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"Analyzing the work of 7 American playwrights whose careers began in the present century, each chapter of this book focuses on a different playwright: David Adjmi, Julia Cho, Jackie Sibblies Drury, Will Eno, Martyna Majok, Dominique Morisseau and Anna Ziegler. In addition to covering all their works, and providing a sense of their critical reception, Bigsby also includes brand new interviews with the playwrights themselves, and exclusive discussions of unpublished works, the texts having been supplied by the authors. Bigsby argues that the diverse range of racial, religious, gendered, and, in several instances, immigrant backgrounds from which these playwrights come means that they all see America from a different perspective. These playwrights differ in their styles but share an interest in identity, as well as a desire to break the fourth wall, often seeing the audience as intimately involved with the work on stage. Their careers have all advanced through development, staged readings, and small venues to major stages, and they have picked up many awards along the way (including Pulitzers, Obies and in one case a McArthur 'Genius Grant'). The book, therefore, is in part an account of how North American theatre works from the point of view of those who commit to the challenging task of making their living by writing for it. At a time when, as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, theatre has been under greater pressure than ever, it is a reminder of what a present tense art has to offer, as it holds a mirror up to a society ever concerned with its own sense of itself in a changing world"--
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