It is time to continue this series about favorite writers, and I do not think I am close to finishing it! I have many ideas in mind about writers and questions about which ones you like.
For this post, I am wondering about playwrights. I have been involved with theater and drama since I was very young. I have been an actor, a director, an acting coach, and I teach drama at college, mainly at the Wescoe School of Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA.
The first of my favorite playwrights begins with the one who is the center of literature, William Shakespeare. I have also been involved with Shakespeare most of my life. I have read his plays many times, and it is difficult to choose the ones I think most important, but I will try. My favorite Shakespeare plays are A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Henry V, and Hamlet.
Arthur Miller, a modernist American playwright, worked in the 20th Century. Among his best plays are Death Of A Salesman, All My Sons, and The Crucible. His work is powerful, and he explores major themes of America and the world.
(By Thebogsideartists – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=43934304)
My third choice is Brian Friel, a playwright who lived from 1929-2015. He emerged as an Irish playwright and became one of the most well known and important writers in the world. Among his plays are Translations, Dancing At Lughnasa, and Philadelphia, Here I Come!
Neil Simon
LikeLiked by 1 person
An excellent choice!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Simon’s a favorite of mine. When I started writing fiction, I kept a copy of his collected works on my bedside table. That book is now dog-eared and worn. No one has a better ear for snappy dialogue.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Mike, that is an excellent suggestion for writers!
LikeLike
In addition to the ones you mentioned, Neil Simon, Tennessee Williams, Eugene O’neill, Arthur Miller, Lorraine Hansberry, and bunch of others I don’t have time to mention. I love stage plays.
LikeLiked by 2 people
They are excellent choices!
LikeLike
So do I! There is nothing like live theater to feel connected to the play.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I would also put Shakespeare on my list of favorite playwrights, with King Lear and The Tempest being my favorites. (I was very taken with Hamlet when I read it in the ninth grade, but when I read it again in college, I completely lost my patience with Hamlet: Get a grip and make up your mind, already!!) Arthur Miller is another favorite and, of course, Tennessee Williams. I have a special place in my heart for Thornton Wilder; I played Sabina in Skin of Our Teeth in high school. I would also add David Mamet for Glengarry Glen Ross.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, all are excellent choices!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Medea speaks for itself. And then there’s Electra, Heracles…..I’ll go with Euripides.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Excellent choice!
LikeLike
Good choices, we all love Shakespeare.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you!
LikeLike
Living in Norway, Henrik Ibsen might not be an unexpected choice.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Good point!
LikeLike
Tracy Letts…. George Bernard Shaw…. Samuel Beckett…. Noel Coward…. geez I can’t stop naming fave playwrights…
LikeLiked by 3 people
Yes, there are so many excellent playwrights!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Eugene O’niell for sure. And he’s always
good for a quote. Like . . .
“Man is born broken.
He lives by mending.
The grace of God is glue”.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Yes, he is, and I continue to have suggestions for many excellent playwrights!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Shakespeare, Miller…and Ibsen…
LikeLiked by 2 people
I should have included Ibsen!
LikeLiked by 2 people
So should I!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Shakespeare of course, but also Arthur Miller, Tennessee Williams, and Samuel Beckett.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes!
LikeLike
Oops I forgot Tom Stoppard and David Mamet.
LikeLiked by 1 person
David ives
LikeLiked by 1 person
Tennessee Williams, Eugene O’Neill, Neil Simon, Arthur Miller, +++++
LikeLiked by 2 people
Excellent choices!
LikeLike
William YellowRobe is Assiniboine. He’s my fave.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you!
LikeLike
You chose wisely!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you!
LikeLike