Summer of the Seventeenth Doll by Ray Lawler

$23.99 AUD

Category: Plays

Every summer Roo and Barney have come down from their work in the Queensland canefields to the Carlton house they share with Olive and Nancy for an annual celebration of love and laughter. But this year Nancy has deserted the house to get married, and Pearl has taken her place... Ray Lawler's brawny can ecutters, and their long-standing seasonal romance with two Melbourne barmaids, are now part of Australian legend. Summer of the Seventeenth Doll is one of the pillars of our national theatre; with its premi re in 1955, it is said Australian playwriting came of age. In this new edition it's clear The Doll still speaks to us today. Coming through in print and on stage as what it has been always-one of our works of literature most closely identified with the Australian character. ...Show more

Twelve Angry Men by Reginald Rose

$29.99 AUD

Category: Plays | Series: Methuen Modern Plays Ser.

'New York, summer 1954 Criminal Courts Building A man is dead The life of another is at stake A guilty verdict seems a foregone conclusion. But one member of the jury has the will to probe more deeply into the evidence and the courage to confront the ignorance and the prejudice of some of his fellow jur ors. The conflict which follows is fierce and passionate, cutting straight to the heart of the issues of civil liberties and social justice. This edition was published to coincide with the new production directed by Harold Pinter which opened in the West End in 1996.' ...Show more

Medea and Other Plays : Medea/ Alcestis/The Children of Heracles/ Hippolytus - Euripides - Translated by John Davie - Penguin Classics by Eurípides; John Davie (Translator); Richard Rutherford (Introduction by, Notes by)

$14.99 AUD

Category: Plays | Series: Penguin Classics Ser.

Four plays which exemplify his interest in flawed, characters who defy the expectations of Greek society The four tragedies collected in this volume all focus on a central character, once powerful, brought down by betrayal, jealousy, guilt and hatred. The first playwright to depict suffering without ref erence to the gods, Euripides made his characters speak in human terms and face the consequences of their actions. In Medea, a woman rejected by her lover takes hideous revenge by murdering the children they both love, and Hecabe depicts the former queen of Troy, driven mad by the prospect of her daughter's sacrifice to Achilles. Electra portrays a young woman planning to avenge the brutal death of her father at the hands of her mother, while in Heracles the hero seeks vengeance against the evil king who has caused bloodshed in his family. Philip Vellacott's lucid translation is accompanied by an introduction, which discusses the literary background of Classical Athens and examines the distinction between instinctive and civilized behaviour. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators. ...Show more

The Crucible (Penguin Modern Classics) by Arthur Miller

$19.99 AUD

Category: Plays

"The Crucible" is a 1952 play by the American playwright Arthur Miller. It is a dramatization of the Salem witch trials that took place in the Province of Massachusetts Bay during 1692 and 1693. Miller wrote the play as an allegory of McCarthyism, when the US government blacklisted accused communists. M iller himself was questioned by the House of Representatives' Committee on Un-American Activities in 1956 and convicted of "contempt of Congress" for refusing to identify others present at meetings he had attended. It was first performed at the Martin Beck Theater on Broadway on January 22, 1953. Miller felt that this production was too stylized and cold and the reviews for it were largely hostile (although The New York Times noted "a powerful play in a driving performance"). Nonetheless, the production won the 1953 "Best Play" Tony Award. A year later a new production succeeded and the play became a classic. It is a central work in the canon of American drama.Fuji Books' edition of "The Crucible" contains supplementary texts:* "Tragedy And The Common Man", an essay by Arthur Miller.* Excerpts from Nathaniel Hawthorne's magnus opus "The Scarlet Letter", a narrative of the Salem Witch trials.* A few selected quotes of Arthur Miller. ...Show more

Macbeth by William Shakespeare

$7.99 AUD

Category: Plays | Series: Wordsworth Classics

Macbeth is one of Shakespeare's four great tragedies, encompassing witchcraft, bloody murder, ghostly apparitions as well as high poetry, blended in such a way as to demonstrate the assured dramatic touch of Shakespeare's maturity. Macbeth's tragedy is that of a good, brave and honourable man turned int o the personification of evil by the workings of unreasonable ambition. It was a lesson lost on King James I & VI, for whom the play was written. ...Show more

Cloud Nine by Caryl Churchill

$21.99 AUD

Category: Plays | Series: NHB Modern Plays Ser.

A landmark play about sexual politics in colonial Africa and modern-day Britain, in which all our assumptions about sex and gender are stunningly exploded. Set in both colonial Africa and modern-day Britain, Cloud Nine is about relationships - between women and men, men and men, women and women. It is about sex, work, mothers, Africa, power, children, grandmothers, politics, and money. Caryl Churchill's play Cloud Nine was first staged by Joint Stock and premiered in London at the Royal Court Theatre in 1979. It has since been staged all over the world. ...Show more

Henry V - No Fear Shakespeare by William Shakespeare; John Crowther, ed.

