Lecture16AmericanDrama

WhatIsDrama?“drama”comesfromtheGreekwordmeaning“adeed”“adeed”inGreekcomesfromtheverb,dran,“todo”“theater”,fromGreek“towatch”“audience”,fromLatin“tohear”ElementsofDramaAristotleinPoetics:1.plot2.character3.thought4.diction5.spectacle6.songOverviewofAmericanDramaBefore20thCentury:

theaterasentertainment,showbusiness;VisitingShakespeareanplayspatrioticdramavaudeville(歌舞雜耍)melodrama(情節(jié)劇)ofthe19thC.i.e.UnderTheGaslight,UncleTom’sCabinStarsystemTheatreSyndicate(monopolyshowbusiness)ModernAmericanDrama(twentieth-century)Beginnings:1910s-1920LittleTheaterMovement,i.e.WashingstonSquarePlayhouse,ProvincetownPlayers,etcSusanGlaspell&EugeneO’Neill1930s:ElmerRice,Thorton

Wilder,Lilliam

Hellman,etc1940s-1950s:TennesseeWilliams,ArthurMiller,WilliamInge,LorraineHansberry(black),etc;1960s:EdwardAlbee,TheaterofAbsurd1970s-1980s:SamShepard,DavidMamet,AugustWilson(black),DavidHeny

Huwang(黃哲倫),TonyKushner,etc1980s-now:womenplaywrightsMarshaNorman,WendyWasserstein,Nzake

Shange(black),MariaIreneFornés(1930-)etcAestheticAdventures(Domestic)Realism:somesayAmericandramaisawholelotoffamilyplays.AStreetcarNamedDesire,DeathofaSalemans,LongDay’sJourneyintoNight,etcModernistinnovations:expressionism(EmperorJones,TheAddingMachine,Machinal)Off-BroadwayandOff-offBroadwayforexperimentaltheaterSusanGlaspell(1876-1948)SuppressedDesires(1915)Trifles(1915)TheOutside(1917)Woman’sHonor(1918)Bernice(1919)TheVerge(1921)Alison’sHouse(1931)EugeneO’Neill(1888-1953)

BeyondtheHorizon(1920)TheEmperorJones(1920)AnnaChristie(1922)TheHairyApe(1922)DesireUndertheElms(1924)GreatGodBrawn(1926)StrangeInterlude(1926)MourningBecomesElectra(1932)TheIcemanCometh(1939)LongDay’sJourneyintoNight(1939)NobelProzeWinnerin1936DesireUndertheElmsWhatisthecentralconflictintheplay?Whatdothebigelmtreessymbolize?WhatisthedesireofCabot,Eben&Abbey?InwhatwaysdoesThunderstorm(1933)byCaoYuseemtoresembletheplay?QuestionsDesireUndertheElmsinChina鄭州曲劇團(tuán)：《榆樹古宅》2000.第九屆奧尼爾戲劇研究會(huì)期間演出鄭州曲劇團(tuán)：《榆樹孤宅》2006.10.15成都川劇院：《欲?？癯薄吠嗝襟w情欲悲劇-滬港合作，2006.4.21-25

ElmerRice(1892-1967)

AddingMachine(1923)StreetScene(1929)ThortonWilder(1897-1975)

OurTown(1938)TheSkinofOurTeeth(1942)CliffordOdets(1906-63)AwakeandSing(1932-3)WaitingforLefty(1935)

LillianHellman(1905-1984)

TheChildren’sHour(1934)TheLittleFox(1939)WatchontheRhine(1941)ToysintheAttic(1960)TennesseeWilliams(1914-1983)TheGlassMenagerie(1945)SummerandSmoke(1947)AStreetcarNamedDesire(1947)RoseTatto(1951)CatonaHotTinRoof(1955)SweetBirdofYouth(1959)TheNightoftheIquana

(1961)PerspectivesonWilliamsThemescenteringontheAmericanSouththatislosttothemodernindustrializationGaycharactersandconstructionofhomesexual

indentityfromlivedexperienceGreatlyricismoflanguageandidealofaplastictheater“PlasticTheater”T.Waimstocreatewhathecallsa“plastictheater”toincorporateallstagecraftsandpoeticlyricismtoproduceanarrestingtheater:stagesymbols,music,light,arias(longmonologues),etc.ArthurMiller(1915-2005)

