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The Wonderful World of Dissocia: Edward Gant's Amazing Feats Of Loneliness!; The Lying Kind; The Wonderful World Of Dissocia; Realism (Modern Plays)
by Anthony NeilsonLife's full of clatter, but none of it matters, only who'll hold your paw when you die.What would you do if you lost an hour from your day? How far would you go to rescue what you've lost?In search of a lost hour that that has tipped the balance of her life, Lisa Jones is on a quest through a surreal world, filled with insecurity guards, flying cars, singing polar bears and wild-goose chases. The inhabitants of Dissocia are a curious blend of the funny, the friendly and the downright brutal.Anthony Neilson's cult play is a poignant and comical delve into the nature of mental illness. This edition was published to coincide with the major London revival at Theatre Royal Stratford East in September 2022.
No Magic Pill (Modern Plays)
by Christian O'ReillyIf you're a wheelchair-user, you've got a simple choice: either you suck sweets in a corner and watch television all day or you try to change the world around you. There ain't gonna be no magic pill in my day.This is the (mostly) true story of Martin Naughton AKA Michael Collins in a wheelchair. Martin is an agitator. A disruptor. A seeker of justice and planter of (truth) bombs. But will his anarchic quest for equality be derailed by dreams of love and new horizons?Based on the real life of Martin Naughton and his campaign for independence for disabled people in Ireland, No Magic Pill, written by Christian O'Reilly, is a joyful, shameless, no-holds-barred story of oneman's fight for justice and love.This edition was published to coincide with the production at Black Box, Galway, and the Civic, Tallaght, for Dublin Theatre Festival in October 2022.
No Magic Pill (Modern Plays)
by Christian O'ReillyIf you're a wheelchair-user, you've got a simple choice: either you suck sweets in a corner and watch television all day or you try to change the world around you. There ain't gonna be no magic pill in my day.This is the (mostly) true story of Martin Naughton AKA Michael Collins in a wheelchair. Martin is an agitator. A disruptor. A seeker of justice and planter of (truth) bombs. But will his anarchic quest for equality be derailed by dreams of love and new horizons?Based on the real life of Martin Naughton and his campaign for independence for disabled people in Ireland, No Magic Pill, written by Christian O'Reilly, is a joyful, shameless, no-holds-barred story of oneman's fight for justice and love.This edition was published to coincide with the production at Black Box, Galway, and the Civic, Tallaght, for Dublin Theatre Festival in October 2022.
Lie Low (Modern Plays)
by Ciara Elizabeth Smyth“I need you to get in the wardrobe.”Faye's afraid.She's not sleeping, she doesn't trust ducks and all she's had to eat this week is a box of dry Rice Krispies.A doctor recommends a form of exposure therapy, so Faye enlists the help of her brother, Naoise. But Naoise has a devastating secret that's about to explode.A darkly funny new play by Ciara Elizabeth Smyth, Lie Low is a theatrical exploration into the human brain via the genitals. This edition was published to coincide with the world premiere at the Dublin FringeFestival, in September 2022.
Lie Low (Modern Plays)
by Ciara Elizabeth Smyth“I need you to get in the wardrobe.”Faye's afraid.She's not sleeping, she doesn't trust ducks and all she's had to eat this week is a box of dry Rice Krispies.A doctor recommends a form of exposure therapy, so Faye enlists the help of her brother, Naoise. But Naoise has a devastating secret that's about to explode.A darkly funny new play by Ciara Elizabeth Smyth, Lie Low is a theatrical exploration into the human brain via the genitals. This edition was published to coincide with the world premiere at the Dublin FringeFestival, in September 2022.
