The Play's the Thing Wherein We'll Catch the Conscience of a Quinlan

Annotated Bibliography

• Albee , Edward . 1959 . “ The Sand Box ” . In Two Plays by Edward Albee , New York : Signet Books, Division of the New American Library, Inc. . In The Sand Box, an old woman prepares to die. The mood of the play embraces all of the diverse elements of death, and gives death an oddly satisfying sigh. Many questions will be raised in the students' minds
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• Albee , Edward . 1959 . “ The Zoo Story ” . In Two Plays by Edward Albee , New York : Signet Books, Division of the New American Library, Inc. . This is a play about communications. It raises the question, “Do humans make contact?” In this story the character Jerdy tries to have a conversation with Peter, but to no avail. This play will raise questions in many students' minds about the way we communicate
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• Anderson , Maxwell . 1969 . “ Barefoot in Athens ” . In The American Experience: Drama , 178 – 267 . New York : MacMillan . This play by Maxwell Anderson gives a closer look than any history book will to the Athenian way of life. The students will discover that Socrates' idea of truth belongs not only to their life, but to all people of the world
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• Anderson , Sherwood . 1967 . The Triumph of the Egg. Ten Short Plays , Edited by: Jerry Weiss , M. 115 – 140 . New York : Dell Publishing Co. . This play is a slice of life. Many of the students will wonder at The Triumph of the Egg. The conversations between Joe and the father make for quiet humor that I think students would like to act
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• Aristophanes . 1968 . The Birds. The Complete Plays of Aristophanes , Edited by: Hadas , Moses . 229 – 286 . New York : Bantam Books . In this play, the student will come in contact with the idea of a Utopian state. The poetry is musical to the ear and the costumes are amusing
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• Aristophanes . 1968 . The Clouds. The Complete Plays of Aristophanes , Edited by: Hadas , Moses . 101 – 142 . New York : Bantam Books . In this play, we see the character Socrates and the symbolic characters of Right and Wrong Logic being misunderstood. The misunderstanding provides for comedy that is terse and somewhat tragic. In the final analysis, Socratic reasoning becomes the ruin of certain values in society. Students would come in contact with good reasoning powers and see that, when used erroneously, they can be a destructive force
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• Beasley , Conger W. Jr. Popol Vuh , (Adapted version of The Sacred Book of the Ancient Quiche Maya by Father Francisco Ximenez. The Popol Vuh is generally regarded as the oldest book in America. It describes the origins of the world, and the attempt by the all-powerful god Huracan to establish a race of dutiful, honest people
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• Bentley , Eric . 1958 . The Classic Theatre , Volume I , Garden City, New York : Doubleday . The Servant of Two Masters by Carlo Goldoni is a good straightforward play that deals with mistaken identity. The revival of the “commedia dell'arte” characters that Goldoni uses in his play will be something new to modern sixth grade students. They will explore the world of the real and unreal with the technique of masks. In doing so, they will come in contact with a new element of theatre. I am sure they will have a good time with this play. The Mandrake by Narcolo Machiavelli is another comedy that I found quite good, although students in the sixth grade may or may not see its humor
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• Bock , Jerry and Harnick , Sheldon . 1962 . The Apple Tree , New York : Educational Music and Books, c/o Charles Hansen . This is an interesting play that deals with Adam and Eve's first days on earth. Students will enjoy singing the songs and acting the play
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• Bullen , Arthur H. 1938 . The Works of William Shakespeare , New York : Oxford University Press . In Two Gentlemen of Verona, the idea of trust is investigated. Love is the catalyst and trust is what makes the play move along. Students in the sixth grade are aware of love and trust among their classmates, and they do know it is part of the “great scheme of things.” In this play they will see a breakdown of these two elements
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• Gassner , John , ed. 1967 . Everyman. A Treasury of the Theatre from Aeschylus to Ostrovsky, , Third Edition , Volume 1 , 204 – 213 . New York : Simon and Schuster, Inc. . In reading the play, Everyman, I feel sure students would be interested in the ideas of death. More importantly, they will encounter abstract ideas as they pertain to humans in their past and present. They will come across the concepts of faith, kindred, fellowship, knowledge, beauty, strength, discretion, and good deeds
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• Helen , Euripides . 1958 . Three Great Plays of Euripides , 127 – 192 . London : Mentor Books . Helen presents a turn of events, in that we see not a tragic woman as in Medea, but a genuine heroine. The students will encounter characters from the Trojan War
