viragos, including Henrietta Maria, are of particular interest.” — Gweno Williams, York St. John College of The University of Leeds.Table of ContentsAcknowledgementsIntroductionMargaret Cavendish: A Brief ChronologyA Note on the TextBell in CampoThe Sociable CompanionsAppendix A: Selections from Margaret Cavendish’s AutobiographyAppendix B: The Purposes of Plays: Selections from Prefacesto Playes (1662)Appendix C: Warrior Women and Royalist Disorder: Lettersfrom the FrontAppendix D: Warrior Women: The Queen and the WarAppendix E: Marriage Markets: Selections from MargaretCavendish’s Sociable Letters (1664)Selected Bibliography

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Basset Table follows the fortunes of Lady Reveller, who runs a table where her friends play the card game basset, and her struggle to avoid marrying Lord Worthy. Meanwhile, Lady Reveller's cousin, Valeria, spends her time conducting scientific experiments and dissections, but her father intends to marry her off to the bluff sea-captain Hearty. How can Lady Reveller be persuaded to forego the delights of gambling? And how can Valeria avoid an unwanted marriage? This witty play paints a seductive picture of the thrills of the Restoration gaming table and challenges contemporary stereotypes of the learned lady.Appendices to this Broadview Edition include materials on female education, gambling, and writing for the stage, as well as eighteenth- and nineteenth-century critical writing on Centlivre and The Basset Table.Trade Review“Jane Milling has provided an exemplary edition of one of the most enjoyable of eighteenth-century comedies. Her very full introduction provides a critically perceptive study of the play and of Centlivre’s theatrical milieu, with detailed documentation of the social and intellectual changes on which the comedy draws: the rise of science, and the debates about gambling and female education. The appendices of primary material relating to these topics are extremely helpful and well chosen. This is expert scholarship, deployed in engaging advocacy for a delightful play, and will be invaluable both for students and professional scholars.” — Derek Hughes, University of Aberdeen“Susanna Centlivre’s important comedy The Basset Table is finally available in a scholarly, lucid, and user-friendly edition that makes the play accessible as both a literary and a theatrical text. Jane Milling adds substantial and revealing contextualization on Centlivre’s life and career, the original reception of the play, female education, and gambling. The play’s themes of buying and selling, giving and taking, risking and investing have never come into sharper focus.” — Jacqueline Pearson, University of ManchesterTable of ContentsAcknowledgementsIntroductionSusanna Centlivre: A Brief ChronologyA Note on the TextThe Basset TableTextual NotesAppendix A: Female Education From Mary Astell, A Serious Proposal to the Ladies (1697) Satire on Mary Astell, The Tatler ( June 1709) From Daniel Defoe, An Essay upon Projects (1697) From Bathsua Makin, An Essay to Revive the Ancient Education of Gentlewomen in Religion, Manners, Arts and Tongues (1673) From Mary Chudleigh, Essay on Several Subjects in Prose and Verse (1710) Appendix B: Gambling From Charles Cotton, “Basset,” The Compleat Gamester (1710) From Joseph Addison, The Guardian (1713) From Jeremy Collier, An Essay upon Gaming (1713) From Theophilus Lucas, Memoirs of the Lives, Intrigues, and Comical Adventures of the most Famous Gamesters (1714) Appendix C: Writing for the Stage Susanna Centlivre, Dedication to The Platonick Lady (1707) Susanna Centlivre, Preface to Love’s Contrivance (1703) From Jeremy Collier, A Short View of the Immorality and Profaneness of the English Stage (1698) From John Dennis, The Usefulness of the Stage (1698) From Colley Cibber, The Lady’s Last Stake (1707) Appendix D: Criticism of Centlivre and The Basset Table From Arthur Bedford, The Evil and Danger of Stage Plays (1706) From Richard Cumberland, “Critique,” The British Drama (1817) Works Cited

