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Family Trilogy
The ''Family Trilogy'' is a trio of plays by American playwright Sam Shepard. It includes '' Curse of the Starving Class'' (1976), '' Buried Child'' (1979), and '' True West'' (1980).Simard, Rodney. “American Gothic: Sam Shepard's Family Trilogy.” ''Theatre Annual'' 41 (1986): 21-36. Journalist John O'Mahony called Shepard's trilogy "arguably his greatest achievement."O'Mahony, John (10 October 2003)The write stuff.''The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...'' Some critics consider the three plays part of a quintet which also includes '' Fool for Love'' (1983) and '' A Lie of the Mind'' (1985).Roudané, Matthew (2002). ''The Cambridge Companion to Sam Shepard.'' Cambridge University Press, References {{Sam Shepard Plays by Sam Shepard Plays set in t ...
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Play (theatre)
A play is a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between Character (arts), characters and is intended for theatre, theatrical performance rather than mere Reading (process), reading. The creator of a play is known as a playwright. Plays are staged at various levels, ranging from London's West End theatre, West End and New York City's Broadway theatre, Broadway – the highest echelons of commercial theatre in the English-speaking world – to Regional theater in the United States, regional theatre, community theatre, and academic productions at universities and schools. A stage play is specifically crafted for performance on stage, distinct from works meant for broadcast or cinematic adaptation. They are presented on a stage before a live audience. Some dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, have shown little preference for whether their plays are performed or read. The term "play" encompasses the written texts of playwrights and their complete theatrical renditio ...
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Sam Shepard
Samuel Shepard Rogers III (November 5, 1943 – July 27, 2017) was an American playwright, actor, director, screenwriter, and author whose career spanned half a century. He wrote 58 plays as well as several books of short stories, essays, and memoirs. He won 10 Obie Awards for writing and directing, the most by any writer or director. Shepard received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1979 for his play ''Buried Child'' and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of pilot Chuck Yeager in the 1983 film ''The Right Stuff (film), The Right Stuff''. He received the PEN/Laura Pels Theater Award as a master American dramatist in 2009. ''New York (magazine), New York'' magazine described Shepard as "the greatest American playwright of his generation." Shepard's plays are known for their bleak, poetic, surrealist elements, black comedy, and rootless characters living on the outskirts of American society. His style evolved from the absurdism of hi ...
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Curse Of The Starving Class
''Curse of the Starving Class'' is a play by Sam Shepard, considered the first of a series on family tragedies. Some critics consider it part of a Family Trilogy that includes '' Buried Child'' (1979) and '' True West'' (1980). Others consider it part of a quintet that includes '' Fool for Love'' (1983) and '' A Lie of the Mind'' (1985). The play was commissioned by Joseph Papp and was premiered in London in 1977 before playing at Papp's New York Shakespeare Festival in 1978. Production history The play was initially produced in London at the Royal Court Theatre on April 21, 1977, directed by Nancy Meckler. The play was commissioned by Joseph Papp. ''Curse of the Starving Class'' was premiered Off-Broadway at the New York Shakespeare Festival, on March 2, 1978, presented by Papp. It closed on April 9, 1978. The cast was as follows: * Wesley – Ebbe Roe Smith * Ella – Olympia Dukakis * Emma – Pamela Reed * Taylor – Kenneth Welsh * Weston – James Gammon * Ellis – ...
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Buried Child
''Buried Child'' is a play written by Sam Shepard that was first presented in 1978. It won the 1979 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and launched Shepard to national fame as a playwright. The play depicts the fragmentation of the American nuclear family in a context of disappointment and disillusionment with American mythology and the American Dream, the 1970s rural economic slowdown, and the breakdown of traditional family structures and values. In 1979, Shepard also won the Obie Award for Playwriting. The Broadway revival in 1996 received five Tony nominations, including Best Play. Plot summary Act I In an old farmhouse on a failed plot of land in Illinois, the characters Dodge (in his 70s) and Halie (in her 60s), an old married couple, are introduced. The scene begins with the couple having a conversation with one another, discussing events of their past. Halie is not visible in the scene as she is yelling from upstairs, while Dodge is sitting on the basement sofa. He occasionally ...