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• Euripides , Medea . 1958 . Three Great Plays of Euripides , 21 – 72 . London : Mentor Books . Medea is a powerful play about jealousy. It centers on a mother's love for her children and a conviction that she must destroy them. Students will have to come to grips with its many powerful scenes
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• Fry , Christopher . 1953 . A Sleep of Prisoners , New York : Dramatists Play Service . In this play, we see four characters in a bombed out church, searching the inner spirit through dreams and revealing that the good in themselves will overpower the evil. The play is written in fine poetry that students may be seeing for the first time. … the ideas of who am I, what am I doing, and why am I here will cause thinking on a larger scale about their own direction in life
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• Gay , John . 1962 . The Beggars Opera , Edited by: Griffith , Benjamin W. Jr. and Woodbury . New York : Barron's Educational Series, Inc . This early eighteenth century play pokes humor at everyone who made his/her way at the expense of society. It will be an interesting play to produce with students
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• Goethe , Johann Wolfgang . 1956 . Faust. Part I. Translated by Philip Wayne , Bungay, Suffolk, , Great Britain : Penguin Books . This play offers interesting concepts of good and evil forces in human life. The idea that humans make conscious selections among these forces may be a new and interesting one for sixth grade students
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• Goldsmith , Oliver . 1972 . She Stoops to Conquer , New York : Washington Square Press, Pocket Books . A wonderful comedy that takes a night to unravel the gossip of the day. The students will come in contact with the wit and humor of the Restoration period
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• Ibsen , Henrik . 1970 . Hedda Gabler. A Treasury of the Theatre: From Henrik Ibsen to Robert Lowell. , Fourth Edition , Edited by: Gassner , John and Dukore , Bernard F. Volume 2 , 38 – 70 . New York : Simon and Schuster . This play is based on young women who consider themselves emancipated without finding proper outlets for their desires or notions. When reading this play, students may encounter some of the same problems of today
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• Jones , Tom and Schmidt , Harvey . 1964 . The Fantasticks , New York : Avon Books, Division of the Hearst Corporation . A beautiful play about a boy, a girl, two fathers, and a wall. Students enjoy the music and also the humor of the fathers' attempt to bring the lovers together
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• Lowell , Robert . 1970 . Benito Cereno. A Treasury of the Theatre: From Henrik Ibsen to Robert Lowell, , Fourth Edition , Edited by: Gassner , John and Dukore , Bernard F. Volume 2 , 1261 – 1280 . New York : Simon and Schuster . This play deals with slavery in 1800, which foreshadows present racial ideas. Students will see an interesting view of history
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• Marlowe , Christopher . Doctor Faust us. The Complete Plays of Christopher Marlowe . The Odyssey Press, Inc. 1963 . Edited by: Ribner , Irving . New York In this play, students will come across some good poetry while also meeting again the good and evil forces of humans. They will see a man meet the challenge of our abstract world
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• Masters , Edgar Lee . 1955 . Spoon River Anthology , New York : MacMillan . Spoon River Anthology is poetry that tells a terse yet poignant story about each character's life, sometimes death, and often relates to our lives today. A visit to the Spoon River Cemetery in Lewiston, Illinois, might be an interesting trip for students. The characters are all “up” there
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• Miller , Arthur . 1969 . Death of a Salesman , New York : Viking Press, Inc. . This play deals with the character Willy Loman and his delusions about himself and others around him. This drama will capture the imagination of many wishful dreamers
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• Pirandello , Luigi . 1964 . The Imbecile. Pirandello's One-Act Plays , Edited by: Murray , William . 191 – 215 . New York : Anchor Books . This is an interesting play that questions the act of committing suicide. The students will find interesting dialogue in many parts. Roche, Paul. Three Plays by Plautus. New York: The New American Library, Division of Mentor Books, 1968. Miles Glorious (Major Bullshot Gorgeous), Amphitryon, and The Prisoners are plays dealing with identity and are also plays I believe students could handle. They will begin to see the comic element of theatre, which presents the ideas of the human struggle to find out who we are, what we are doing, and why we are here. The identity question is one many sixth grade students will find enjoyable and funny on one level, and on still another level the ideas of who am I, what am I doing, and why am I here will cause thinking on a larger scale about their own direction in life. In the play Amphitryon, infidelity is used as a device to bring up man's and woman's jealousy. This problem of jealousy hits the mark with many students in their daily lives at home and school. I feel that Miles Glorious is not as useful for students, as it will not strike them on an imaginative level. The Prisoners I believe to be the best of the lot. This play is about a father's search for his lost or stolen son. The son's confused identity raises questions about human identity in general, and leaves us wondering if we are what we think we are, or something else. Students in the sixth grade will realize that the human search for whatever we are is not only individual, but is paramount to all people
