Overview

The plays collected in this volume give artistic expression to the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina. In so doing, they also illuminate many social, political, and environmental issues central to American life. Besides telling the kinds of stories that the news media could not, these plays explore the deeply rooted problems plaguing New Orleans. The factual basis of these plays serves a documentary purpose, but, as drama, they also depict the flood's consequences for individuals - unimaginable loss, powerlessness, displacement. The plays collected here - Rising Water by John Biguenet; The Breach by Catherine Filloux, Tarell Alvin McCraney, and Joe Sutton; Because They Have No Words by Tim Maddock and Lotti Louise Pharrissis; Trash Bag Tourist by Samuel Brett Williams; and Katrina: The K Word by Lisa Brenner and Suzanne Trauth - show how theatre can both enhance our understanding of disastrous events and facilitate a sense of community between audiences and those who experienced them.

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9780810127500

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"SUZANNE M. TRAUTH is a Professor of Theatre at Montclair State University where she coordinates the B.F.A. Acting program. She directed Katrina: the K Word at Montclair State as well as staged readings of the play at Playwrights Theatre of New Jersey and Drew University. Ms. Trauth has produced and directed productions at the Ensemble Studio Theatre in New York, the Whole Theatre, 12 Miles West, and TheatreFest. As part of a global initiative, she directed The Crucible for the Theatre-on-Podol in the Ukraine. She co-authored Sonia Moore and American Acting Training and Producing Musical Theatre, has written on acting theory and Soviet theatre, and served as Assistant Artistic Director of the Sonia Moore Studio in New York. LISA S. BRENNER received her Ph.D. in Theatre from Columbia University. Published articles include ""Beyond Words: Producing Palestinian-Israeli Dialogue at the Galilee Multicultural Theatre."" Theatre Topics (September, 2009) and ""Blackface as Religious Expression-Job: The Hip-Hop Musical."" Crosscurrents (November, 2003). She has worked as a professional dramaturg, including her work at Vital Theatre in New York City, garnering two OOBR Awards for Excellence. Taking Names, a play she co-wrote with three other playwrights, won ""Best New Play"" in the 2000 All Out Arts Festival in New York City. Lisa is currently Assistant Professor of Theatre Arts at Drew University in Madison, New Jersey. In 2009, Drew granted her the Faculty Leadership Civic Engagement Award for her work on Katrina: the K Word, among other projects."

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