I’m taking a class on playwriting, and the assignment this week is to read two modern (written since 1960) plays. I’m not sure what to choose. I’d like to read a good, but very typical play, to give me an idea of the form to follow when it comes time to write our own plays. The professor suggested “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf” but all the copies have already been checked out of the library. Can anyone suggest a modern play or two, especially plays that the library is likely to have? Thanks 
David Mamet is pretty prominent. Two of his plays I’ve enjoyed (both also moviefied) are Glengarry Glen Ross and American Buffalo.
I think M. Butterfly by David Hwang reads very well; it might be a good choice.
Or for something very recent try Wit by Margaret Edson.
Any university library should have copies of these texts.
BTW, your professor makes me feel ancient by defining ‘modern’ as ‘post-1960’. I guess people like O’Neill and Shaw and Synge and Miller are regarded as medieval.
I was watching a special about the theatre and Authur Miller said that he used to copy Shakespear’s works word for word and doing that taught him more than just reading them.
I’d second Mamet. “Oleanna” is wonderful(a better play than movie, though). I’d suggest “All my sons” by Arthur Miller, but that might be before 60 so I’d look for some of his newer works if I was in your position, since he’s published within the last five or six years too.
“Good but typical”? I thin you’d be insulting the playwrite!
I don’t care for Mamet myself. I love:
Robert Bolt
A Man for All Seasons
Vivat! Vivat Regina!
State of Revolution
(and that’s not even mentioning his screenplay work)
Peter Schaffer
Equus
The Royal Hunt of the Sun
Amadeus
Bernard Pomerance
The Elephant Man
Albert R. “Pete” Gurney
The Dining Room
Love Letters
And, to screw with your minds:
Woody Allen
Don’t Drink the Water
play it Again Sam
Neil Simon
Are you kidding? You need a list?
When I saw this title I immediately thought of two:
Benefactors by Michael Frayn. The writing of this play is absolutely extraordinary. Frayn is better known for his farce Noises Off, but I’ve always thought that if I ever wrote a play, I’d want it to be like Benefactors.
My favorite play, Talley’s Folly by Lanford Wilson.
Both of these award-winning modern plays should be available from the library.
Throw a twist at her and read Vaclav Havel’s Three Vanek Plays.
Cal Meacham recommended plays after my own heart, by the way.