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Importance of Being Earnest marks a central moment in late-Victorian literature, not only for its wit but also for its role in the shift from a Victorian to a Modern consciousness. The play began its career as a biting satire directed at the very audience who received it so delightedly, but ended its initial run as a harbinger of Wilde's personal downfall when his lover's father, who would later bring about Wilde's arrest and imprisonment, attempted to disrupt the production.In addition to its focus on the textual history of the play, this Broadview Edition of Earnest provides a wide array of appendices. The edition locates Wilde's work among the artistic and cultural contexts of the late nineteenth century and will provide scholars, students, and general readers with an important sourcebook for the play and the social, creative, and critical contexts of mid-1890s English life.Trade Review“Samuel Lyndon Gladden’s edition of The Importance of Being Earnest continues Broadview Press’s proven tradition of excellence. This book will serve the undergraduate, general reader, and scholar. Gladden’s introduction is provocative, and the ancillary materials are especially welcome. Gladden balances familiar with unexpected contemporary works — from Gilbert and Sullivan to Ada Leverson, playbills to reviews, poems to pictures, conduct manuals to dandy tracts — plus excerpts of Wilde’s writings, including an earlier version of the play. Bibliography and chronology complete the presentation as one-stop shopping for an earnest acquaintance with Wilde’s charmer as social text.” — Frederick S. Roden, University of Connecticut“Broadview’s Importance of Being Earnest carries on the press’s excellent series of texts for general readers and students alike. Samuel Lyndon Gladden presents the three-act text, as well as an appendix with important scenes and lines from the original four-act version. The volume includes many useful annotations and glosses, appendices with contextual information, illustrations, and extracts from letters and documents that will enhance understanding and interpretation of the play. The introduction places the play in up-to-date critical and biographical contexts, illuminating issues without closing down other approaches to making sense of Wilde’s carefully composed dramatic nonsense.” — Philip E. Smith, University of PittsburghTable of ContentsAcknowledgementsIntroductionOscar Wilde: A Brief ChronologyA Note on the TextThe Importance of Being Earnest:A Trivial Comedy for Serious PeopleAppendix A: Playbills for The Importance of Being Earnest (1895) The First, Uncensored Playbill The Second, Censored Playbill Appendix B: Reactions and Reviews From The Daily Graphic (15 February 1895) From William Archer, The World (20 February 1895) From The Observer (17 February 1895) From The Times (15 February 1895) From Bernard Shaw, Saturday Review (1895) From Max Beerbohm, Around Theatres (1902) Appendix C: Ada Leverson’s “The Advisability of Not Being Brought Up in a Handbag” (1895) Ada Leverson, “The Advisability of Not Being Brought Up in a Handbag,” Punch; or,The London Charivari (2 March 1895) Telegram from Oscar Wilde to Ada Leverson (15 February 1895) Appendix D: Three Works by Gilbert and Sullivan From W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan, Patience; or, Bunthorne’s Bride (1881) From W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan, The Gondoliers; or, The King of Barataria (1889) From W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan, HMS Pinafore; or, The Lass That Loved a Sailor (1878) Appendix E: From J.G.F. Nicholson, Love in Earnest(1892)Appendix F: Conduct Manuals From Mrs. Humphrey, Manners for Men (1897) From Julia McNair Wright, Practical Life; or,Ways andMeans for Developing Character and Resources (1881) Appendix G: On Dandyism and on Wilde as a Dandy From Charles Kendrick, Ye Soul Agonies in Ye Life of Oscar Wilde (1882) George Frederick Keller, “The Modern Messiah,” Wasp (31 March 1882) Linley Sambourne, “O.W. [Punch’s Fancy Portraits 37],” Punch; or,The London Charivari (25 June 1881) From Lloyd Lewis and Henry Justin Smith, “No Wave of His Chiseled Hand” (1936) “Aestheticism as Oscar Understands It” (1882) “Mr. Wild [sic] of Borneo” (1882) W.H. Beard, “The Aesthetic Monkey” (1882) Appendix H: Other Works by Wilde From “A Few Maxims for the Instruction of the Over-Educated” (1894) From “Phrases and Philosophies for the Use of the Young” (1894) From “Preface,” The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891) From “The Decay of Lying” (1889) From De Profundis (1897; published 1962) Letter to Philip Houghton (February 1894) Letter to George Alexander (July 1894) Letter to George Alexander (September 1894) Letter to George Alexander (October 1894) Letter to an Unidentified Correspondent (February 1895) Letter to Lord Alfred Douglas (February 1895) Letter to R.V. Shone (February 1895) Appendix I: From the Original Four-Act Version Passages Regarding Algernon’s and Ernest’s Past-due Accounts Passages Illuminating the Characters and Roles of Miss Prism and Canon Chasuble Additional Passages Bibliography

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Rivals and Polly Honeycombe revolve around young women who wish the world would conform to novelistic convention. Unlike most eighteenth-century heroines keen on novel reading, however, Lydia Languish and Polly Honeycombe are neither deluded nor in any real danger. Rather, they inhabit a world in which everyone is engaged in some sort of quixotic performance; the more appealing characters are just willing to admit it. Both farcical and wise, these plays teasingly celebrate the perennial appeal of fiction, while never letting us forget how much it relies upon the everyday rituals of performance.The introduction to this Broadview edition explores the interrelations between print and performance in the eighteenth century, including a detailed and well-illustrated account of what it was like to go to the theater. Appendices include material on the original casts, the often dubious reputation of novel reading and circulating libraries, Sheridan’s high-profile elopement with Elizabeth Linley (which made him a celebrity before he ever staged a word), and the narrative possibilities conjured up by setting The Rivals in the resort city of Bath.Trade Review“These two comedies, about ‘novel-reading girls gone wild,’ make for an inspired pairing; in this edition, David A. Brewer makes the pairing pay off handsomely. With its revelatory illustrations, its deft notes, its brief biographies of the plays’ original performers, its varied and very amusing supplementary readings, and its ingenious, down-to-earth introduction, Brewer’s edition does the best job I’ve seen of getting readers not only through the plays but to the playhouse: of helping them to imagine the daily experiences—of work and leisure, print and public life—that shaped both actors and audiences, and that inflected their interactions during the first runs of these two hugely entertaining shows.” — Stuart Sherman, Fordham University“David A. Brewer’s new edition of The Rivals and Polly Honeycombe is a fantastic resource for scholars and students studying eighteenth-century British literature and culture. The plays are, in themselves, two of the most entertaining works of the period, and they remain remarkably relevant for our own time, given their focus on the impact of popular culture. But what really make this edition stand out are the editorial apparatus and the rich historical and visual materials provided in the introduction and appendices. This edition can’t teach itself, but it will certainly help others teach this material to best effect.” — Matthew J. Kinservik, University of DelawareTable of ContentsList of IllustrationsAcknowledgementsIntroductionGeorge Colman the Elder and Richard Brinsley Sheridan: A Brief ChronologyA Note on the TextsPolly Honeycombe, A Dramatick Novel of One Act, George Colman the ElderThe Rivals, A Comedy, Richard Brinsley SheridanAppendix A: The Original Casts of the PlaysAppendix B: Novel-Reading and Its Discontents From [Samuel Johnson], The Rambler (31 March 1750) From [Francis Coventry], The History of Pompey the Little:or, The Life and Adventures of a Lap-Dog (1752) [William Whitehead], The World (10 May 1753) From [William Dodd], The Sisters; or, The History of Lucy and Caroline Sanson, Entrusted to a false Friend (1754) From [Owen Ruffhead], The Monthly Review (1761) From The Critical Review (1765) From [James Fordyce], Sermons to Young Women (1766) From [Hester Chapone], Letters on the Improvement ofthe