Arjun Raina- Nine Contemporary Plays with stories from India, and the diaspora in Austria and Australia. This is the first-ever anthology of plays by a South Asian playwright and actor Arjun Raina. Arjun’s plays have been commissioned by, and performed at some of the finest theatre festivals of Europe, including the Zurich Specktakel, the Vienna Festwochen, Linz 09, the Bharat Rang Mahotsav, and the International theatre festival of Kerala. It encompasses a two-decade-long theatrical exploration of the lives of contemporary Indians, both in the home country, and in the diaspora of Austria and Australia. The works are a chronicle and critique of political, and contemporary social relationships in South Asia and the diaspora. The collection is bookended by plays concerned with two cataclysmic world events. The terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre which is the backdrop for the first play, A Terrible Beauty is Born. Camp Darwin, the second last play in the anthology evokes a life lived in an Australian Quarantine Centre, during the present Coronavirus Pandemic. From the phenomenon of International Call Centres in India, to the political and economic fallout of a fast globalising India as played out over the bodies of its citizens, to the rise of Hindu Nationalism. Also the emotional trauma of Indian migrants in Austria, to issues of race and prejudice as experienced by the Indian Hawkers in 19th Century Australia. The authors own experience as a new migrant to Australia, the plays chronicle and critique the steady rise and increasing presence of South Asian/ Indian characters on the contemporary global creative consciousness. These Indian characters engage with American, Austrian, and Australian characters making for diverse and inclusive casts.

Jewish theatre—plays about and usually by Jews—enters the twenty-first century with a long and distinguished history. To keep this vibrant tradition alive, the National Foundation for Jewish Culture established the New Play Commissions in Jewish Theatre in 1994. The commissions are awarded in an annual competition. Their goal is to help emerging and established dramatists develop new works in collaboration with a wide variety of theatres. Since its inception, the New Play Commissions has contributed support to more than seventy-five professional productions, staged readings, and workshops. This anthology brings together nine commissioned plays that have gone on to full production. Ellen Schiff and Michael Posnick have selected works that reflect many of the historical and social forces that have shaped contemporary Jewish experience and defined Jewish identity—among them, surviving the Holocaust, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the lives of newcomers in America, Israel, and Argentina. Following a foreword by Theodore Bikel, the editors provide introductory explanations of the New Play Commissions and an overview of Jewish theatre. The playwrights comment on the genesis of their work and its production history.

Contains the scripts of nine significant plays of the modern theater, written between 1944 and 1975 by playwrights including Harold Pinter, Bertolt Brecht, Samuel Beckett, Friedrich Durrenmatt, Jean Genet, Eugene Ionesco, Slawomir Mrozek, Tom Stoppard, and David Mamet.

Contemporary Plays from Iraq is a ground-breaking collection of Middle Eastern drama translated into English for the very first time. With works from both established and emerging male and female playwrights, written in country and in exile, this volume offers current Iraqi perspectives on a war and occupation that have significantly impacted the Middle East and the rest of the world. Dealing exclusively with contemporary plays originating from Iraq, this anthology gives under-studied Arabic political theatre the attention it deserves and provides a general introduction that sets the plays within their cultural and historical contexts. The plays are preceded by introductions from the playwrights themselves, further enriching each piece for the enjoyment and understanding of the reader. The volume is introduced and translated by James Al-Shamma, Assistant Professor at Belmont University, US, and A. Al-Azraki, an Iraqi playwright.

Here are six plays that stand as landmarks of the modern drama: Chekhov’s THREE SISTERS repeats, in terms of a handful of people, the spasms of a dying society. Isben’s THE MASTER BUILDER is the tragedy of the modern romantic, caught between desire and reality. Shaw’s MRS. WARREN’S PROFESSION shocked England and America; this play was the first honest attempt in our era to deal with prostitution. O’Casey’s RED ROSES FOR ME is about a Protestant worker of Dublin who is a symbol of the ravaging conflicts in Ireland—and in man. Williams’s THE GLASS MENAGERIE is a tender, despairing portrait of two women, one lost in the past, the other in herself. Miller’s ALL MY SONS is a biting though compassionate, indictment of success through moral betrayal. We call these plays “modern.” But the they are high art, and are written with devotion to truth, and those two qualities have already made them timeless.