$11.99 AUD

Category: Plays | Series: No Fear Shakespeare

No Fear Shakespeare gives you the complete text of Henry V on the left-hand page, side-by-side with an easy-to-understand translation on the right. Each No Fear Shakespeare contains •The complete text of the original play •A line-by-line translation that puts Shakespeare into everyday language •A comple te list of characters with descriptions •Plenty of helpful commentary ...Show more

Shakespeare's Tragedies by William Shakespeare

$29.99 AUD

Category: Plays

The Merchant of Venice : The Oxford Shakespeare by William Shakespeare

$16.95 AUD

Category: Plays | Series: Oxford World's Classics

What was Shakespeare's attitude to Semitism? The Introduction to this edition of The Merchant of Venice opens by addressing this vital issue raised by the play, and goes on to study the sources, background, and date, includuing a discussion of Sigmund Freud's essay on 'The Three Caskets'. Professor Hal io interprets the play's contradictions, inconsistencies, and complementarities, especially as these relate to the overarching theme of bonds and bondage. A survey of the play's stage history ranges from discussions of its early staging to important twentieth-century productions and performances outside England, particularly in Israel. The text, based on a fresh examination of the early editions, is presented in modernized spelling and punctuation. Unfailingly lucid and helpful, this is an ideal edition for students, actors, and the general reader. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more. ...Show more

The Theban Plays: King Oedipus, Oedipus at Colonus, Antigone by Sophocles; E. F. Watling (Translator, Introduction by)

$14.99 AUD

Category: Plays | Series: Classics Ser.

The legends surrounding Oedipus of Thebes and his ill-fated offspring provide the subject matter for Sophocles' three greatest plays, which together represent Greek drama at the pinnacle of its achievement. Oedipus the King, the most famous of the three, has been characterized by critics from Aristotle to Coleridge as the perfect exemplar of the art of tragedy, in its unforgettable portrayal of a man's failed attempt to escape his fate. In Oedipus at Colonus, the blind king finds his final release from the sufferings the gods have brought upon him, and Antigone completes the downfall of the House of Cadmus through the actions of Oedipus's magnificent and uncompromising daughter defending her ideals to the death. All three of The Theban Plays, while separate, self-contained dramas, draw from the same rich well of myth and showcase Sophocles' enduring power. Translated by David Grene. (Book Jacket Status: Jacketed) ...Show more

Henry IV: Parts 1 & 2 by William Shakespeare

$7.99 AUD

Category: Plays | Series: Wordsworth Classics

In Henry IV, Part 1, the King is in a doubly ironic position. His rebellion against Richard II was successful, but now he himself is beset by rebels, led by the charismatic Harry Hotspur. The King's son, Prince Hal, seems to be more concerned with the pleasures of the tavern world and the company of the fat rogue, Falstaff, than with concerns of state. Eventually, however, Hal proves a courageous foe of the rebels. This history play is lively in its interplay of political intrigue and boisterous comedy, subtle in the connections between high statecraft and low craftiness, exuberant in its range of vivid characters, and memorable in its thematic concern with honour, loyalty and the quest for power. In Henry IV, Part 2, the King is ailing, Falstaff is ageing, and the kingdom itself, where rebellion is still rife, seems diseased or debilitated. The comedy has a melancholy undertone, and the politics verge on the Machiavellian. Eventually, the resourceful Hal, inheriting the crown as Henry V, must prove that he can uphold justice in the realm. Here Shakespeare demonstrates a mastery of thematic complexity and subtlety, and shows the price in human terms that may be exacted by political success. ...Show more

Plays : Ivanov / The Seagull / Uncle Vanya / Three Sisters / TheCherry Orchard by Anton Chekov; Peter Carson (Translator, Notes by); Richard Gilman (Introduction by, Foreword by)

$14.99 AUD

Category: Plays | Series: Classics Ser.

Five masterful dramatic works from one of the world's best-loved playwrights, including The Seagull--now a major motion picture starring Saoirse Ronan, Elizabeth Moss, and Annette Bening At a time when the Russian theatre was dominated by formulaic melodramas and farces, Chekhov created a new sort of drama that laid bare the everyday lives, loves and yearnings of ordinary people. Ivanov depicts a man stifled by inactivity and lost idealism, and The Seagull contrasts a young man's selfish romanticism with the stoicism of a woman cruelly abandoned by her lover. With 'the scenes from country life' of Uncle Vanya, his first fully mature play, Chekhov developed his own unique dramatic world, neither tragedy nor comedy. In Three Sisters the Prozorov sisters endlessly dream of going to Moscow to escape the monotony of provincial life, while his comedy The Cherry Orchard portrays characters futilely clinging to the past as their land is sold from underneath them. In this edition Peter Carson's moving translations convey Chekhov's subtle blend of comedy, tragedy and psychological insight, while Richard Gilman's introduction examines how Chekhov broke with theatrical conventions and discusses each play in detail.  For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators. ...Show more