The study of Naturalist theatre remains a staple and often foundational part of the curriculum at all levels of drama education. This anthology of six of the most commonly studied and revived Naturalist plays from the European repertoire offers a unique compendium that will serve as required reading for drama courses and is ideal for theatre practitioners and fans.
The selected plays perfectly reflect the formal and geographical diversity of Naturalist theatre as well as its major philosophical, political, and theatrical preoccupations. The volume includes Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House (1879), August Strindberg's Miss Julie (1888), Gerhart Hauptmann's The Weavers (1892), Bernard Shaw's Mrs Warren's Profession (1893), Anton Chekhov's Three Sisters (1901), and John Galsworthy's Strife (1909). A critical introduction by Dr. Chris Megson contextualizes the emergence of Naturalist theatre in the late nineteenth century, identifying its principal aims and methods; provides an analysis of the selected plays, mapping their key preoccupations; and ends by considering Naturalism's enduring legacy and resonance today.