Theater 107: Drama of Diversity

Welcome to the curated list of plays for Drama of Diversity! Here you will find a slowly growing list of additional great works, which we want to continue building and refining with your help to add and subtract the plays that speak to you most deeply and affectively. 

For the Theater 107 plays bibliography mini-term assignment you choose one play that you're interested in: use the tabs to look at suggestions from the topics you are interested in (some plays are listed in more than one category!). All plays listed here are available in online formats, although for some you will need to be sure you're logged onto the UCLA proxy or VPN to fully access Library resources. 

If you don't see anything that interests you, OR you feel more adventurous and want to see what ELSE is out there-- follow this page down lower and use the research resources (play lists and monologue books) or the many full-text databases we have to try finding a new play of your own to read and evaluate. If you really like the play you find, and think other students in 107 might like to check it out too, then use the Recommend form to tell us a bit more about it, make your pitch, and we will look into adding it! 

In addition to the option of pitching the plays you read to the curated list, you will turn in your report on the play to the Theater 107 class CCLE page. This report is modelled after a typical "slush pile" report that might be made at a theater company while the theater is trying to formulate their next year's season. Your report should answer the following questions, in approximately one paragraph each:

1. Summarize the plot of the play (what actually happens?) in one paragraph/2-3 sentences.
2. Describe how the play is told--this is a question about the dramaturgical mechanics: what literary or performance devices are employed? Is it a realist drama? Camp or satirical? What's most notable to you about the way in which the plot is conveyed, promising or perhaps not so promising?
3. Consider casting requirements: which types of actors are required for the main roles? Are there, in your opinion, opportunities for creative casting, or things to keep in mind while casting?
4. Production requirements: think about what is required for the stage/playing space. Is the play flexible enough to allow a lot of artistic freedom for the designers or are most scenery pieces required by the script? You can add a couple sentences of your recommendation for the set/lighting/sound designs.
5. Your personal recommendation on whether this play should be staged now, with justification. This is not just "is this play good?" --it is also about why now, how it would contribute to specific present dialogue and issues, and what it adds to the public conversation.

Drama of Diversity and plays in general are often about serious subjects, so note that there are some content advisories on the plays that contain certain themes, like sexual or physical violence. HOWEVER, KEEP IN MIND THAT WE MAY NOT BE ABLE TO ANTICIPATE ALL DIFFICULT TOPICS AND NOT ALL THEMES HAVE BEEN NOTATED, so you may find these types of events or issues in additional plays, not marked. It is of course impossible for others to fully anticipate which scenes and ideas every person might find upsetting. If there are specific issues or themes that you want to be sure to avoid at all costs, then contact your TA or professor and we will work with you more closely to help you choose a play.