Dramatic Literature

I have several, but I'll wait and give others a chance to post their favorites.

Still waiting...

Picking one is tough! Tom Stoppard, Edward Albee, Horton Foote, Caryl Churchill are among my favorites. Who do you like New Haven?

arthur miller

Tennessee Williams
William Inge
Arthur Miller
Neil Simon
to name a few.

Of living playwrights, I'd have to put Tom Stoppard (from whom I took my signature) at the top of my list. I've been dazzled by his verbal dexterity ever since I saw Rosencrantz and Guildernstern Are Dead when I was 18, and I love the fact that his verbal dexterity hasn't gotten any less brilliant as the subjects of his plays have become more serious.

Next on my list would be two unrelated playwrights with the same last name: August Wilson and Lanford Wilson. I like August Wilson because he's a born storyteller, and Lanford Wilson because of the humanity he gives to all his characters. There are good guys and bad guys in his plays, but the bad guys are never complete villains, and the good guys have more than their share of flaws.

I also have to mention Brian Friel and Wendy Wasserstein because they've both written plays I've loved (Aristocrats for Friel, and Uncommon Women and Others for Wasserstein), even though they've both also written plays that I've been disappointed in (Give Me Your Answer, Do! for Friel and An American Daughter for Wasserstein).

I'm sure I'm forgetting someone, but I'll be back if I think of anyone else. I've mentioned only living playwrights, but if you want no-longer-living playwrights, I could name a few of them, too.

For starters:

Eugene O'Neil
Tennessee Williams
Lorraine Hansberry

Harold Pinter.
Sam Shepard

All are excellent choices.