Although American women playwrights have traditionally found it difficult to get their work produced in major venues, their plays have nonetheless been extremely influential, both on other playwrights and on our culture generally. In this SDG, we will read twelve of their most powerful plays, in chronological order, beginning with Lorraine Hansberry and ending with Suzan-Lori Parks, Martyna Majok and Quiara Alegria Hudes. These plays deal with the full range of female experience, from domestic violence, addiction, sexism, racism, homophobia, pedophilia, and genital mutilation to motherhood, sisterhood (and brotherhood), female friendships and the construction of female agency.

In-Person