Can the American Theatre Unlearn Racism?
Going beyond diversity statements, antiracist theatre practices promise a liberatory future for all.
Category Archives: Book Excerpts
The Time Sam Shepard Taught Playwriting Way Out West
Recruited by Padua Hills Playwrights founder Murray Mednick, Shepard joined an ad-hoc faculty in 1978 for the experimental workshop. Among his pupils: a young David Henry Hwang.
When Beck Did Beckett: The Last Days of a Living Theater Cofounder
In this excerpt from her new book ‘Last Radiance: Radical Lives, Bright Deaths,’ a colleague of Julian Beck’s recalls his final years and roles.
What Happened to the U.S. Nonprofit Theatre Movement?
An excerpt from a new book ponders an industry that seems to have lost its way, even as it has grown—and what its future may hold.
The Confidence of a Mediocre White Man, 19th-Century Edition
A new book explores what the life of a middling actor in the pre-Civil War era can teach us about his time—and about notions of individualism and merit that are still with us in American theatre culture.
A High School Ham’s First Take on ‘Hamilton’
Lessons from Lin-Manuel Miranda’s last 2 years at Hunter: collaboration, delegation, and digging deeper.
How We Know Aaron Burr Is Stuck: It’s in the Music
The brilliance of ‘Hamilton’s’ book and lyrics has been justly praised, but a new book argues for show’s deft musical storytelling as well.
A Jewish Testament: The Story of Ben Hecht’s ‘Warsaw Ghetto’
In 1943, when the horrors of the Holocaust were still not widely known, the famed screenwriter joined other big names for a pageant that toured the U.S. to raise awareness—and to celebrate resistance to the Nazis.
Feud for Thought: How I Made a Play Out of a Family Drama
A leading documentary theatre creator recounts her beginnings in the practice, which began close to home—literally.
What We Owe the Dead
A poet/playwright reflects on the disturbing, arresting lessons of the Greek plays she’s wrestled with for much of her career.
