I recently sent out some emails, begging fellow bloggers to suggest plays I should read in my current avalanche of free-time. I read plays rather regularly, but I thought they might have better information and some unusual choices. They did not disappoint. For the record, the questions I asked look like this:
Name the 10 plays I must read in order to understand the "state of the theatre" at this moment in history. (Assuming I have a solid background on most everything that's already happened in the theatre.)Now name 5-10 plays you're pretty sure I haven't read and really should (because you think they're so great). (And don't be afraid of offending me.)
You better believe there are some lists after the so-called jump.
UPDATE: I've attempted to make commenting easier. Please let me know if it's not.
Answers to the first question were the most plentiful. I got about 20 responses and it was really fascinating to see the many different ways people approached the questions. I think it was mostly a matter of how they chose their perspective, what distance they chose to stand from "this moment in history." Some, for example chose plays that illustrate what's been going on this past season in New York and sent a list of works that have presented great challenges as I now try to track them down. Some presented an over-view of national trends over the past few years, and included mostly well-known works that are now widely-produced. And some highlighted older playwrights who have been influential on our current playwrighting trends, like Fornes, Brecht, Beckett, and Pinter. Most, however, used some combination of the above.
I've consolidated the responses into a few lists of names paired with the most oft-mentioned plays. They are listed in order from most mentions to fewest.
BUT, there's one name that needs mentioned first and foremost.
Sarah Kane must be the most influential writer of the last decade or so. Almost everyone named at least one of her plays. Many people simply suggested reading her complete works. I read them as they became available, starting with Blasted in Yale's Theater journal, so I'm feeling fairly natty.
1) Writers who were mentioned by at least half of the responders.
Adam Bock (The Thugs, The Typographer's Dream)
Sheila Callaghan (Dead City)
2) Writers who were named by at least a third of the responders.
Sarah Ruhl (The Clean House)
Anne Washburn (The Internationalist)
Quiara Alegria Hudes (Elliot, A Soldier's Fugue)
Adam Szymkowicz (Food for Fish)
3) Writers who were mentioned by at least quarter of the responders.
Adam Rapp (Red Light Winter, Nocturne)
Rolin Jones (The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow)
Kia Corthron (The Venus de Milo is Armed, Breathe Boom)
Martin McDonagh (The Pillowman, The Lieutenant of Innishmore)
Martin Crimp (Attempts on Her Life)
Victor Lodato (3f 4f)
Will Eno
Young Jean Lee
Chuck Mee
4) Names mentioned a lot less than I expected.
Christopher Shinn
Mac Wellman
Naomi Iizuka
5) This is what I'm calling the "roots" list. Their work kept coming up as the path that leads to now. (They're in no particular order.)
Maria Irene Fornes
Bertolt Brecht
Samuel Beckett
Harold Pinter
Tony Kushner (Angels in America)
Caryl Churchill
José Rivera
Heiner Müller (Hamletmachine)
6) Important recent anthologies.
New York Theatre Review
New York Theatre Review 2007
New Downtown Now
Seven Plays from Clubbed Thumb
In addition, our blogging friends were very generous, suggesting pays written by each other and their friends, and many people have even helped me get in touch with theplaywrights so I can get a hold of the more difficult-to-find scripts. So, I have a very decent reading list for the spring. Many thanks to all those who helped with this. I encourage everyone to respond in the comments with your own suggestions for me and Theatreforte's readers.
UPDATE
A few bloggers respond with their own lists and more:
Parabasis
Superfluities
Theatre Conversation and Political Frustration
Comments (5)
Hey, you didn't email me! Or is this only theatre in the US?
So I will add my 2c worth here. I would of course mention Kane. I would have added Bernard Marie Koltes, early Edward Bond and Howard Barker to the roots list. To read now I'd add some Europeans - John Fosse, Marius von Mayenburg. And fwiw a director told me that Debbie Tucker Green is the new British Kane, but as I haven't read her, I don't know. The Germans are doing her tho, and they were first to pick up on Kane's significance.
Posted by Alison Croggon | May 8, 2007 6:43 PM
Posted on May 8, 2007 18:43
Apologies.
I just didn't want to annoy everyone all at once. I promise I'll bug you first, next time around.
And, thanks for the much-needed non-Americans to add to the list.
Posted by Slay | May 8, 2007 9:16 PM
Posted on May 8, 2007 21:16
I'm with Alison- seems a very American based and male list... Koltes is incredible, Kroetz, Mueller, Ravenhill, Soyinka, Johanna Laurens, Colleen Wagner, John Mighton... I mean really no one said Soyinka? Reza Abdoh?
I mean of playwrights to read is unfathomable- I'm kinda shocked there was even a lot of overlap. No wonder people are frustrated with regional theaters producing the same playwrights over and over it seems influence is a larger thing...
Obviously, I like Soyinka. And Koltes.
Posted by Sean C Lewis | May 9, 2007 2:22 AM
Posted on May 9, 2007 02:22
A bit late, but you should read the plays of Mikhail Bulgakov. They are hard to find, but worth the effort. Also his novel "Black Snow"...if u still have the time.
Posted by broadwaymag | March 21, 2008 2:33 AM
Posted on March 21, 2008 02:33
So, here are a few more for the list:
botho strauss
kroetz
surely someone mentioned caryl churchill???
AUSTRALIA:
noelle janaczewska
stephen carleton
US:
marcus gardley
alejandro morales
octavio solis
charlotte meehan (check out sweet disaster at perishable theatre, coming up)
Posted by Christine Evans | March 30, 2008 7:43 PM
Posted on March 30, 2008 19:43