Plays from Contemporary Hungary: Prah, Prime Location, Sunday Lunch, The Dead Man, The Bat (Methuen Drama Play Collections)
by Krisztina Tóth Janos Hay György SpiróA unique collection of five contemporary plays from 21st-century Hungary, translated into English for the first time. Written by some of Hungary's most highly prolific and commercially successful dramatic voices, these plays are being produced in their native Hungary by theatres that do not adhere to Viktor Orbán's values and offer a counterpoint to the commercial Boulevard Theatre scene of Budapest.Translator and theatre-maker Szilvi Naray-Davey champions these unheard voices through her performable and dramatically engaging translations. The plays are aimed at micro-budget productions and offer a special opportunity for students and small theatre companies alike to engage with these witty, politically irreverent plays, finally in English.Each of the selected playwrights has been in direct conflict with the Hungarian government and has been demonised by the state-controlled press. The five plays are thematically threaded together by their common use of strong leading female protagonists with an overarching theme of the family unit. Through the edited introduction the themes and feminine translation strategy discusses how the plays offer a microcosmic lens for understanding the paradox that today's Hungary exemplifies, making this a necessary study into the world of contemporary Hungary through drama.
Plays from Contemporary Hungary: Prah, Prime Location, Sunday Lunch, The Dead Man, The Bat (Methuen Drama Play Collections)
by Krisztina Tóth Janos Hay György SpiróA unique collection of five contemporary plays from 21st-century Hungary, translated into English for the first time. Written by some of Hungary's most highly prolific and commercially successful dramatic voices, these plays are being produced in their native Hungary by theatres that do not adhere to Viktor Orbán's values and offer a counterpoint to the commercial Boulevard Theatre scene of Budapest.Translator and theatre-maker Szilvi Naray-Davey champions these unheard voices through her performable and dramatically engaging translations. The plays are aimed at micro-budget productions and offer a special opportunity for students and small theatre companies alike to engage with these witty, politically irreverent plays, finally in English.Each of the selected playwrights has been in direct conflict with the Hungarian government and has been demonised by the state-controlled press. The five plays are thematically threaded together by their common use of strong leading female protagonists with an overarching theme of the family unit. Through the edited introduction the themes and feminine translation strategy discusses how the plays offer a microcosmic lens for understanding the paradox that today's Hungary exemplifies, making this a necessary study into the world of contemporary Hungary through drama.
Peggy Webling and the Story behind Frankenstein: The Making of a Hollywood Monster
by Peggy Webling Dorian Gieseler Greenbaum Professor Bruce GraverThe 1931 Universal Pictures film adaptation of Frankenstein directed by James Whale and starring Boris Karloff as the now iconic Monster claims in its credits to be 'Adapted from the play by Peggy Webling'. Webling's play sought to humanize the creature, was the first stage adaptation to position Frankenstein and his creation as doppelgängers, and offered a feminist perspective on scientific efforts to create life without women, ideas that suffuse today's perceptions of Frankenstein's monster. The original play script exists in several different versions, only two of which have ever been consulted by scholars; no version has ever been published. Nor have scholars had access to Webling's private papers and correspondence, preserved in a family archive, so that the evolution of Frankenstein from book to stage to screen has never been fully charted. In Peggy Webling and the Story behind Frankenstein, Dorian Gieseler Greenbaum (Webling's great grandniece) and Bruce Graver present the full texts of Webling's unpublished play for the first time. A vital critical edition, this book includes: - the 1927 British Library Frankenstein script used for the first production of the play in Preston, Lancashire - the 1928 Frankenstein script in the Library of Congress, used for productions in UK provincial theatres from autumn 1928 till 1930 - the 1930 Frankenstein Prompt Script for the London production and later provincial performances, held by the Westminster Archive, London - Webling's private correspondence including negotiations with theatre managers and Universal Pictures, family letters about the writing and production process, and selected contracts - Text of the chapter 'Frankenstein' from Webling's unpublished literary memoir, The Story of a Pen for additional context - Biography of Webling that bears directly on the sensibilities and skills she brought to the writing of her play - History of how the play came to be written and produced - The relationship of Webling's play to earlier stage and film adaptations - An exploration of playwright and screenwriter John L. Balderston's changes to Webling's play and Whale's borrowings from it in the 1931 film Offering a new perspective on the genesis of the Frankenstein movie, this critical exploration makes available a unique and necessary 'missing link' in the novel's otherwise well-documented transmedia cultural history.
