Constituting the first comprehensive look at Ruth Maleczech's work, Jessica Brater's companion is a landmark study in innovative theatre practice, bringing together biography, critical analysis, and original interviews to establish a portrait of this Obie-award winning theatre artist. Tracing Maleczech's background, training, and influences, the volume contextualizes her work and the founding of Mabou Mines within the wider landscape of American avant-garde theatre. It considers her performances and productions, revealing both her interest in making ordinary women important onstage, and her predilection for resurrecting extraordinary women from history and finding their resonances within a contemporary theatrical context. Brater considers Maleczech's investment in redrawing the boundaries of what women are allowed to say, both on stage and off, and shows how her commitment to radical artistic and production risks has reshaped the contours of a contemporary theatrical experience. Highlights of the volume include discussion of productions such as Mabou Mines' Lear, Dead End Kids, Hajj, Lucia's Chapters of Coming Forth by Day, Red Beads, and La Divina Caricatura, as well as a close look at Maleczech's final work-in-progress, Imagining the Imaginary Invalid.

A founding member of the acclaimed New York-based company Mabou Mines, Breuer's gifts as a writer and director have have made him a mainstay of the theatrical avant-garde.

This book draws critical attention to Ruth Maleczech, one of the major artists of the theatrical avant-garde, and Mabou Mines, the acclaimed New York theatre company of which she was co-founder, director, performer, and manager.

THE STORY: Myrtle Bledsoe, a ninety-year-old Texas widow, looks back on the dramatic events that caused a small Southern town, and her own relationships, incredible strife. This almost-monologue by American master Horton Foote is a haunting tale of how men and women, blacks and whites, rich and poor are all entangled in the chaos of life.

In addition to the listed contents, includes an essay and five poems.

The first 10 years of a company known for its creative collaborations and daring innovations