John Gassner (1903–1967)

A marvelous collection of plays from my college years that essentially provided my theatre education. A great variety of playwrights and styles are here, and a huge number of classics: Ibsen, Shaw, Strindberg, Chekhov, Artaud, Jarry, Brecht, Wilde, Yeats, Synge, Anouilh, Giraudoux. O'Neill, Odets, Pinter, Osborne, Miller, Williams. It was published in 1970, revised from editions dating back to 1935, so commits a great sin of omission. The only black playwright--LeRoi Jones, shortly after known as Amiri Baraka. The only woman? Hellman. That's why 4 stars and not 5. This appears to be the last edition of this work. Too bad! What would be included in 2018?… (more)

These English comedies are from the period following the restoration of the monarchy up to 1777, a period that is not that often anthologized or performed. Most of these would be difficult to pull off on a modern stage, due not only to length but to the density of the plots, and the fact that they are not funny enough to play as comedies in the 21st century (perhaps they were funny at the time. Humor often doesn't date well). Still, they are interesting as a slice of theatre history, which I think anyone who wishes to be actor, director, or playwright should immerse themselves in for at least a small slice of their time. Understanding where we came from is crucial to understanding why so many things are done the way they are now, and in addition, these plays can help an early playwright see how cringe-inducing it can be to have pages upon pages of expositionary speeches telling the backstory to people who already know it, so the audience can follow. Subtlety was not one of the dramatic virtues in this period. Still, it was fun to read, even though the misogyny of the period is on full display in many of these works.… (more)