DeathofASalesman(1949)TheCrucible(1951)AftertheFall(1964)IncidentatVichy(1964)ThePrice(1968)BrokenGlass(1994)PlaywrightofgreatsocialconsciencePerspectivesonMillerThesocialsouloftheartistashighlightedinTheCrucible(煉獄；英若成演出版本譯為《薩萊姆女巫》)Memoryplays:presenceofpastmixedwiththepresentintheplays,likesomeofWilliams’splays；i.e.SalesmanHisdramatictheoryasseeninTheaterEssays,etc.“CommonManTragedy”SeeingtheimpossibilityoftragedyintheAristoliansenseofkingsandprinces,Millerinsistsmoderntragedyisthetragedyofcommonman.--DeathofaSalesman

exemplieshisowntheorywell.LorraineHansberry(1930-1965)ARaisinintheSun(1959)TitlefromLangstonHughes’spoemHarlemFirstAfricanAmericanplaywrighttobeproducedinBroadwayEdwardAlbee(1928-)

TheZooStory(l959)TheAmericanDream(1961)Who’sAfraidofVirginiaWoolf?(1962)ThreeTallWomen(1994)

LanfordWilson(1937-)

BalminGilead(1965)HotLBaltimore(1973)TheMoundBuilder(1975)The5thofJuly(1978)Talley’sFolly(1980)AngelsFall(1983)BurnThis(1987)

SamShepard(1943-)TheToothofCrime(1972)CurseoftheStarvingClass(1977)BuriedChild(1978)TrueWest(1980)FoolforLove(1983)ALieoftheMind(1986)AugustWilson(1945-)Fences(1983)MaRainey'sBlackBottom(1984)JoeTurner'sComeandGone(1986)ThePianoLesson(1990)SevenGuitars(1995)--winnerof3PulitzerPrizes;(O’neillwon4)DavidMamet(1947-)AmericanBuffalo(1975)ALifeintheTheater(1977)Edmond(1986)GlengarryGlenRoss(1983)Oleanna

(1992)TonyKushner(1956-)

ABrightRoomCalledDay(1991)AngelsinAmerica(1993)PulitzerPrizewinnerforitsfirstoutspokenandtouchingdealingwiththegayissueMovieadaptationavailableDavidHenryHwang(1957-)

FOB(FreshOfftheBoat)(1978)M.Butterfly(1988，Movie,1993；電影版《蝴蝶君》)GoldenChild(1997)--firstChineseAmericanplaywrighttowinnationalacclaim,afterFrankChin(趙建秀)BethHenley(1952-)CrimesoftheHeart(Pulitzer1981；武漢話劇團(tuán)，1983，電影版《罪惡之心》)

TheMissFirecrackerContest:APlay.1985.Abundance1991.MonologuesforWomen.1992.Revelers2003.

MarshaNorman(1947-)

’night,Mother(Pulitzer1983;國內(nèi)演出1993，2006)TravelerintheDark(1984)SarahandAbraham(1988)TheSecretGarden(1991,amusical)D.Boone(1992)WendyWasserstein(1950-2006)

UncommonWomenandOthers(1977)TheHeidiChronicles(Pulitzer1989；上海英文演出2006)AnAmericanDaughter(1997)MargaretEdson(1961-)W;t(Wit)(1991;Pulitzer1999)Itisaboutaprofessorof17thcenturypoetryandherfightagainstovariancancer.Suzan-LoriParks(1964-)TheDeathoftheLastBlackManintheWholeEntireWorld(1990)“Stillgotmymoves.Stillgotmytouch.Stillgotmychops.”--Topdog/Underdog,Pulitzer

2002Ntozake

Shange(1948-)forcoloredgirlswhohaveconsideredsuicide/whentherainbowisenuf:achoreopoem-1975Spell#7-1979MotherCourageandHerChildren-1980MariaIreneFornés(1930-)

FefuandHerFriends(1977)TheConductofLife(1985)Movie:AStreetcarNamedDesire(1951)Director:ElianKazanCast:VivianLeighasBlancheBuBoisMarloneBrandoasStanleyKowalskiEarlierWorkingTitlesforthePlay(1949)TheMothBlanche'sChairontheMoon,ThePokerNightCouldyoutrytofigureouthowappropriatethesetitlesareafteryouseethemovie?AllegoricNamesBlancheisbroughtuponBelleRevethefamilyplantationwhichmeansbeautifulDreamsinFrench;HersisterlivesinaslumareainNewOrleansnamedElysianFields,whichinGreekmytologymeansfinalrestingplacefortheblessedchosenbythegods.BlanchehastotakeastreetcarnamedDesireandpassCememtaries,aroad.Questioins–AStreetcar