Peggy Webling and the Story behind Frankenstein: The Making of a Hollywood Monster
by Peggy Webling Dorian Gieseler Greenbaum Professor Bruce GraverThe 1931 Universal Pictures film adaptation of Frankenstein directed by James Whale and starring Boris Karloff as the now iconic Monster claims in its credits to be 'Adapted from the play by Peggy Webling'. Webling's play sought to humanize the creature, was the first stage adaptation to position Frankenstein and his creation as doppelgängers, and offered a feminist perspective on scientific efforts to create life without women, ideas that suffuse today's perceptions of Frankenstein's monster. The original play script exists in several different versions, only two of which have ever been consulted by scholars; no version has ever been published. Nor have scholars had access to Webling's private papers and correspondence, preserved in a family archive, so that the evolution of Frankenstein from book to stage to screen has never been fully charted. In Peggy Webling and the Story behind Frankenstein, Dorian Gieseler Greenbaum (Webling's great grandniece) and Bruce Graver present the full texts of Webling's unpublished play for the first time. A vital critical edition, this book includes: - the 1927 British Library Frankenstein script used for the first production of the play in Preston, Lancashire - the 1928 Frankenstein script in the Library of Congress, used for productions in UK provincial theatres from autumn 1928 till 1930 - the 1930 Frankenstein Prompt Script for the London production and later provincial performances, held by the Westminster Archive, London - Webling's private correspondence including negotiations with theatre managers and Universal Pictures, family letters about the writing and production process, and selected contracts - Text of the chapter 'Frankenstein' from Webling's unpublished literary memoir, The Story of a Pen for additional context - Biography of Webling that bears directly on the sensibilities and skills she brought to the writing of her play - History of how the play came to be written and produced - The relationship of Webling's play to earlier stage and film adaptations - An exploration of playwright and screenwriter John L. Balderston's changes to Webling's play and Whale's borrowings from it in the 1931 film Offering a new perspective on the genesis of the Frankenstein movie, this critical exploration makes available a unique and necessary 'missing link' in the novel's otherwise well-documented transmedia cultural history.
Dramatic Apparitions and Theatrical Ghosts: The Staging of Illusion across Time and Cultures
by Ann C. Hall and Alan NadelGhosts haunt the stages of world theatre, appearing in classical Greek drama through to the plays of 21st-century dramatists. Tracing the phenomenon across time and in different cultures, the chapters collected here examine their representation, dramatic function, and what they may tell us about the belief systems of their original audiences and the conditions of theatrical production. As illusions of illusions, they foreground many dramatic themes common to a wide variety of periods and cultures. Arranged chronologically, this collection examines how ghosts represent political change in Athenian culture in three plays by Aeschylus; their function in traditional Japanese drama; the staging of the supernatural in the dramatic liturgy of the early Middle Ages; ghosts within the dramatic works of Middleton, George Peele, and Christopher Marlowe, and the technologies employed in the 18th and 19th centuries to represent the supernatural on stage. Coverage of the dramatic representation of ghosts in the 20th and 21st centuries includes studies of Noël Coward's Blithe Spirit, August Wilson's Pittsburgh Cycle, plays by Sam Shepard, David Mamet, and Sarah Ruhl, Paddy Chayefsky's The Tenth Man, Suzan-Lori Parks' Topdog/Underdog, and the spectral imprint of Shakespeare's ghosts in the Irish drama of Marina Carr, Martin McDonagh, William Butler Yeats, and Samuel Beckett. The volume closes by examining three contemporary American indigenous plays by Anishinaabe author, Alanis King.
Dramatic Apparitions and Theatrical Ghosts: The Staging of Illusion across Time and Cultures
Ghosts haunt the stages of world theatre, appearing in classical Greek drama through to the plays of 21st-century dramatists. Tracing the phenomenon across time and in different cultures, the chapters collected here examine their representation, dramatic function, and what they may tell us about the belief systems of their original audiences and the conditions of theatrical production. As illusions of illusions, they foreground many dramatic themes common to a wide variety of periods and cultures. Arranged chronologically, this collection examines how ghosts represent political change in Athenian culture in three plays by Aeschylus; their function in traditional Japanese drama; the staging of the supernatural in the dramatic liturgy of the early Middle Ages; ghosts within the dramatic works of Middleton, George Peele, and Christopher Marlowe, and the technologies employed in the 18th and 19th centuries to represent the supernatural on stage. Coverage of the dramatic representation of ghosts in the 20th and 21st centuries includes studies of Noël Coward's Blithe Spirit, August Wilson's Pittsburgh Cycle, plays by Sam Shepard, David Mamet, and Sarah Ruhl, Paddy Chayefsky's The Tenth Man, Suzan-Lori Parks' Topdog/Underdog, and the spectral imprint of Shakespeare's ghosts in the Irish drama of Marina Carr, Martin McDonagh, William Butler Yeats, and Samuel Beckett. The volume closes by examining three contemporary American indigenous plays by Anishinaabe author, Alanis King.
