Modern American Drama: Playwriting in the 1950s: Voices, Documents, New Interpretations (Decades of Modern American Drama: Playwriting from the 1930s to 2009, 4)

The Decades of Modern American Drama series provides a comprehensive survey and study of the theatre produced in each decade from the 1930s to 2009 in eight volumes. Each volume equips readers with a detailed understanding of the context from which work emerged: an introduction considers life in the decade with a focus on domestic life and conditions, social changes, culture, media, technology, industry and political events; while a chapter on the theatre of the decade offers a wide-ranging and thorough survey of theatres, companies, dramatists, new movements and developments in response to the economic and political conditions of the day. The work of the four most prominent playwrights from the decade receives in-depth analysis and re-evaluation by a team of experts, together with commentary on their subsequent work and legacy. A final section brings together original documents such as interviews with the playwrights and with directors, drafts of play scenes, and other previously unpublished material. The major writers and their works to receive in-depth coverage in this volume include: - William Inge: Picnic (1953), Bus Stop (1955) and The Dark at the Top of the Stairs (1957); - Stephen Sondheim, Arthur Laurents and Jerome Robbins: West Side Story (1957) and Gypsy (1959); - Alice Childress: Just a Little Simple (1950), Gold Through the Trees (1952) and Trouble in Mind (1955); - Jerome Lawrence and Robert Lee: Inherit the Wind (1955), Auntie Mame (1956) and The Gang's All Here (1959). List of Tables and Boxes Biographical Note and Notes on Contributors General Preface: Brenda Murphy and Julia Listengarten 1. Introduction to the 1950s by Susan C. W. Abbotson, Rhode Island College, USA. 2. American Theatre in the 1950s by Susan C. W. Abbotson, Rhode Island College, USA. 3. William Inge: Come Back Little Sheba (1950), Picnic (1953), Bus Stop (1955), The Dark at the Top of the Stairs (1957) by Susan C. W. Abbotson, Rhode Island College, USA. 4. Stephen Sondheim: West Side Story (1957), Gypsy (1959), with Collaborators Jerome Robbins and Arthur Laurents by Stuart Hecht, Boston College, USA. 5. Alice Childress: Florence (1949), Gold Through the Trees (1952), and Trouble in Mind (1955) by Soyica Diggs-Colbert, Georgetown University, UK. 6. Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee: Inherit the Wind (1955), Auntie Mame (1956), and The Gang's All Here (1959) by Alan Woods, Ohio State University, USA. Afterword Documents: Popular Writings from the 1950s Notes Bibliography Index FC Half title Decades of Modern American Drama: Playwriting from the 1930s to 2009 Title Copyright Contents List of Tables and Boxes Biographical Note and Notes on Contributors General Preface Brenda Murphy and Julia Listengarten 1 Introduction to the 1950s Susan C. W. Abbotson Domestic life Society Political events Popular culture Media Science and technology 2 American Theatre in the 1950s Susan C. W. Abbotson Introduction Notable playwrights of the decade Ethnic drama and plays of Otherness Key theatre practitioners beyond the playwrights Political drama African-American theatre Musical theatre Television drama Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway, regional and college theatre Community and children’s theatre 3 William Inge: Come Back Little Sheba (1950), Picnic (1953), Bus Stop (1955) and The Dark at the Top of the Stairs (1957) Susan C. W. Abbotson Introduction Inge’s theatre Come Back Little Sheba (1950) Picnic (1953) Bus Stop (1955) The Dark at the Top of the Stairs (1957) Conclusion 4 Stephen Sondheim: West Side Story (1957) and Gypsy (1959), with Collaborators Jerome Robbins and Arthur Laurents Stuart Hecht Stephen Sondheim The collaborative process and musical theatre Jerome Robbins Arthur Laurents West Side Story Gypsy Conclusion 5 Alice Childress: Florence (1949), Gold Through the Trees (1952) and Trouble in Mind (1955) Soyica Diggs-Colbert Introduction Childress’s theatre Florence Gold Through the Trees Trouble in Mind 6 Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee: Inherit the Wind (1955), Auntie Mame (1956) and The Gang’s All Here (1959) Alan Woods Introduction Inherit the Wind (1955) Auntie Mame (1956) The Gang’s All Here (1959) Conclusion Afterword Susan C. W. Abbotson William Inge Stephen Sondheim Alice Childress Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee Documents: Popular Writings from the 1950s From ‘The Spirit of the Age’ in Company Manners by Leo Kronenberger (1955) From ‘Introduction’ to The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale (1952) From The Bride’s Cookbook by Poppy Cannon (1954) From The Crack in the Picture Window by John Keats (1956) From The Vanishing Adolescent by Edgar Z. Friedenberg (1959) From 100 Things You Should Know About Communism and Education (1951) Extracts from House Committee on Un-American Activities hearings 1952–1956 Theatre in the 1950s Notes Bibliography Index "The Decades of Modern American Drama series provides a comprehensive survey and study of the theatre produced in each decade from the 1930s to 2009 in eight volumes. Each volume equips readers with a detailed understanding of the context from which work emerged: an introduction considers life in the decade with a focus on domestic life and conditions, social changes, culture, media, technology, industry and political events; while a chapter on the theatre of the decade offers a wide-ranging and thorough survey of theatres, companies, dramatists, new movements and developments in response to the economic and political conditions of the day. The work of the four most prominent playwrights from the decade receives in-depth analysis and re-evaluation by a team of experts, together with commentary on their subsequent work and legacy. A final section brings together original documents such as interviews with the playwrights and with directors, drafts of play scenes, and other previously unpublished material. The major writers and their works to receive in-depth coverage in this volume include: * William Inge: Picnic (1953), Bus Stop (1955) and The Dark at the Top of the Stairs (1957); * Stephen Sondheim, Arthur Laurents and Jerome Robbins: West Side Story (1957) and Gypsy (1959); * Alice Childress: Just a Little Simple (1950), Gold Through the Trees (1952) and Trouble in Mind (1955); * Jerome Lawrence and Robert Lee: Inherit the Wind (1955), Auntie Mame (1956) and The Gang's All Here (1959)"-- Provided by publisher Decades of Modern American Drama' provides a comprehensive survey and study of the theatre produced in each decade from the 1930s to 2009 in eight volumes. Each volume equips readers with a detailed understanding of the context from which the work emerged: an introduction considers life in the decade with a focus on domestic life and conditions, social changes, culture, media, technology, industry and political events ; while a chapter on the theatre of the decade offers a wide-ranging and thorough survey of theatres, companies, dramatists, new movements and developments in response to the economic and political conditions of the day