The Theatre of Politics, or the Politics of Theatre? Yes.
Two new books consider the possibilities and limits of documentary theatre in a polarized nation.
Category Archives: Books
Reading Race Through Shakespeare, and Vice Versa
Two books come not to bury the Bard but to bring his writing down to the common ground we share.
Can a Theatre Critic Be a Good Dad?
Priscilla Gilman’s memoir portrays her father, Richard Gilman, as a passionate, difficult figure who bequeathed her life lessons, many unwittingly.
A Man in Full: August Wilson and His Plays, in All Their Complexity
Patti Hartigan’s excellent new biography gives us a rich portrait of the playwright’s life and art, and a measure of his significance.
How Patti Hartigan Learned What She Learned About August Wilson
A reporter and critic who knew Wilson nearly from the start of his playwriting peak, she wrote the biography she wanted to see.
How to Empower a New Generation of Latinx Actors
Whether students are in the process of reclaiming or rejecting their identities, a new book offers resources to help subvert stereotypes and understand embodiment.
What’s True in ‘True West’?
A new biography of Sam Shepard focuses on the man as an icon rather than as a writer—though, as with everything in the late dramatist’s work, such delineations are never so neat.
Triple Threats
A look at two new reads for musical theatre fans: a thought-provoking analysis of Broadway’s body biases and a breezy memoir by dance icon Chita Rivera.
Are You Even Here? Or Are You Just Represented?
2 artists who’ve explored the ways city politics are like theatre wonder: What might theatre learn from city politics?
What Is to Be Done 2.0: Some Notes on Theatre in a Time of Climate Crisis
What will it take to change our ways before climate crisis makes such change impossible? We can start by using one of the greatest human inventions: story.