This Student Edition of Brecht's classic dramatisation of the conflict over possession of a child features an extensive introduction and commentary that includes a plot summary, discussion of the context, themes, characters, style and language as well as questions for further study and notes on words and phrases in the text. It is the perfect edition for students of theatre and literature. Brecht projects an ancient Chinese story onto a realistic setting in Soviet Georgia. In a theme that echoes the Judgment of Solomon, two women argue over the possession of a child; thanks to the unruly judge, Azdak (one of Brecht's most vivid creations) natural justice is done and the peasant Grusha keeps the child she loves, even though she is not its mother. Written in exile in the United States during the Second World War, The Caucasian Chalk Circle is a politically-charged, much-revived and complex example of Brecht's epic theatre. This volume contains expert notes on the author's life and work, historical and political background to the play, photographs from stage productions and a glossary of difficult words and phrases. It features the acclaimed translation by James and Tania Stern with W. H. Auden.

Artist's Way-inspired teacher and acclaimed workshop leader Jill Badonsky shows how to unblock creativity and awaken the muses of imagination and inspiration in this unique guide to self-expression. Meet Spills, Bea Silly, Albert, and Marge. No, they aren't TV's latest cartoon characters. They're just a few of the new and improved Muses. Combining the whimsical and spiritual appeal of Sark with the concrete step-by-step approach of The Artist's Way, The Nine Modern Day Muses (and a Bodyguard)presents a fresh approach toward accessing your creativity, and is designed specifically for our frazzled and time-sensitive era. Creativity coach Jill Badonsky takes the nine classical Greek Muses and updates them for our time. Along with a little help from their no-nonsense bodyguard, Arnold, they personify ten principles designed to overcome creative blocks and embrace the wonders of self-expression. Meet Aha-Phrodite, the inspired Muse of paying attention to possibility and new ideas. And Audacity, the uninhibited Muse of the courage to take risks. Lull gives you permission to let go of the process and take a break; Marge brings common sense and a call to action; while nurturing Muse Song sings your praises. Arnold acts as protection against such intruders as discouragement, creativity blocks, and mindless TV. With these and other encouraging, supportive, and practical Muses as your guides, you'll discover how to view your talents and creative potential in a positive light, with passion and self assurance. Each Muse will take you on a journey and share with you: o Empowering exercises to awaken creativity o Brainstorming o Muse rituals to inspire faith and confidence o Muse walks o Spiritual affirmations o Quotes from mortals who've been inspired by the Muses o Journaling and much more. This entertaining, inspirational, and practical book is an indispensable handbook for the twenty-first-century seeker.

Rainbow Jews deals with the intersection of gay and Jewish identity in American and Israeli film and theater, from the 1960s to the present. Its main area of interest is the extent to which Jewish creative voices in the performing arts have constructed multidimensional images of, and a welcoming public space for, the gay, lesbian, and transgendered community as a whole. Through a close reading of the texts of numerous American and Israeli plays and films (some famous, but mostly lesser known), the author evaluates some of the key conventions and tropes that have been employed to construct, critique, and reflect the social reality of the connection between Jewishness and gay identity in the United States and Israel. Secondarily, the author explores ways in which gay-Jewish playwrights and filmmakers have assisted the re-evaluation of sexual norms within Judaism over the past three decades, inspiring and reinforcing measures across the spectrum of belief geared towards integrating Jewish members of the GLBT community into the overall Jewish historical narrative.

While a frequently used term, Jewish Theatre has become a contested concept that defies precise definition. Is it theatre by Jews? For Jews? About Jews? Though there are no easy answers for these questions, "Jewish Theatre: A Global View," contributes greatly to the conversation by offering an impressive collection of original essays written by an international cadre of noted scholars from Europe, the United States, and Israel. The essays discuss historical and current texts and performance practices, covering a wide gamut of genres and traditions.