Shared Stages
Ten American Dramas of Blacks and Jews
Ten contemporary plays that dramatize the volatile relationships between Blacks and Jews in American society.
Description
Shared Stages brings together ten of the best contemporary American plays that dramatize the explosive relationship of two tightly knit peoples—Blacks and Jews—in American society. Including works such as Driving Miss Daisy, I'm Not Rappaport, Fires in the Mirror, and Medal of Honor Rag, this collection deftly explores the interwoven destinies of Blacks and Jews through the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War, the women's movement, and the renewal of urban conflict. Together, these plays reveal initially unequal relationships between master and servant, doctor and patient, lawyer and client, but new stories ultimately emerge about who these characters have become, how they relate to each other, and what the future might hold for them—and for us.
Author and playwright Sarah Blacher Cohen is Professor Emerita of English at the University at Albany, State University of New York. Her previous books include Making a Scene: The Contemporary Drama of Jewish-American Women, as well as her plays, Molly Picon's Return Engagement, The Ladies Locker Room, Schlemiel the First, and The Old System. Joanne B. Koch is a playwright, author, screenwriter and Professor of English and Director of the Graduate Writing Program at National-Louis University in Chicago. Her previous works include the produced plays Nesting Dolls, Safe Harbor, Teeth, Haymarket, A Leading Woman, and the Bellow adaptation A Silver Dish, as well as an Emmy Award–winning television series, High Top Tower.
Reviews
"Shared Stages offers a unique perspective on one of the most dramatic relationships in our history. This one-of-a-kind anthology, edited by playwright professors, Sarah Blacher Cohen and Joanne Koch, provides a riveting portrait of the most compelling issues of our time. Shared Stages also delivers the profound excitement and satisfaction that only great theater can. Bravo!" — Steve Stern, author of The Angel of Forgetfulness
"The unique relationship of Blacks and Jews—fighting each other at times, but also marching together, laughing together, and dying together—is vividly depicted in the plays of Shared Stages. This anthology presents an unflinching and inspiring record of the bond between Blacks and Jews." — Julian Bond, Chairman, NAACP