20 TH
CENTURY DRAMA
In this century, American theatre knew a brilliant and new start; it became
an art. In the past eras, 18th and 19th American theatres were not well
integrated into the national life. The situation of the New World can
explain such a decline. Because the country was building a new nation, the
arts had little room compared to other tasks.
This part of the century can be divided into three parts; before 1920, small
theatrical groups of amateurs were inclined to try a new kind of play, the
shorter and the simpler, the better—relevant groups like the Washington
Square players, Princetown players. The latter performed O'Neill's Bound
East for Cardiff in 1916. This marked the beginning of a new era of the
theatre of this country. New themes were created taken from the field of
social problems and psychoanalysis, that give birth to styles related to
expressionism and radical realism. Another prominent factor was the
opening of Dramatic Arts, department in American Universities since 1913.
Eugene O'Neill was the first representative of the American theatre. He did
great deals to establish modes of theatre for ensuing generations. One of his
features was the combination of drab prose realism and boldly inventive
expressionist technique. In 1930, Theatres had economic difficulties and
were tackling social problems to give the American society remedies of
hope and pride. Some playwrights opted for lefties or communist solutions.
Many brought new methods of acting from Russia. The Stanislavski
System was highly accepted and practiced in American stages. Relevant
groups were Theatre Guild, The Provincetown Players, and the new
playwrights' group. After the big depression, there were groups such as
Theatre Union, the Federal Theatre Project, the Labor Stage, the Theatre of
Action, and the Group Theatre.
From 1940-1960, these years were considered the wealthiest era in
American theatre and drama. It was a buoyant time for theatrical activities
and production. The period witnessed the performance of O'Neill's last
plays: The Iceman Commeth, Long Day's Journey into Night, A Touch of
the Poet, and Hughie. Arthur Miller began to achieve fame in 1947 with the
production of All my Sons (about a dishonest war-time manufacturer) the
very famous ones were Death of a Salesman (1947), and The Crucible
(1953), among others. Tennessee Williams began a successful career with
The Glass Menagerie, a play in which realism is flecked with poetic and
symbolic touches. 1960 and 1970, playwriters were shocked by essential
events in America; the murder of Kennedy president, Vietnam war, Civil
rights. The techniques from this period were a particular list of sound and
visual effects, silence, street noises, birds twitter, etc. 1890-1990 In
California, David Henry Hwang, of Chinese origin, was battling with the
new forms of racism in the American society. In Chicago, David
MametSam Sheppard is experimenting with new devices in language,
themes, and settings.