# Two good plays to learn playwriting from? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 18, 2001, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-good-plays-to-learn-playwriting-from/82287 "2001-09-18T00:22:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ariadne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/71c47a/32.png) [@Ariadne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ariadne)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-good-plays-to-learn-playwriting-from/82287/1 "2001-09-18T00:22:19Z")
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 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![jcgmoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a9adbd/32.png) [@jcgmoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jcgmoi)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-good-plays-to-learn-playwriting-from/82287/2 "2001-09-18T01:31:10Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-good-plays-to-learn-playwriting-from/82287/3 "2001-09-18T01:45:57Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-good-plays-to-learn-playwriting-from/82287/4 "2001-09-18T02:22:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jcgmoi \* > \*\*David Mamet is pretty prominent. Two of his plays I’ve enjoyed (both also moviefied) are _Glengarry Glen Ross_ and _American Buffalo_. > \*\* 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. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-good-plays-to-learn-playwriting-from/82287/5 "2001-09-18T03:39:17Z")
“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?** ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-good-plays-to-learn-playwriting-from/82287/6 "2001-09-18T04:00:21Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![magdalene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df788c/32.png) [@magdalene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magdalene)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-good-plays-to-learn-playwriting-from/82287/7 "2001-09-18T17:33:41Z")
Throw a twist at her and read Vaclav Havel’s Three Vanek Plays. Cal Meacham recommended plays after my own heart, by the way.