A.R. Gurney : a casebook / edited by Arvid F. Sponberg.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Sponberg, Arvid F.

Series:

Casebooks on modern dramatists

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Gurney, A. R. (Albert Ramsdell), 1930-2017--Criticism and interpretation.

Gurney, A. R.

Gurney, A. R. (Albert Ramsdell), 1930-2017.

Criticism and interpretation.

Physical Description:

xvi, 232 pages ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

New York : Routledge, 2004.

Summary:

A. R. Gurney has written over thirty plays, including many standards in the repertoire of American theater. The Dining Room, Love Letters, The Cocktail Hour, and Sylvia, among others, delight audiences across the U.S. and around the world. His plays keep us laughing, even as they offer keen insights into American life. Inspired by Gurney's artistic vision, this unprecedented collection invites the reader into "the community of the play" -- a collaborative forum comprised of actors, directors, playwrights, theatergoers, scholars, and critics. Selections include an opening interview with Gurney exploring his life and creative process, followed by discussions with actors John Cunningham, Debra Mooney, and Holland Taylor and noted stage director John Tillinger, who illuminate Gurney's craft from a performance perspective. The focus then shifts to original essays by prominent scholars who analyze Gurney's achievements in the context of American theater and culture. The casebook concludes with a selection of articles by Gurney drawn from important newspapers and periodicals that reveal his superb wit and engaging reflections on contemporary theater. Gurney's is the first among many voices featured in this entertaining collection, which addresses all readers who support and appreciate the theatrical community.

Contents:

Pt. 1. Interviews. An interview with A.R. Gurney ; An interview with John Cunningham ; An interview with Holland Taylor ; An interview with Debra Mooney; An interview with John Tillinger

Pt. 2. Essays. Indeterminacy as tragic fate : issues of race, class, gender, and sexual orientation in Gurney / Mark William Rocha ; Where does the WASP keep its sting? : the dynamics of anger in the plays of A.R. Gurney / Ervene Gulley ; The dining room : a Tocquevillian take on the decline of WASP culture / Bruce McConachie ; What I did last summer : realizing one's potential / Laura Miller ; Absent fathers, transient sons : Miller, Inge, and Gurney / Arvid F. Sponberg ; Entering the fourth dimension : A.R. Gurney's Sweet Sue / Brenda Gordon ; The allusive A.R. Gurney / Brenda Murphy ; Gurney's Sylvia : what oft was thought / JoAllen Bradham ; Picnics and parties : Inge, Gurney, and The argument of comedy / Arvid F. Sponberg

Pt. 3. Articles by A.R. Gurney. A sacred place ; Pushing the walls of dramatic form ; The dinner party ; Conversation piece ; Critical condition ; When the final act is only a beginning ; Shaw, the eternal schoolmaster, can still be wise ; Coming home to a musical that sounds like America ; High time for comedy (and political outrage).

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

"A bibliography of A.R. Gurney's works": pages 213-218.

ISBN:

0415929989

OCLC:

51892663