Drama

These stories are written to be acted out on stage, with character dialogue and stage directions.

Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett A drama that breaks all the rules, with no plot, no climax, no beginning, and no end. As such it is a radical departure from the rules of drama that epitomizes existentialism. Defines “Theater of the Absurd”. People who read it either love it or hate it; there is no middle ground.

The Crucible by Arthur Miller Based on the events surrounding the witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts in the 1600s, it was also an allegory of the anti-Communist hysteria of the McCarthy era.

Death of A Salesman by Arthur Miller Pulitzer prize winning play about the life of Willy Loman, an aging salesman who is beginning to lose his grip on reality. A caustic attack on the dream of some to achieve wealth and success without regard for principle and morality.

The Iceman Cometh by Eugene O’Neill The story of a group of alcoholics and misfits who endlessly discuss but never act on their dreams, and on Hickey, the traveling salesman determined to strip them of their pipe dreams.

Henry V by William Shakespeare One of the best examples of Shakespeare histories. Deals with King Henry V and his doings before and after the Battle of Agincourt, when he was attempting to conquer France. After the battle he pays court to Catherine de Valois. Upon their engagement, her father the French king adopts Henry as his heir to the throne of France.

Macbeth by William Shakespeare The Tragedy of Macbeth is among the most famous of William Shakespeare's plays. Friendship, family ties, and civility are destroyed when blind ambition leads to murder.

The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare A beautiful girl in Padua is pursued by numerous suitors, but her father will allow none until her elder, bad-tempered sister Kate is married. The comedy lies in the quest for a mate for Kate, and how he finally manages to subdue her foul temper.

Our Town by Thornton Wilder The story of Emily Webb and George Gibbs, the “boy and girl next door”; how they fall in love, are married, and live their lives in small town America in the early 20th century. Pulitzer prize for drama in 1938.