Mind, Addressed to a Young Lady (1773) From The Monthly Review (1773) From [William Enfield], The Monthly Review (1775) From The Critical Review (1775) Appendix C: “Such Paragraphs in the News-Papers!” Report of Sheridan’s Elopement with Elizabeth Linley, The Daily Advertiser (26 March 1772) Thomas Mathews’s Denunciation of Sheridan, The Bath Chronicle (9 April 1772) Report of the First Duel, The London Evening-Post (2-5 May 1772) Contradiction of The London Evening-Post Report, The Bath Chronicle (7 May 1772) Mathews’s Apology to Sheridan, The Bath Chronicle (7 May 1772) Draft of an unsent (?) letter from Sheridan (c. late June 1772) Report of Sheridan’s Second Duel with Mathews, The Bath Chronicle (2 July 1772) Report of Sheridan’s Wounding in the Second Duel, The London Chronicle (2-4 July 1772) Another Report of the Second Duel, The London Evening-Post (2-4 July 1772) Report on Sheridan’s Wounds, The Public Advertiser (8 July 1772) Another Report on Sheridan’s Wounds, The Bath Chronicle (9 July 1772) From “Anecdotes of the Maid of Bath (With an Elegant Engraving),” The London Magazine (September 1772) Yet Another Report on Sheridan’s Wounds, The St. James’s Chronicle (10-12 November 1772) “Miss Linley, the syren of Bath,” The Westminster Magazine (March 1773) Report of a Sheridan-Linley Marriage, The Bath Chronicle (1 April 1773) Letter probably written by Sheridan, The Bath Chronicle (15 April 1773) Report on The Rivals, The Gazetteer and New Daily Advertiser (17 January 1775) Another Report on The Rivals, The Town and Country Magazine (January 1775) Appendix D: The Narrative Possibilities of Bath From [Christopher Anstey], The New Bath Guide: or, Memoirs of the B—r—d Family. In a Series of Poetical Epistles (1766) From [Tobias Smollett], The Expedition of Humphry Clinker (1771) Report of an Elopement, The Bath Chronicle (9 September 1773) Select Bibliography

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe second of Shaw's “unpleasant” plays, written in 1893, published in 1898, but not performed until 1905, The Philanderer is subtitled “A Topical Comedy.” The eclectic range of topical subjects addressed in the play includes the influence of Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen on British middle-class social mores (the second act of The Philanderer is set in the fictional Ibsen Club), medical follies, the rise of the “New Woman,” and, in particular, the destructive impact of Victorian marriage and divorce laws. Just as Shaw’s other “unpleasant” plays, Widowers’ Houses and Mrs Warren’s Profession, call, respectively, for reform of laws that allow corrupt property owners to exploit the poor and for radical change to economic structures that drive women into prostitution, so The Philanderer makes the case for more liberal legislation to allow easier divorce—particularly for women—when marriages become irretrievably broken.Shaw’s attack on divorce laws becomes even clearer and stronger in the final act that he wrote for the play but discarded in favour of the version he published. The discarded version is published for the first time in this Broadview edition of the play.Trade Review“This is the indispensable version of one of Shaw’s most misunderstood plays. L.W. Conolly’s edition of The Philanderer finally makes Shaw’s original final act widely available for scholars and performers. Conolly provides the perfect biographical, historical, and philosophical source documents to decide whether or not Shaw was right to suppress his first ending—an important dramatic treatise on divorce laws and gender equality that is the foundation of later plays. Conolly is a sure-footed, amiable guide, illuminating the play’s production and reception history while providing the reader with all the tools she needs to understand why this ‘restored’ text is not simply a neglected curiosity, but instead a major event in the history of modern drama.” — Lawrence Switzky, University of Toronto“L.W. Conolly’s excellent scholarship expertly guides both students and scholars through the tangled and fascinating history of Shaw’s controversial first draft of The Philanderer. Expressly prohibited by Shaw’s own will, the original third act was supposed to have been burned on the advice of a