Interrogating America Through Theatre And Performance

Interrogating Americalooks at American culture and politics from the lens of American theatre and drama, drawing from specialists in the field of theatre to reflect upon the role of theatre in the creation of the American cultural and political milieu. The essays confront such iconic concepts as the American Dream and the American Melting Pot, addressing issues such as American enfranchisement and historical limitations placed on the idea of inclusion based on class, race, and gender. Together, the essays create a portrait of the dynamic give-and-take that is central to the idea of Americanness and America itself.

William W. Demastes is Professor of English at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge. He has published widely on modern and American theatre and drama, including the books Staging Consciousness (2002), Theatre of Chaos (1998), and Beyond Naturalism (1988).
 
Iris Smith Fischer is Associate Professor of English at the University of Kansas, where she teaches modern and contemporary U.S. and comparative drama, performance studies, and literary theory. Her articles have appeared in American Theatre, Theatre Journal, Theatre Topics, TDR, Theatre Survey, and other journals.