New York Theater: Here are 14 new or forthcoming books about theater, listed under three general categories — Scripts and Play Anthologies; Biographies and Memoirs; Theater History, Criticism and Reference — plus a bonus of two books likely to be of interest to theatergoers, which I list under the category Theater Adjacent. Only a few of these selections are what you could call beach reads (and a couple won’t even be officially available until the Fall), but they promise to keep you engaged in the stage even when you’re nowhere near one.
1 comment:
I skimmed this list and initially noticed how many plays on the list dealt with political issues on race, sexuality, or gender. I think it's extremely important that art and theatre explores these topics, as it can often be an amazing format to spur conversations.
I then dove into researching the first play mentioned, Fairview. I read a summary of the play, and found it interesting. It has three acts: the first a scene in the home of a Black family, the second, a White family discussing race, and the third, returning to the original set, where all characters but one are played by the White actors who were previously discussing race. Finally, the last character breaks the fourth wall to question the audience (specifically white members) on their views and actions.
From reading a review, it seems that sound is an extremely important part of the play. As the review says: “[When] the play seemingly restarts, but instead of on-stage dialogue, audiences hear white actors questioning, “If you could be any race, what would you be?” amplified over the speakers.”
I really enjoyed researching this play, and would love to continue or check out some of the other books on this list.
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