Women in Turmoil

Awards:   Short-listed for Lambda Literary Awards (Drama/Theater) 2003
Author:   Mercedes de Acosta ,  Robert A. Schanke ,  Mercedes de Acosta
Publisher:   Southern Illinois University Press
Edition:   Third Edition
ISBN:  

9780809325092


Pages:   272
Publication Date:   30 June 2003
Format:   Hardback
Availability:   Temporarily unavailable   Availability explained
The supplier advises that this item is temporarily unavailable. It will be ordered for you and placed on backorder. Once it does come back in stock, we will ship it out to you.

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Women in Turmoil


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Awards

  • Short-listed for Lambda Literary Awards (Drama/Theater) 2003

Overview

In this first publication of six plays by the uninhibited author, poet, and playwright Mercedes de Acosta (1893-1968), theater historian Robert A. Schanke rescues lost theatrical writings from the dusty margins of obscurity. Often autobiographical, always rife with gender struggle, and decidedly stageworthy, Women in Turmoil: Six Plays by Mercedes de Acosta constitutes a significant find for the canon of gay and lesbian drama. The voice in these plays is that of a lesbian in turmoil, marginalized and ignored. The women characters struggle with unfulfilling marriages, divorce, unrequited sexual desire, suppressed identity, and a longing for recognition. Of the six plays, only the first two were ever produced. Jehanne d'Arc (1922) premiered in Paris with de Acosta's lover at the time, Eva Le Gallienne, starring and Norman Bel Geddes designing the set and lights. In 1934m de Acosta adapted it into a screemplay for Greta Garbo, then her lover, but it was never filmed. Portraying rampant anti-Semitism in a small New England town, Jacob Slovak (1923) was performed both on Broadway and in London, with the London production starring John Gielgud and Ralph Richardson. The Mother of Christ (1924) is a long one-act play written for the internationally known actress Eleonora Duse. After Duse's death, several other actresses including Eva Bartok, Jeanne Eagels, and Lillian Gish explored productions of the play. Igor Stravinsky wrote a score, Norman Bel Geddes designed a set, and Gladys Calthrop designed costumes. However, the play was never produced. World Without End (1925) and The Dark Light (1926) both unfold through plots of sibling rivalry, incest, and suicide. With overtones of Ibsen, Illusion (1928) continues the themes of de Acosta's previous plays with her rough and seedy cast of characters, but here the playwright's drama grows to incorporate both a yearning for belonging as well as strong elements of class conflict.

Full Product Details

Author:   Mercedes de Acosta ,  Robert A. Schanke ,  Mercedes de Acosta
Publisher:   Southern Illinois University Press
Imprint:   Southern Illinois University Press
Edition:   Third Edition
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 2.40cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.535kg
ISBN:  

9780809325092


ISBN 10:   0809325098
Pages:   272
Publication Date:   30 June 2003
Audience:   General/trade ,  College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  General ,  Undergraduate
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Temporarily unavailable   Availability explained
The supplier advises that this item is temporarily unavailable. It will be ordered for you and placed on backorder. Once it does come back in stock, we will ship it out to you.

Table of Contents

"Jehanne d'Arc; """"Jacob Slovak""""; """"The Mother of Christ""""; """"World Without End""""; """"The Dark Light""""; """"Illusion""""."

Reviews

It is a pleasure to become better acquainted with Mercedes de Acosta. . . . Six of de Acosta's plays, now edited and made available by Robert A. Schanke, rescue her from a vague, shadowy existence, and allow her to assume a strong identity of her own. These plays, quite varied in their subjects and contexts, reveal a writer with strong dramatic sensitivity and emotional power. --Oscar Brockett, coauthor of History of the Theatre and The Essential Theatre


It is a pleasure to become better acquainted with Mercedes de Acosta. . . . Six of de Acosta's plays, now edited and made available by Robert A. Schanke, rescue her from a vague, shadowy existence, and allow her to assume a strong identity of her own. These plays, quite varied in their subjects and contexts, reveal a writer with strong dramatic sensitivity and emotional power. --Oscar Brockett, coauthor of History of the Theatre and The Essential Theatre


