The Oxford guide to plays

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Title:

The Oxford guide to plays

Author:

Patterson, Michael.

ISBN:

9780198604181

Personal Author:

Patterson, Michael.

Publication Information:

Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, 2007.

Physical Description:

xxxv, 523 p. ; 20cm.

Series:

Oxford paperback reference

Series Title:

Oxford paperback reference

General Note:

Rev. ed. of: Oxford dictionary of plays. c2005.

Abstract:

"This authoritative guide provides lively accounts of the 1,000 most important, best-known, and most popular plays of world theatre. Invaluable for students and teachers of drama, everyone who loves going to the theatre, and anyone - amateur or professional - who is looking for a play to put on." "Provides a summary of each play's plot, and a commentary on its context and performance history; includes details of setting, genre, authorship, and cast; plays are arranged in A-Z order for accessibility, while a classified contents list helps the reader to find the information they need; appendices include an index of playwrights and an index of major characters."--Back cover.

Subject Term:

Drama -- Dictionaries.

Added Author:

Patterson, Michael. Oxford dictionary of plays.

Electronic Access:

Table of contents only http://www.loc.gov/catdir/toc/ecip0714/2007012671.html

Copies:

Available:*

Library	Material Type	Item Barcode	Shelf Number	Copy	Status
Searching... 1:IIEMSA	1:REF-BOOK	33168025428885	809.2003 P318.O 2007	1	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

Anyone with an academic, professional, amateur, or recreational interest in the theatre is likely to want to look up details of particular plays sometimes - perhaps to check on the author, or on when they were first performed, or perhaps to see how many characters they have, and whether or not they would be suitable for their theatre company or drama group to perform. The Oxford Dictionary of Plays provides essential information on the 1000 best-known, best-loved, and most important plays in world theatre. Each entry includes details of title, author, date of composition, date of first performance, genre, setting, and the composition of the cast, and more. A synopsis of the plot and a brief commentary, perhaps on the context of the play, or the reasons for its enduring popularity, follow. Around 80 of the most significant plays - from The Oresteia to Waiting for Godot - are dealt with in more detail. Genres covered include: burlesque, comedy, farce, historical drama, kabuki, masque, melodrama, morality play, mystery play, No, romantic comedy, tragicomedy, satire, and tragedy. An index of characters enables the reader to locate favourite characters, and trace the trajectory of major historical and legendary characters - such as Iphigenia - through world drama, including in plays that do not have entries in the Dictionary. An index of playwrights, with dates, allows the reader to find all the plays included by a particular author.