LGBTQ+ Literature in the West: From Ancient Times to the Twenty-First Century
by Robert C. EvansA survey, within one volume, of the history of critical responses to LGBTQ literature from the beginning to the present day, this book explores changes in attitudes, literature and criticism over a period of two and a half thousand years. For various reasons it focuses on literature of 'the West', trying to give readers a clear sense, within a relatively short compass, not only of the development of 'queer' literature (perhaps the most encompassing of all terms) but especially of critical responses to that literature, notably during the past century and particularly the past fifty years.All in all, this book offers a roadmap to much of the excellent scholarship concerning LGBTQ literature that has arisen in the last half-century – an era of unparalleled interest in the topic and an era that has moved the topic from the distant sidelines of literary study to a place ever closer to the center of things.
LGBTQ+ Literature in the West: From Ancient Times to the Twenty-First Century
by Robert C. EvansA survey, within one volume, of the history of critical responses to LGBTQ literature from the beginning to the present day, this book explores changes in attitudes, literature and criticism over a period of two and a half thousand years. For various reasons it focuses on literature of 'the West', trying to give readers a clear sense, within a relatively short compass, not only of the development of 'queer' literature (perhaps the most encompassing of all terms) but especially of critical responses to that literature, notably during the past century and particularly the past fifty years.All in all, this book offers a roadmap to much of the excellent scholarship concerning LGBTQ literature that has arisen in the last half-century – an era of unparalleled interest in the topic and an era that has moved the topic from the distant sidelines of literary study to a place ever closer to the center of things.
Phryne: A Life in Fragments
by Melissa FunkeHow did Mnesarete, a girl from Boeotia, turn into Phryne the famous beauty, and how did she end up as an enduring symbol of ancient Greek culture? This book pieces together the story of the notorious fourth-century Athenian sex worker, Phryne. It considers her early life and her development into a cultural figure, whose influence and legacy have lasted from her own lifetime to the present day. It also investigates her infamous nude courtroom appearance, her influence on one of the most well-known statues from antiquity and her connection to celebrated figures from Alexander the Great to the artist Apelles. Her appearances in modern culture, ranging from Belle Epoque cabaret shows to 1950s Italian film, are also analysed, offering an account of how the real life of a woman turned into the biography of a dream girl. Nothing but fragmentsremain of Phryne's story, short anecdotes passed on and on again in literary compendia, that tell the story of a witty and beautiful woman who amassed great wealth, associated with some of the most well-known historical figures of ancient Greece. They create an image of a life that is glamorous and titillating, yet they also hint at the tenuous position of a foreign-born sex worker in a society structured to privilege male citizens above all others.
Phryne: A Life in Fragments
by Melissa FunkeHow did Mnesarete, a girl from Boeotia, turn into Phryne the famous beauty, and how did she end up as an enduring symbol of ancient Greek culture? This book pieces together the story of the notorious fourth-century Athenian sex worker, Phryne. It considers her early life and her development into a cultural figure, whose influence and legacy have lasted from her own lifetime to the present day. It also investigates her infamous nude courtroom appearance, her influence on one of the most well-known statues from antiquity and her connection to celebrated figures from Alexander the Great to the artist Apelles. Her appearances in modern culture, ranging from Belle Epoque cabaret shows to 1950s Italian film, are also analysed, offering an account of how the real life of a woman turned into the biography of a dream girl. Nothing but fragmentsremain of Phryne's story, short anecdotes passed on and on again in literary compendia, that tell the story of a witty and beautiful woman who amassed great wealth, associated with some of the most well-known historical figures of ancient Greece. They create an image of a life that is glamorous and titillating, yet they also hint at the tenuous position of a foreign-born sex worker in a society structured to privilege male citizens above all others.