It is a pleasure to become better acquainted with Mercedes de Acosta. . . . Six of de Acosta s plays, now edited and made available by Robert A. Schanke, rescue her from a vague, shadowy existence, and allow her to assume a strong identity of her own. These plays, quite varied in their subjects and contexts, reveal a writer with strong dramatic sensitivity and emotional power. Oscar Brockett, coauthor of History of the Theatre and The Essential Theatre Robert A. Schanke has rustled up a treasure trove of wonderfully hotheaded plays by Mercedes de Acosta. I hope that the discovery of these neglected and forgotten dramas will lead to rambunctious new productions and a celebration of this fantastic woman who haunted our theatrical landscape during the first half of the last century. Ann Bogart, artistic director of the SITI Company and author of A Director Prepares: Seven Essays on Art and Theatre It is a pleasure to become better acquainted with Mercedes de Acosta. . . . Six of de Acosta's plays, now edited and made available by Robert A. Schanke, rescue her from a vague, shadowy existence, and allow her to assume a strong identity of her own. These plays, quite varied in their subjects and contexts, reveal a writer with strong dramatic sensitivity and emotional power. --Oscar Brockett, coauthor of History of the Theatre and The Essential Theatre Robert A. Schanke has rustled up a treasure trove of wonderfully hotheaded plays by Mercedes de Acosta. I hope that the discovery of these neglected and forgotten dramas will lead to rambunctious new productions and a celebration of this fantastic woman who haunted our theatrical landscape during the first half of the last century. --Ann Bogart, artistic director of the SITI Company and author of A Director Prepares: Seven Essays on Art and Theatre Robert A. Schanke has rustled up a treasure trove of wonderfully hotheaded plays by Mercedes de Acosta. I hope that the discovery of these neglected and forgotten dramas will lead to rambunctious new productions and a celebration of this fantastic woman who haunted our theatrical landscape during the first half of the last century. -- Ann Bogart, artistic director of the SITI Company and author of A Director Prepares: Seven Essays on Art and Theatre It is a pleasure to become better acquainted with Mercedes de Acosta. . . . Six of de Acosta ' s plays, now edited and made available by Robert A. Schanke, rescue her from a vague, shadowy existence, and allow her to assume a strong identity of her own. These plays, quite varied in their subjects and contexts, reveal a writer with strong dramatic sensitivity and emotional power. -- Oscar Brockett, coauthor of History of the Theatre and The Essential Theatre


Robert A. Schanke has rustled up a treasure trove of wonderfully hotheaded plays by Mercedes de Acosta. I hope that the discovery of these neglected and forgotten dramas will lead to rambunctious new productions and a celebration of this fantastic woman who haunted our theatrical landscape during the first half of the last century. -- Ann Bogart, artistic director of the SITI Company and author of A Director Prepares: Seven Essays on Art and Theatre Robert A. Schanke has rustled up a treasure trove of wonderfully hotheaded plays by Mercedes de Acosta. I hope that the discovery of these neglected and forgotten dramas will lead to rambunctious new productions and a celebration of this fantastic woman who haunted our theatrical landscape during the first half of the last century. --Ann Bogart, artistic director of the SITI Company and author of A Director Prepares: Seven Essays on Art and Theatre It is a pleasure to become better acquainted with Mercedes de Acosta. . . . Six of de Acosta's plays, now edited and made available by Robert A. Schanke, rescue her from a vague, shadowy existence, and allow her to assume a strong identity of her own. These plays, quite varied in their subjects and contexts, reveal a writer with strong dramatic sensitivity and emotional power. --Oscar Brockett, coauthor of History of the Theatre and The Essential Theatre Robert A. Schanke has rustled up a treasure trove of wonderfully hotheaded plays by Mercedes de Acosta. I hope that the discovery of these neglected and forgotten dramas will lead to rambunctious new productions and a celebration of this fantastic woman who haunted our theatrical landscape during the first half of the last century. Ann Bogart, artistic director of the SITI Company and author of A Director Prepares: Seven Essays on Art and Theatre It is a pleasure to become better acquainted with Mercedes de Acosta. . . . Six of de Acosta s plays, now edited and made available by Robert A. Schanke, rescue her from a vague, shadowy existence, and allow her to assume a strong identity of her own. These plays, quite varied in their subjects and contexts, reveal a writer with strong dramatic sensitivity and emotional power. Oscar Brockett, coauthor of History of the Theatre and The Essential Theatre It is a pleasure to become better acquainted with Mercedes de Acosta. . . . Six of de Acosta ' s plays, now edited and made available by Robert A. Schanke, rescue her from a vague, shadowy existence, and allow her to assume a strong identity of her own. These plays, quite varied in their subjects and contexts, reveal a writer with strong dramatic sensitivity and emotional power. -- Oscar Brockett, coauthor of History of the Theatre and The Essential Theatre


"""It is a pleasure to become better acquainted with Mercedes de Acosta. . . . Six of de Acosta's plays, now edited and made available by Robert A. Schanke, rescue her from a vague, shadowy existence, and allow her to assume a strong identity of her own. These plays, quite varied in their subjects and contexts, reveal a writer with strong dramatic sensitivity and emotional power."" --Oscar Brockett, coauthor of History of the Theatre and The Essential Theatre ""Robert A. Schanke has rustled up a treasure trove of wonderfully hotheaded plays by Mercedes de Acosta. I hope that the discovery of these neglected and forgotten dramas will lead to rambunctious new productions and a celebration of this fantastic woman who haunted our theatrical landscape during the first half of the last century.""--Ann Bogart, artistic director of the SITI Company and author of A Director Prepares: Seven Essays on Art and Theatre"


Author Information

Robert A. Schanke is a professor of theater at Central College, Iowa. He is the editor of the international journal Theatre History Studies and the Southern Illinois University Press series Theater in the Americas. His five other books include Eva Le Gallienne: A Bio-Bibliography and Shattered Applause: The Lives of Eva Le Gallienne, a finalist for both the Lambda Literary Award and the Barnard Hewitt Award for theater research.

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