Although American women playwrights have traditionally found it difficult to get their work produced in major venues, their plays have nonetheless been extremely influential, both on other playwrights and on our culture generally. In this SDG, we will read twelve of their most powerful plays, in chronological order, beginning with Lorraine Hansberry and ending with Suzan-Lori Parks, Martyna Majok and Quiara Alegria Hudes. These plays deal with the full range of female experience, from domestic violence, addiction, sexism, racism, homophobia, pedophilia, and genital mutilation to motherhood, sisterhood (and brotherhood), female friendships and the construction of female agency.
1. Lorraine Hansberry, A Raisin in the Sun
2. Lillian Hellman, The Children's Hour
3. Ntozake Shange, For Colored Girls who have considered suicide/ when the rainbow is enough
4. Wendy Wasserstein, The Heidi Chronicles
5. Paula Vogel, How I Learned to Drive
6. Marsha Norman, 'Night Mother
7. Beth Henley, Crimes of the Heart
8. Lynn Nottage, Ruined
9. Suzan-Lori Parks, Topdog / Underdog
10. Annie Baker, Circle, Mirror, Transformation
11. Martyna Majok, Cost of Living
12. Quiara Alegria Hudes, Water by the Spoonful
Core Books: Copies of each of these plays are available, new and used, from Amazon, AbeBooks, E-bay, Hoopla and other local libraries.
Bibliography
The Cambridge Companion to American Women Playwrights, ed. Brenda Murphy