friend. Thankfully Shaw didn’t follow that advice, and Conolly offers a richly detailed, terrifically readable, and insightfully persuasive justification for going against Shaw’s will.” — Michael M. O’Hara, Ball State University Not until L.W. Conolly’s excellent edition of The Philanderer were we able to read Shaw’s original last act in printed pages. It has been worth waiting for…Conolly’s first-rate introduction includes an account of Shaw’s efforts to secure a production of The Philanderer and its production history. More importantly, it treats Shaw’s changes to the final act…Conolly’s explanatory footnotes are invaluable for teachers, directors, and actors as well as students.— Bernard F. Dukore, English Literature in Transition 1880—1920Table of ContentsAcknowledgementsAbbreviationsIntroductionBernard Shaw: A Brief ChronologyA Note on the TextThe PhilandererAppendix A: Shaw’s Original Final Act to The Philanderer (1893)Appendix B: Shaw’s Prefaces to Plays: Pleasant and Unpleasant and The Philanderer From the Preface to Plays: Pleasant and Unpleasant (1898) Prefatory Note to The Philanderer (1931) Appendix C: Shaw and Ibsen From Clement Scott’s Review of Ghosts, Daily Telegraph (14 March 1891) From the Daily Telegraph Editorial on Ghosts (14 March 1891) From Bernard Shaw, The Quintessence of Ibsenism (1928) Appendix D: Marriage and Divorce From the “Solemnization of Matrimony,” Book of Common Prayer (1901) From An Act to Amend the Law Relating to Divorce and Matrimonial Causes in England (1857) From “Indissolubility of Marriage,” Lipincott’s (July 1890) From Shaw’s Preface to Getting Married (1911) Appendix E: Medicine and Vivisection From Shaw’s Preface to The Doctor’s Dilemma (1911) From Shaw’s Speech on Vivisection, Queen’s Hall, London (22 May 1900) Appendix F: Contemporary Reviews From The Illustrated London News (9 February 1907) The Athenaeum (9 February 1907) From Max Beerbohm, “The Philanderer,” The Saturday Review (9 February 1907) From The Era (9 February 1907) The Sketch (13 February 1907) From the New York Herald (29 December 1913) From the New York Tribune (29 December 1913) From The Theatre, New York (February 1914) From St John Ervine, “The Philanderer,” The Observer (4 February 1923) Select Bibliography and Works Cited

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Alchemist has long been admired as one of Ben Jonson's best dramas-Samuel Taylor Coleridge famously deemed it one of the most 'perfect' plots in literature. Its satiric cleverness and metatheatricality have delighted audiences from its first performance to the present day; readers and play-goers are swept up in the schemes of a fake alchemist and other determined fraudsters whose scams appear to offer easy wealth and immortality to their morally compromised victims. While no characters emerge unscathed by Jonson's satire, and while alchemy itself is revealed as most likely a sham, the play is nonetheless a tribute to the transformative - indeed, the alchemical-powers of the theater.This edition includes a helpful introduction to the play, including discussion of its performance history and background information on alchemy. Thorough annotations to the text are also provided, as are contextual materials, including a selection of Jonson's sources, further materials on alchemy, and an example of the 'rogue' or 'coney-catching' literature that informs Jonson's portrayal of the grifters in the play.Trade ReviewIntroducing students to this witty, farcical play will be so much easier with the new Broadview edition. The joy of this play is its topical satire, and to access it students need a thorough grounding in alchemy and in the contemporary culture of early modern London, both of which this edition provides."—Margaret J. Oakes, Furman UniversityThe new Broadview edition of The Alchemist, edited by John Greenwood, is a delight. The play’s annotations are clear and complete. The edition includes extensive contextual materials, including coney-catching pamphlets, an alchemist’s guide, and some of Jonson’s own commonplace book’s entries. I am looking forward to teaching the play with this exciting new text."