Glitterball (Modern Plays)
by Yasmin WildeMore Bassey than Bhangra...Sonia's life has always been a bit of a double act, brought up as one half of a Shirley Bassey tribute act. Alongside her overbearing mother Gloria, she left a trail of sequins across the working men's clubs of East Anglia.Now she's divorced, battling through the middle-age jungle, wrangling unimpressed teenagers and navigating rocky friendships.But the arrival of her half-brother Naim brings a refreshed sense of belonging and cultural identity, and she begins to piece together the mosaic of her life. Can Sonia shake off the past, even with her ever-present mother keeping 'the show' on the road from beyond the grave?Glitterball is a play with live music, wry humour and a whole lotta sparkle. This edition was published to coincide with the first run produced by Rifco Theatre and Watford Palace Theatre at Watford PalaceTheatre, in September 2022.
Glitterball (Modern Plays)
by Yasmin WildeMore Bassey than Bhangra...Sonia's life has always been a bit of a double act, brought up as one half of a Shirley Bassey tribute act. Alongside her overbearing mother Gloria, she left a trail of sequins across the working men's clubs of East Anglia.Now she's divorced, battling through the middle-age jungle, wrangling unimpressed teenagers and navigating rocky friendships.But the arrival of her half-brother Naim brings a refreshed sense of belonging and cultural identity, and she begins to piece together the mosaic of her life. Can Sonia shake off the past, even with her ever-present mother keeping 'the show' on the road from beyond the grave?Glitterball is a play with live music, wry humour and a whole lotta sparkle. This edition was published to coincide with the first run produced by Rifco Theatre and Watford Palace Theatre at Watford PalaceTheatre, in September 2022.
Solar Bones (Modern Plays)
by Mike McCormackwhy these bleak thoughts today, the whole world in shadow, everything undercut and suspended in its own deliriumMarcus Conway has come home to his kitchen in Louisburgh, Co. Mayo,. Everything seems normal, yet he is haunted by the feeling that nothing is quite right. Poring obsessively over the details of his relationships, his world and his work as an engineer brings him closer to an understanding of how the things and people he loves have come together, and how they have and must inevitably come apart.Winner of the Impac Dublin Literary Award 2018, Solar Bones is Mike McCormack's multi-award-winning elegy to the merits of an ordinary life. This adaptation was first presented at the Kilkenny Arts Festival, and subsequently at the Abbey Theatre. The production won Best Actor for Stanley Townsend and Best Director for Lynne Parker at the Irish TimesTheatre Awards.
Solar Bones (Modern Plays)
by Mike McCormackwhy these bleak thoughts today, the whole world in shadow, everything undercut and suspended in its own deliriumMarcus Conway has come home to his kitchen in Louisburgh, Co. Mayo,. Everything seems normal, yet he is haunted by the feeling that nothing is quite right. Poring obsessively over the details of his relationships, his world and his work as an engineer brings him closer to an understanding of how the things and people he loves have come together, and how they have and must inevitably come apart.Winner of the Impac Dublin Literary Award 2018, Solar Bones is Mike McCormack's multi-award-winning elegy to the merits of an ordinary life. This adaptation was first presented at the Kilkenny Arts Festival, and subsequently at the Abbey Theatre. The production won Best Actor for Stanley Townsend and Best Director for Lynne Parker at the Irish TimesTheatre Awards.
