The Revisionist Stage : American Directors Reinvent the Classics

Amy S. Green's book salutes the vision and talents of a group of artists who, depending on one's perspective, either revitalized or disfigured the standard dramatic repertoire by adapting canonical dramas for the contemporary American stage. This versatile and insightful study is a full-scale investigation of a remarkably rich and controversial genre.

This book explores the vision and talents of a controversial group of artists who, depending on one's perspective, either revitalised or disfigured the standard dramatic repertoire by adapting canonical dramas for the contemporary American stage. First setting out comprehensive overviews of the medium from a variety of perspectives, Amy S. Green goes on to present a critical history that features the bold directorial ventures of JoAnne Akalaitis, Lee Breuer, Liviu Ciulei, Richard Foreman, Joseph Papp, Lucian Pintilie, Richard Schechner, Peter Sellars, Andrei Serban, Robert Woodruff and Garland Wright. Green's critique ranges from Greek and Roman plays to plays by Shakespeare and Moliere, and the operas of Mozart and da Ponte; she discusses such landmark theatrical events as Serban's Fragments of a Trilogy, Breuer's The Gospel at Colonus and Lear, and Peter Sellars's trilogy of Mozart operas. It provides a more informed reading of the business of theatrical revision, conducing a full-scale investigation of this rich and controversial genre.