Gay Drama Now: An Anthology

Clum, professor emeritus of Theater Studies and English, edited this collection of seven contemporary American plays (six of them by gay playwrights) that depict the lives of gay men in the years before gay liberation and in our own time.

The plays deal with larger sociopolitical issues: racism, war, immigration, unemployment and same-sex marriage. They also dramatize experiences common to everyone: illness, grief, guilt, and familial and romantic love. Additionally, they demonstrate a variety of dramatic styles, from realism to flamboyant gender-bending to musical theater. They offer a good introduction to the stylistic richness and variety of contemporary American theater as represented by African-American, Latino and white playwrights.

Written by some of the most celebrated playwrights working today, from veteran playwrights like Jose Rivera and Neal Bell to younger writers like Stephen Karam and Robert O’Hara, Gay Drama Now offers a sampling of the best of contemporary drama about the gay experience in America. This book will appeal to readers interested in American drama, particularly drama of this century, as well as students of gay and lesbian studies.