American Drama

Puritan, Revolutionary, and Early National Periods (1620–1830)

Drama had a slow start in American literature, largely due to Puritan New England. In the early colonies, Puritan immigrants saw drama as immoral, and theatrical performances were outright banned in some states during the eighteenth century in some states, including Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island.

Besides this, most of the early drama that was produced in the United States was brought over from Europe, including classics such as those written by Shakespeare. There was little to no new drama being produced in the country.

Fig. 1 - Most early American theater was imported from Europe or Great Britain.

During the American Revolution (beginning in 1775) and the Early National period (1775-1830), literature shifted to reflect the changing climate of the new country. Most writings were political in nature and explored ideas related to the new government and the developing American identity.

Drama was no different, and many of the plays written during this period were political satires or propaganda to support the cause of the revolutionaries. These included Mercy Otis Warren’s The Adulateur (1773) and John Leacock’s The Fall of British Tyranny (1776).

The Nineteenth Century

As the nineteenth century began, drama was a popular form of entertainment; yet, it was still not considered an important part of American literature. American drama continued to lag behind the country’s broader literature, which was beginning to come into its own by the nineteenth century with the advent of American Romanticism (1830–1865), arguably the first uniquely American literary movement.

However, as in the proceeding years, almost no significant dramatic works were produced in the United States. Theatre existed solely to entertain audiences.

Productions of Shakespeare’s plays were still popular, as were melodramas and comic minstrel shows whose jokes were often based on racial stereotypes and featured actors in blackface.

Building on the literary movement of Romanticism, melodramas were highly emotional and dramatic productions that focused on universal themes such as love, heroic quests, and good versus evil.

The minstrel shows of the same period featured musical entertainment and various comic skits and variety shows. The comedy of these shows relied almost exclusively on racist stereotypes of African Americans portrayed by white actors in blackface.

Perhaps the most memorable example of American drama during the 19th century was the stage adaptation of the antislavery novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1852) by Harriet Beecher Stowe. George Aiken adapted the novel to the theatre in the mid-nineteenth century. However, many of the productions did not honor the author’s original intent and strayed more toward the comic minstrel shows that were in fashion.

Theatre, in general, was still not taken seriously, and actors were not well respected.

However, towards the end of the nineteenth century, the literary movements of Realism and Naturalism overtook Romanticism in American literature, paving the way for the first great American playwrights.

The Twentieth Century

The 20th century is where the story of American drama really begins.

Early to Mid-20th Century

In the early twentieth century, drama began to grow as a legitimate literary form in the United States, and some of the first major American playwrights were taking the stage. The first half of the twentieth century was rocky, with World War I, the Great Depression, and World War II turning the world upside down. American drama often reflected this upheaval, and many plays doubled as social commentaries.

Like other forms of literature in the twentieth century, American drama also became increasingly experimental. Playwrights played with form, structure, different narrative techniques, and vernacular language in their dramas.

Along with the dawn of literary Realism and, later, Naturalism in the mid to late nineteenth century, European playwrights such as Henrik Ibsen (1828–1906), August Strindberg (1849–1912), and Anton Chekhov (1860–1904) began to write dramas that were more realistic. Together, these three playwrights are often regarded as the founders of modern drama. Their plays experimented with literary forms and put aside theatrics and melodrama to delve more deeply into the human psyche.

The work of these playwrights would be extremely influential for the upcoming generation of American dramatists.

As the literary movements of Realism and Naturalism gave way to Modernism, Eugene O’Neill (1888–1953), the first great American dramatist, began producing plays. O’Neill’s works, such as The Iceman Cometh (1939) and A Long Day’s Journey into Night (1941), were complex, emotional, and serious, unlike any American drama that had come before them.

Before O’Neill, American theatre was simply a form of popular entertainment, but O’Neill recognized and legitimized the medium’s literary merit. He became the first American playwright to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1936.

O’Neill was also associated with the Expressionist literary movement.

Fig. 2 - American Drama was not internationally recognized until the 20th century.

