Hit the Nerve: New Voices of the American Theater (Edge Books) [Hardcover]

Stephen Vincent Brennan (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Edge Books | Publication Date: August 1997

An anthology of writings, including plays, stand-up routines, monologues, and songs, all of which explore the unusual aspects of coming of age in America, features such works as Sam Shepard's ""True West,"" ""Spic-o-rama"" by John Leguizamo, and Anna Deavere Smith's ""Hair Anonymous Girl."""

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 10 Up. An anthology of 19 scenes selected from contemporary American plays, this compilation introduces YAs to the works of a variety of modern playwrights, ranging from the well-known Sam Shepard and Anna Deavere Smith to the less-familiar Cynthia Cooper and Richard Foreman. Following an interesting author's introduction on the power of good theater, each scene is prefaced by a list of characters, an explanation of the setting, and a brief comment on the themes and/or style of the play from which it comes. The selections vary from the realistic drama of Lawrence Kelly's OUT!, a play about the "fixed" 1919 World Series, to the absurdist comedy of Christopher Durang's Baby with the Bathwater. Production techniques range from the traditional dialogue of August Wilson's Ma Rainey's Black Bottom to the musical monologues of William Finn and James Lapine's Falsettoland to the multimedia performance art of John Leguizamo's Spic-O-Rama. Themes dealing with race, parent/child relationships, and America's changing moral/ethical codes predominate. Short biographical notes are included and explain the playwrights' current status within the contemporary American theater. Several of the scenes contain profanity or coarse language, and some of Brennan's choices are highly sophisticated. A few of the scripts hail from the late '70s or early '80s?hardly eligible for consideration as "New Voices." Nevertheless, this collection will serve serious students whose interests and abilities extend beyond Lorraine Cohen's more traditional Scenes for Young Actors (Avon, 1982).?Nancy Menaldi-Scanlan, LaSalle Academy, Providence, RI
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 8^-12. Hoping to seduce young adults with the power and pleasure of a well-written play, Brennan has compiled 19 dramatic excerpts, songs, and performance pieces that represent a broad range of theatrical styles. There are comic scenes and monologues, as well as abstract pieces that will have readers questioning where reality stops and fantasy begins. Brennan has chosen his scenes with an eye for the themes that mark YA fiction, and that--paired with the variety of styles and moods--virtually ensures that the collection has something for everyone. Drama students will gladly set aside Arthur Miller and Tennessee Williams to sample scenes written by the newer playwrights Brennan includes, but this book will serve other students as well. Booktalk it to short story fans, poetry lovers, and class clowns. Randy Meyer

Product Details

• Hardcover: 175 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt & Co; 1st edition (August 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805048170
• ISBN-13: 978-0805048179
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,211,257 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

0 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars It was kind of diffacult to be interested., December 8, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Hit the Nerve: New Voices of the American Theater (Edge Books) (Hardcover)

The book Hit The Nerve was a bunch of new plays. I didn't really enjoy it because I'm not to interested in dramatic stories to read, I think that it would be more for a drama student than just to read for fun. It did have quite a bit of descriptive scenes but other than that I wouldn't waste my time.