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• Rostand , Edmond . 1959 . Cyrano de Bergerac , New York : Bantam Books . Cyrano de Bergerac is a great romantic play from which students will benefit immensely. The play is written in fine metered language and the story has elements that all people dream about, especially the young
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• Saroyan , William . 1967 . Coming Through the Rye. Ten Short Plays , Edited by: Jerry Weiss , M. 9 – 30 . New York : Dell Publishing Company . This is a good play for students to do. The characters picture the world before they were born and talk about what they must do as mortals in a world that has no end. The students will come into contact with many aspects of life
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• Shakespeare , William . 1938 . A Midsummer Night's Dream. The Works of William Shakespeare, , Shakespeare Head Press Edition , 279 – 301 . New York : Oxford University Press . The humor of the lovers, tradesmen, and Puck will keep the show alive with laughter. It's a dream, and a beautiful one
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• Shakespeare , William . 1938 . Othello. The Works of William Shakespeare, , Shakespeare Head Press Edition , 818 – 857 . New York : Oxford University Press . Students will be captivated by this play about jealousy, and with its plot movement. Iago's evil knows no limits as he plays about Othello's mind
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• Shakespeare , William . 1938 . Romeo and Juliet. The Works of William Shakespeare, , Shakespeare Head Press Edition , 245 – 278 . New York : Oxford University Press . This is a timeless romance of love and conflict between two households. Juliet and Romeo will win the hearts of many students
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• Shakespeare , William . 1938 . The Tempest. The Works of William Shakespeare, , Shakespeare Head Press Edition. , 1135 – 1159 . New York : Oxford University Press . In this play, students will encounter some good poetry and also the idea of a “brave new world.” Prospero's struggle for revenge and then his forgiveness set the stage for a magical play
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• Sheridan , Richard Brinsley . 1966 . The School for Scandal , Edited by: Loftis , John . Arlington Heights, Illinois : Ahm Publishing Corporation . The play has superb characterizations, brilliant dialogue, and a skillful plot. It takes a lot of scandal before the Sneerwell clan is unmasked. Students will enjoy acting in this play. Sophocles. Antigone. Oedipus the King and Antigone. Translated by Peter D. Arnott. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, Inc., 1960. In this play, students will encounter both the good and evil forces of autocratic rule. The students will see two strong-willed characters in conflict
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• Wedekind , Frank . 1916 . The Awakening of Spring. Translated from the German by Francis J. Ziegler, , Fifth Edition , Philadelphia : Nicholas L. Brown . This drama is a series of loosely connected character-scenes which surely have profound significance for all occupied in the training of the young
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• Wilder , Thornton . 1957 . Our Town , New York : Avon Books, Division of Hearst Corporation . This excellent play tells a story about a town and its people—being born, living, and dying. Students will enjoy Emily Webb, Professor Willard, George Gibbs, and the Stage Manager, as they become emotionally involved in the play and its characters
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• Wilder , Thornton . 1967 . The Happy Journey to Trenton and Camden. Ten Short Plays , Edited by: Jerry Weiss , M. 55 – 80 . New York : Dell Publishing Company . This beautifully written play explores the relationship of a family. Students will enjoy the delightful comment of Arthur: “Ma, what a lotta people there are in the world, Ma”
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• Wilder , Thornton . 1970 . The Skin of Our Teeth. Three Plays by Thornton Wilder , 65 – 138 . New York : Bantam Books, Published by Arrangement with Harper and Row . This is a play about human resiliency. Students will enjoy many of the characters, especially Mr. Antrobus and all of his inventions
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• Williams , Tennessee . 1970 . The Glass Menagerie. A Treasury of the Theatre: From Henrik Ibsen to Robert Lowell, , Fourth Edition. , Edited by: Gassner , John and Dukore , Bernard F. Volume 2 , 1079 – 1104 . New York : Simon and Schuster . This play involves a young man who tells a story about his plight to leave home. It is a memory play, and students will catch bits of his memory. I think students will be interested in the mood of this play
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• Wouk , Herman . The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial . Samuel French, Inc. 1955 . New York This play is about court martial proceedings against a young lieutenant who relieved his captain of command in the midst of a storm on the grounds that the captain was psychopathic. The courtroom scenes should hold the students' interest
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