A conversation with some of the playwrights on the American stage in the 1990s. There appears to be no particular criteria for selection, except the author is looking for playwrights who write ghosts - but he has an extremely broad definition, which fits more closely to memory or just autobiography. Some of the playwrights are very interesting, others not so much, but there is a lot to learn from this volume about inspiration and what playwrights want to see when their play is produced. Perhaps the most interesting was the first - Edward Albee. Albee is blunt and irascible, which can be refreshing when combined with a strong wit. The author's comments could have been left out; efforts to over-analyze plays or direct the authors toward accepting a particular interpretation of their work are met with resistance by many of the playwrights. And don't read the first chapter unless you want to realize what a strange idea the author has of what "proves" something. A decent resource for someone interested in theatre, but a bit discouraging for the aspiring playwright. ( )

Albee, Baitz, Gotanda, Hughes, Kushner, McNally, Parks, Rivera, Shange, Silver, Deavere Smith, Vogel, Wasserstein, Wellman, Wolfe