90 NEW PLAYS: Play Bureau Publication No. 4, December, 1936.
New York: Play Bureau, 1936. First edition. Synopses of 90 plays selected by Francis Bosworth and Converse Tyler. The Play Bureau was part of the Works Progress Administration's Federal Theatre Project. This particular publication is a compilation of plays made available for production by over eighty playwrights for a standard royalty of $50 per week or $10 per performance for single or additional performances. The intent being to encourage the staging of new and/or innovative plays by directors participating in the Federal Theatre Project. "Every director trying to create Federal Theatre is constantly seeking plays. This list will aid him in that search. These are plays by young authors who show promise and deserve encouragement"--from Bosworth's foreword. Includes synopses of Aldous Huxley's "World of Light," Robinson Jeffers' "Tower Beyond Tragedy," W. H. Auden and Christopher Isherwood's "The Dog Beneath the Skin," Zona Gale's "Faint Perfume," Meyer Levin's "Model Tenement," et al. Although there are some well-known playwrights and plays represented herein, we would assume that quite a number, if not the majority, of these plays were never produced. Approximately 9 x 11.5" side-stitched green paperwraps printed in black; unpaginated (about 130 pages, including indices). Paper covers considerably worn on edges without affecting any lettering; text block very good. A cheaply produced item in good or better condition overall. Scarce if not rare.
Item #55396
Price: $350.00