Essential skills practice for better reading and writing

The one-act play stands apart as a distinct art form with some well known writers providing specialist material, among them Bernard Shaw, Tom Stoppard, Harold Pinter, Caryl Churchill. Alan Ayckbourn, Edward Albee and Tennesee Williams. There are also lesser-known writers with plenty of material to offer, yet sourcing one-act plays to perform is notoriously hard. This companion is the first book to survey the work of over 250 playwrights in an illuminating A-Z guide. Multiple styles, nationalities and periods are covered, offering a treasure trove of compelling moments of theatre waiting to be discovered. Guidance on performing and staging one-act plays is also covered as well as essential contact information and where to apply for performance rights. A chapter introducing the history of the one-act play rounds off the title as a definitive guide.

Five One-Act Plays on Ideological Fanaticism By: Marvin Perry, Ph.D. In Marvin Perry’s previous books on modern intellectual history, anti-Semitism, and World War II, it was necessary to discuss why people embraced irrational ideas, myths that fostered fanaticism and ultimately proved dangerous for society and even civilization. In this work, he has attempted to treat these themes within a dramatic setting. The five one-act plays in this volume explore the theme of ideological fanaticism. Three of the plays deal with Nazi Germany, the classic example of this phenomenon. The remaining two plays treat contemporary examples of ideological fanaticism, jihadism, and white supremacy. Perry probes within a dramatic context, the thinking and feelings of Nazis (and their opponents), Islamic jihadists, and white supremacists, true believers propelled to commit and to justify atrocities against people they designate as the “other.” These plays need not be performed, but can simply be read and serve as the basis for discussion.