—Rebecca Ann Bach, University of Alabama at Birmingham"John Greenwood’s edition of Ben Jonson’s riotous early modern comedy, The Alchemist, captures the play’s essentials for student and more advanced scholar alike with its concise and informative introduction, helpful notes, and judiciously chosen appendix material. The edition will be a delight to use in the classroom."—Mathew Martin, Brock UniversityTable of Contents Introduction The Alchemist In Context On Alchemy: from Geoffrey Chaucer, 'The Canon's Yeoman's Tale,' from The Canterbury Tales (1387-1400) Desiderius Erasmus, 'The Alchemist' (1524) from Martin Ruland, A Lexicon of Alchemy (1612) On Criminals and 'Coney-Catching': from Robert Greene, A Disputation Between a He Cony-Catcher and a She Cony-Catcher (1592) Image: from Thomas Harman, A Caveat or Warning for Common Cursetors vulgarly called Vagabonds (1566; revised 1567/68) On Playwriting: from Aristotle, Poetics from Ben Jonson, Timber, or Discoveries made upon men and matter as they have flowed out of his daily Readings, or had their reflux to his peculiar Notion of the Times (1641)

Read more less

Book SynopsisFew medieval plays in English have attracted as much twenty-first-century interest as the Digby Mary Magdalene, an early-fifteenth-century drama that, as Chester Scoville puts it, is “probably the most spectacular of the late medieval English plays.” This new edition presents a modernized text of the play, with extensive annotation (both marginal glosses and explanatory footnotes), an insightful introduction, and a helpful selection of background contextual materials.Trade Review“This new Broadview edition makes medieval England’s most extraordinary play accessible to a broader audience. With modernized spelling throughout, brief yet informative notes and glosses, and an introduction that highlights the play’s extravagant dramatic complexity, Scoville’s edition welcomes students into the fascinating world of this text. Material from biblical and hagiographical sources that would have been familiar to both the playwright and his late medieval audience provide further context for understanding the female character at its center, while reproductions of two of the sole surviving manuscript’s pages offer a glimpse of the process by which the script was preserved for future generations. This is an important addition to the Broadview library.” — Joanne Findon, Trent University“Scoville’s Digby Play of Mary Magdalene offers an accessible and expertly-glossed text in modernized spelling. Its introduction discusses the play’s poetic and thematic features, along with its manuscript history, and provides production information. The explanatory and textual notes and the biblical sources enable undergraduate students to access the greatness and complexity of this play and to join the scholarly conversation about it.” — Frank Napolitano, Radford University“[The Broadview Mary Magdalene] is a text that reads well, is clear and easy to follow, and reduces the language barrier that many undergraduates find difficult to overcome. Perhaps the most pedagogically valuable part of Scoville’s edition is the ‘In Context’ section, [which]… provides some source material associated with the story of Mary Magdalene, alongside photographic facsimiles and transcriptions of two folios from the Digby manuscript. … Scoville’s edition is valuable and well suited to introducing first-year undergraduates to the play of Mary Magdalene; accessible, affordable, and with basic contextual information, it invites students to engage with this remarkable play without feeling overwhelmed by its strangeness and cultural difference.” — Speculum“I have seen enough book covers that bear little resemblance to the inside contents to appreciate one that does! But more importantly, the editing of the text is excellent and the apparatus ideal for a student or general audience. … those who choose to read or teach this text will find this edition to be a valuable tool.” — Jenny Rytting, Studies in Medieval and Renaissance TeachingTable of Contents Acknowledgments Introduction The Digby Play of Mary Magdalene In Context Source Material from the Douay-Rheims Bible from Mark 16 from Luke 7 from John 11 from John 20 from Jacobus de Voragine, Legenda Aurea(The Golden Legend ) The Manuscript Folio 95r Folio 116r

Read more less