This is the first anthology to focus exclusively on the lives of Black South African women. This collection represents the work of both female and male writers, including national and international award-winning playwrights. The collection includes six full-length and four one-act plays, as well as interviews with the writers, who candidly discuss the theatrical and political situation in the new South Africa. Written before and after apartheid, the plays present varying approaches and theatrical styles from solo performances to collective creations. The plays dramatise issues as diverse as: * women's rights * displacement from home * violence against women * the struggle to keep families together * racial identity * education in the old and new South Africa * and health care.

Product Description: "These lynching dramas may not present the picture that America wants to see of itself, but these visions cannot be ignored because they are grounded -- not only in the truth of white racism's toxic effect on our national existence but also in the truth that there exists a contesting, collective response that is part of an on-going and continually building momentum...read more (view table of contents, read Amazon.com's description)

Product Description: Contemporary Plays by Women of Color is a ground-breaking anthology of eighteen new and recent works by African American, Asian American, Latina American and Native American playwrights. This compelling collection includes works by award-winning and well-known playwrights such as Anna Deavere Smith, Cherrie Moraga, Pearl Cleage, Marga Gomez and Spiderwoman, as well as many exciting newcomers...read more

Product Description: "Fine reading and a superb resource." ―Ms."Highly recommended." ―Library Journal"Perkins has chosen the plays well, and her issue-oriented introduction places the women and their works in a literary and historical context." ―Choice"As well as being centered on the black experience, the plays in Black Female Playwrights are centered on the female experience...read more