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House arrest : a search for American character in and around the White House, pa
Smith, Anna Deavere.
Adult Nonfiction PS3569.M465 H68 2004
From Library Journal:
One of theater's most noted monologists-a small clique that includes John Leguizamo-Smith chronicled manifestations of urban rage on both coasts in Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 and Fires in the Mirror, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. The characters in those plays were based on real-life witnesses whom Smith interviewed. This book collects House Arrest, a drama about occupants and employees of the White House who are less residents than prisoners under 24-hour surveillance, and Piano, a story of rage and rape between the classes in Cuba on the eve of the Spanish American War. Like her earlier works, House Arrest incorporates interview materials (including verbal tics) as well as historic texts on Thomas Jefferson, Walt Whitman, and Abraham Lincoln. However, it is made up of 42 speaking parts; the number of actors needed is flexible, and the gender of the characters portrayed need not be matched to the gender of the actors. While the theme may not be a revelation, Smith's skill with words and pacing makes this a compelling drama. Piano, on the other hand, would probably play better than it reads. A strong and sensitive directorial hand, together with an experienced group of actors, would make much of it. Recommended for academic libraries that support theater programs.-Larry Schwartz, Minnesota State Univ. Lib., Moorhead (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Smith, Anna Deavere.
Adult Nonfiction PS3569.M465 H68 2004
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From Library Journal:
One of theater's most noted monologists-a small clique that includes John Leguizamo-Smith chronicled manifestations of urban rage on both coasts in Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 and Fires in the Mirror, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. The characters in those plays were based on real-life witnesses whom Smith interviewed. This book collects House Arrest, a drama about occupants and employees of the White House who are less residents than prisoners under 24-hour surveillance, and Piano, a story of rage and rape between the classes in Cuba on the eve of the Spanish American War. Like her earlier works, House Arrest incorporates interview materials (including verbal tics) as well as historic texts on Thomas Jefferson, Walt Whitman, and Abraham Lincoln. However, it is made up of 42 speaking parts; the number of actors needed is flexible, and the gender of the characters portrayed need not be matched to the gender of the actors. While the theme may not be a revelation, Smith's skill with words and pacing makes this a compelling drama. Piano, on the other hand, would probably play better than it reads. A strong and sensitive directorial hand, together with an experienced group of actors, would make much of it. Recommended for academic libraries that support theater programs.-Larry Schwartz, Minnesota State Univ. Lib., Moorhead (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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