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True West (play)
''True West'' is a play by the American playwright Sam Shepard, which follows the sibling rivalry between estranged brothers Austin and Lee, who have reconnected. It is set in California, about 20 miles outside of Los Angeles in the foothills of the San Gabriel Valley, at their mother's home. It is known for its exploration of themes such as family dynamics, identity, and the American Dream. The play revolves around the volatile relationship between two brothers, Lee and Austin, as they navigate their contrasting lifestyles and aspirations while staying in their mother's house. Shephard's writing in ''True West'' is characterized by its raw, gritty realism, as well as its dark humor and psychological depth. The play also deals with the portrayal of sibling rivalry and the complexities of masculinity and is considered a staple of contemporary theater. The play was first produced on Off-Broadway at The Public Theatre with Tommy Lee Jones and Peter Boyle. It ran at the Steppen ...
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The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Guardian Media Group, owned by the Scott Trust Limited. The trust was created in 1936 to "secure the financial and editorial independence of ''The Guardian'' in perpetuity and to safeguard the journalistic freedom and liberal values of ''The Guardian'' free from commercial or political interference". The trust was converted into a limited company in 2008, with a constitution written so as to maintain for ''The Guardian'' the same protections as were built into the structure of the Scott Trust by its creators. Profits are reinvested in its journalism rather than distributed to owners or shareholders. It is considered a newspaper of record in the UK. The editor-in-chief Katharine Viner succeeded Alan Rusbridger in 2015. S ...
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Fool For Love (play)
''Fool for Love'' is a play written by American playwright and actor Sam Shepard. The play focuses on May and Eddie, former lovers who have met again in a motel in the desert. The play premiered in 1983 at the Magic Theatre in San Francisco, where Shepard was the playwright-in-residence. The play was a finalist for the 1984 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The play is part of a quintet which includes Shepard's Family Trilogy: ''Curse of the Starving Class'' (1977), ''Buried Child'' (1979), and '' True West'' (1980). The quintet concludes with ''Fool for Love'' and ''A Lie of the Mind'' (1985).Roudané, Matthew (2002). ''The Cambridge Companion to Sam Shepard.'' Cambridge University Press, Plot The "fools" in the play are battling lovers at a run-down Mojave Desert motel. May is staying at the motel when an old flame, Eddie, shows up. Eddie tries to convince May to come back to him and live in a trailer on a farm in Wyoming that Eddie has always wanted to buy and where he has always im ...
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A Lie Of The Mind
''A Lie of the Mind'' is a play written by Sam Shepard, first staged at the off-Broadway Promenade Theater on 5 December 1985. The play was directed by Shepard himself with stars Harvey Keitel as Jake, Amanda Plummer as Beth, Aidan Quinn as Frankie, Geraldine Page as Lorraine, and Will Patton as Mike. The music was composed and played by the North Carolina bluegrass group the Red Clay Ramblers. Some critics consider the play the conclusion of a quintet that includes Shepard's Family Trilogy: ''Curse of the Starving Class'' (1976), '' Buried Child'' (1979), and '' True West'' (1980), plus '' Fool for Love'' (1983).Roudané, Matthew (2002). ''The Cambridge Companion to Sam Shepard.'' Cambridge University Press, Plot synopsis Told in three acts set in Montana and California, the story alternates between two families after a severe incident of spousal abuse leaves all their lives altered until the final collision at an isolated cabin. The two families are linked by the marriage o ...
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Plays By Sam Shepard
Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * Play Mobile, a Polish internet provider * Xperia Play, an Android phone * Rakuten.co.uk (formerly Play.com), an online retailer * Backlash (engineering), or ''play'', non-reversible part of movement * Petroleum play, oil fields with same geological circumstances * Play symbol, in media control devices * Play (hacker group), a ransomware extortion group Concert residencies and tours * Play Tour, concert tour headlined by Spanish singer Aitana * Play (concert residency), 2022 Katy Perry concert residency Film * ''Play'' (2005 film), Chilean film directed by Alicia Scherson * ''Play'', a 2009 short film directed by David Kaplan * ''Play'' (2011 film), a Swedish film directed by Ruben Östlund * ''Play!'', a Japanese film directed by T ...
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