Includes bibliographical references (pages 157-166) and index.

Brown lays the foundation for feminist theater, tracing its late appearance to the humanitarian need to give voice to forgotten women. She discusses 11 plays by both male and female playwrights (Norman, Shange, Rabe, and Wagner, among others) which have been commercially successful. She includes plot summaries that serve as introduction to the plays for a theatrical neophyte, and as guides to their subtleties for a more experienced reader/theatergoer. Brown includes reviews from sources like The New York Times, as well as comments from feminist critics. Brown reinforces the themes of the drama in question and stresses the role of emergent feminist theater as "observant of society." She anticipates that the next step for commercially successful pieces she has spotlighted will be film. ISBN 0-8108-2448-5: $22.50.

Also issued online.

SACFinal081324