Mid to Late Twentieth Century

By the mid-twentieth century, American drama finally began to gain international recognition on a large scale. The two most influential playwrights of this period, besides O’Neill, were Arthur Miller (1915–2005) and Tennessee Williams (1911–1983). Works such as Miller’s modern tragedy Death of a Salesman (1949) and William’s classic dysfunctional family drama A Streetcar Named Desire (1947) remain some of the most performed plays in theatre.

Both of these writers used their plays to delve deeply into the American psyche, developing complex characters that explored the plight of the working class, difficult family dynamics, and the ins and outs of the human condition.

The mid-twentieth century also saw a rise in the success of African-American playwrights, including Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun (1959), Amiri Baraka’s Dutchman (1964), and August Wilson’s Fences (1985).

As the century progressed, American drama continued to diversify, evolving into the complex body of work we see today. Playwrights of the 60s, 70s, and 80s continued to tackle many important social issues of the day, including the civil rights movements, the Vietnam war, and the AIDS crisis.

Theatre also became increasingly experimental and creative, with American dramatists taking advantage of different structures, literary forms, and advances in theatrical performance.

Modern American Drama

Drama continues to be an important part of modern American literature. Modern American drama ranges in style from the hyper-realistic to the completely experimental and deals with a myriad of themes and ideas.

Fig. 3 - Modern American Drama is often set in unconventional theater spaces.

Works such as Tracy Letts’ August: Osage County (2007), for example, delve into the deterioration of the modern American family, while Ayad Akhtar’s Disgraced (2012) explores post-9/11 Islamophobia and the American-Muslim experience.

Drama in the United States continues to be a place to explore identity, current social issues, and how Americans interact with and relate to one another.

The Importance of American Drama in English Literature

Until the 20th century, American drama had virtually no importance in English literature. However, writers such as Eugene O’Neill, Arthur Miller, and Tennessee Williams transformed American drama into an art form with considerable literary merit worthy of international recognition.

American drama has since produced some of English literature’s most noteworthy playwrights. These writers have influenced dramatists and other authors around the world.

American Drama Examples

The three most important figures of American Drama are Eugene O’Neill, Arthur Miller, and Tennessee Williams.

Eugene O’Neill (1888–1953)

Eugene O’Neill was the United States’ first important playwright and the recipient of the 1936 Nobel Prize for Literature.

His works were generally tragedies that explored themes of disillusionment and despair in the lives of people in a variety of socio-economic positions. O’Neill used vernacular language in his plays to reflect how people really spoke and was the first writer to legitimize the literary merit of drama.

His most important works include The Hairy Ape (1922), The Iceman Cometh (1939), and A Long Day’s Journey into Night (1941).

Arthur Miller (1915–2005)

Arthur Miller was a Pulitzer Prize-winning American playwright. Like O’Neill, Miller was known for his complex and tragic depiction of inner emotions as well as disillusionment with American society and the American dream.

His most important works include Death of a Salesman (1949) and The Crucible (1953).

Tennessee Williams (1911-1983)

American playwright Tennessee Williams was well known for his dramas that tackled controversial subjects, such as violence and sexuality, that were largely taboo at the time.

His most important works include The Glass Menagerie (1944), A Streetcar Named Desire (1947), and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1955).

Other Key Works

Some other important works of American drama include:

• A Raisin in the Sun (1959) by Lorraine Hansberry (1930-1965)
• Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf? (1962) by Edward Albee (1928-2016)
• Fences (1985) by August Wilson (1945-2005)
• Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes (1991) by Tony Kushner (1956-present).

Features of American Drama

Much like American literature in general, American drama is such a diverse field that it can be difficult to identify common features. However, much of American drama deals with current issues, critiques social norms, and relies on in-depth character studies to drive the action.

Much of American drama, from the twentieth century to today, deals with the experience of the common man. The lives of the poor, the working class, or those on the fringes of society are often dramatized, and many works show how the lives of the characters are impacted by society and current events.

Many works are also intensely psychological, relying on in-depth, complex character studies to convey the inner experiences of the plays’ protagonists.

Many American dramas contain critiques of social norms, including disillusionment with the American Dream, unrealistic expectations of the American family, and the realities of classism and racism in the United States.