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Rating: Summary: A good collection of 70s plays which still work today. Review: This is a collection of plays that Van Itallie developed while working with the Open Theatre in the mid-70s. They are great examples of how a playwright and a group of able actors can develop something of value through collaboration and improvisation. The plays are often satarical looks at American culture.They are also valuable because they employ several unconventional staging techniques, and present several interesting acting challenges. As a theatre professor, I have often encouraged my students to use scenes and monologues from these plays. They leave a lot of room for interpretation, and for inventive staging. Reading alone does not convey their full value. On the page they seem a little nostalgic, that their appeal is to remind us of a theatre era long past. But on stage they have the same vitality and theatrical appeal that made them successful 20 years ago. (I saw a recent production of The Fable at Virginia COmmonwealth University which was quite accessible, and still enjoyable.)
Rating: Summary: Society take notice... Review: This past year, my high school drama group and I performed "Interview" from America Hurrah. It was an amazing experience. Since then, we have taken it upon ourselves to learn as much of Van Itallie's plays as we can handle-none of them are easy. I found this book, which not only displays several of Van Itallie's plays but includes a few of his ideas on what true theatre should be. His plays, collaborations, and acting experiences are all brought to life in this book. There's even a letter written by Itallie to an acting company who attempted to perform his plays but ended up butchering them.The plays in this book were written during the sixties and seventies, but they are entirely relevant today in a new millennial society full of materialism and focus on objects. They include the entire, original AMERICA HURRAH: a trilogic take on society in love, work, and play. THE SERPENT, an examination of our sins: when the forbidden fruit is eaten, an entire bag of apples is toppled out on stage to be shared with the audience to revel in ecstasy with those on stage. A few more experimental plays finish out the book. Van Itallie truly is a theatrical genius of improvisation and experimental open theatre. I urge anyone interested in the theatre to take a look of these revolutionary plays. Warning though: it's hard to stop reading them.
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