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EN 538 Drama Forms

a guide for resources relating to dramatic literature concerning its history, development, and criticism

Featured Author

Thornton Wilder  (1897–1975) is the author of the plays Our Town (1938) and The Skin of Our Teeth (1942).  His major dramas include The Matchmaker and The Alcestiad. The Happy Journey to Trenton and Camden, Pullman Car Hiawatha, and The Long Christmas Dinner are among his well-known shorter plays."

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Focus Scripts:

Modern Drama: 

Contemporary Drama: 

  • Harold Pinter’s Betrayal (1978 – British drama/Reverse chronology form)
  • Caryl Churchill's Cloud Nine (1979 - British seriocomedy/Experimental Theatre)
  • Charles Ludlam's The Mystery of Irma Vep (1984 - satire/Multi-Genre form)
  • Paula Vogel's How I Learned to Drive (1997 - drama/Classical-Modern form
  • John Patrick Shanley's Doubt (2004 - drama/No-Intermission form)
  • Lynn Nottage's By the Way, Meet Vera Stark (2012 - comedy/Transmedia form)

Articles and Books:

Also, check out our print and electronic resources listed below as well as our databases for information that might help you.  

Library Resources

Article: Expressionism in the Twentieth Century American Drama by Norbert Joseph Hruby

Tate: Expressionism

The Art Story: Impressionism 

Tate: Impressionism

Realism in Theatre

Article: The Problem of Realism in American Drama by Jovan Hristić and Maria Shoup

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