UW Drama Library Featured Books: Featured Books

Emilia is a rousing reminder of the countless creative women who have been written out of history or have had to fight relentlessly to make themselves heard. The little we know of Emilia Bassano Lanier (1569 - 1645) is that she may have been the Dark Lady of Shakespeare's Sonnets, mistress of Lord Chamberlain, one of the first English female poets to be published, a mother, a teacher who founded a school for women, and radical feminist with North African ancestry. Living at a time when women had such limited opportunities, Emilia Lanier is therefore a fascinating subject for this speculative history. In telling her story, Morgan Lloyd Malcolm represents the stories of women everywhere whose narratives have been written out of history. 

 

 

 

 

 

Eve tells the story of a child raised as a boy, when she knew all along that was wrong. That child grew up to be one of the 10 Outstanding Women in Scotland in 2017. With trans rights again under threat, legendary playwright, performer, father and grandmother Jo Clifford tells a story both gentle and passionate, intimate and political, to remind us that the journey towards our real selves is one we all need to make.

Set in a tiny sewing factory in East L.A., this is the outrageously funny story of five full-figured Mexican-American women who are racing to meet nearly impossible production deadlines in order to keep their tiny factory from going under. And while they work, hiding from the INS (Immigration and Naturalization Service), they talk about their husbands and lovers, their children, and their dreams for the future. The story is told from the point of view of Ana, the youngest among them. Just graduated from high school, Ana dreams of getting out of the barrio and going off to college and becoming a famous writer. Although she needs the money, Ana doesn't like working at the factory and has little respect for the coworkers, who make fun of her ambitions and what they consider her idealistic feminist philosophies. However, Ana keeps coming to her job and chronicling her experiences in a journal. As the summer unfolds, she slowly gains an understanding and appreciation of the work and the women, eventually writing an essay that wins her a journalism fellowship which will take her to New York City. 

Portrayals of Masculinity in Nigerian Plays explores Nigerian people's notions of masculinity as portrayed in twelve Nigerian plays, written by three generations of Nigerian playwrights. She argues that hegemonic masculinity and other forms, which are referred to as "alternative masculinities," exist in traditional Nigerian society. By analyzing plays written by first, second, and third-generation Nigerian playwrights, Onuoha tracks how notions about masculinity have evolved over the years. She discusses the malleability of masculinity by exploring how women manifest qualities associated with masculinity within Nigerian plays. Through a review of critical studies on gender constructions, Onuoha examines not only the negative experiences of women within an African patriarchal system, but also the negative experiences of the men who are also direct or indirect victims of such a system.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Merging the theoretical framework with the practical elements of staging an ancient Greek play, this indispensable guide offers directors and actors an excellent starting point for mounting their production. Considering the conditions of ancient Greek performance and the conventions of the Greek theatre, the book examines large questions, including those related to ancient Greek values, myth and the individual ('characterization'), and the gods and fate - all of which must be taken into consideration when approaching a contemporary production. This practical guide also explores with analysed examples, the issues that today's theatre-makers should consider in order to successfully stage ancient Greek drama.