What's Mine & What's Yours (Modern Plays)
by Jessica ButcherWell here's the problem Edrina, the law in this country doesn't work with stories.It only works with facts. And to put it simply, your story - look it just isn't credible.Edrina was trafficked from her family home when she was fifteen. She was taken to Italy for three years before being trafficked to the UK, where she was held captive for another three years. She escaped 152 days ago. What's Mine & What's Yours tells a story of survival. Just when Edrina thought she might have a chance at life - she is catapulted backwards by a hostile immigration system that does not believe her story. She is acutely vulnerable and is re-trafficked within weeks. Could this have been prevented?The Helen Bamber Foundation provides all encompassing care to help Survivors access the therapeutic, medical, legal, housing and welfare support they need to recover from the traumas of trafficking. The foundation now seeks to address the systemic problem of re-trafficking in the UK.Find out about their new central London Trauma Centre and learn how you can help by visiting www.helenbamber.org
What's Mine & What's Yours (Modern Plays)
by Jessica ButcherWell here's the problem Edrina, the law in this country doesn't work with stories.It only works with facts. And to put it simply, your story - look it just isn't credible.Edrina was trafficked from her family home when she was fifteen. She was taken to Italy for three years before being trafficked to the UK, where she was held captive for another three years. She escaped 152 days ago. What's Mine & What's Yours tells a story of survival. Just when Edrina thought she might have a chance at life - she is catapulted backwards by a hostile immigration system that does not believe her story. She is acutely vulnerable and is re-trafficked within weeks. Could this have been prevented?The Helen Bamber Foundation provides all encompassing care to help Survivors access the therapeutic, medical, legal, housing and welfare support they need to recover from the traumas of trafficking. The foundation now seeks to address the systemic problem of re-trafficking in the UK.Find out about their new central London Trauma Centre and learn how you can help by visiting www.helenbamber.org
Iphigenia in Splott (Modern Plays)
by Gary OwenWhat is gonna happen, when we can't take it anymore?Stumbling down the street drunk at 11.30am Effie is the kind of girl you avoid making eye contact with. You think you know her, but maybe you don't know half of it.Effie's life is a mess of drink, drugs and drama every night, and a hangover worse than death the next day – till one night gives her the chance to be something more.Gary Owen's critically acclaimed and powerful monodrama inspired by the Greek myth opens at the Lyric this September after a smash-hit season at the Sherman Theatre in Wales and later the National Theatre., winning the Best New Play at the UK Theatre Awards 2015.This edition published to coincide the production at the Lyric Hammersmith, London, in September 2022.
Iphigenia in Splott (Modern Plays)
by Gary OwenWhat is gonna happen, when we can't take it anymore?Stumbling down the street drunk at 11.30am Effie is the kind of girl you avoid making eye contact with. You think you know her, but maybe you don't know half of it.Effie's life is a mess of drink, drugs and drama every night, and a hangover worse than death the next day – till one night gives her the chance to be something more.Gary Owen's critically acclaimed and powerful monodrama inspired by the Greek myth opens at the Lyric this September after a smash-hit season at the Sherman Theatre in Wales and later the National Theatre., winning the Best New Play at the UK Theatre Awards 2015.This edition published to coincide the production at the Lyric Hammersmith, London, in September 2022.
right where we left us (Modern Plays)
by Rebecca Jade HammondI thought I would be grafting and working on it.Pursuing it until I breathed my last breath.My ambition and drive was that concrete.But ambition will…Ambition will kill you.The spark is instant. Miles away from home they find each other. They were going to make it big, together.Fast forward years later, a world reset and changed forever they return to where they left it. One an award-winning writer, the other adopting a child and putting faith in crystals. The spark is still there, electric and dangerous. But how do you heal once you've been burned? Right Where We Left Us is a lyrical and witty three-hander and a heartfelt examination of what happens instead of “happy ever after”.A new Welsh play produced by Welsh theatre makers Chippy Lane Productions, this edition was published to coincide with the world premiere at the Chapter Arts Centre, in September 2022.
right where we left us (Modern Plays)
by Rebecca Jade HammondI thought I would be grafting and working on it.Pursuing it until I breathed my last breath.My ambition and drive was that concrete.But ambition will…Ambition will kill you.The spark is instant. Miles away from home they find each other. They were going to make it big, together.Fast forward years later, a world reset and changed forever they return to where they left it. One an award-winning writer, the other adopting a child and putting faith in crystals. The spark is still there, electric and dangerous. But how do you heal once you've been burned? Right Where We Left Us is a lyrical and witty three-hander and a heartfelt examination of what happens instead of “happy ever after”.A new Welsh play produced by Welsh theatre makers Chippy Lane Productions, this edition was published to coincide with the world premiere at the Chapter Arts Centre, in September 2022.