Over 300 gay men share their private, sexual experiences, all anonymous and all true. From childhood into retirement, these vivid stories describe the joys, the challenges, the threat, the guilt experienced by men needing physical contact with others. A candid book of erotic stories, this is a frank commentary on gays in a homophobic world. Whether an active search or an accidental encounter, these adventures happened wherever men gather, from gay bar to cinema, from bathhouse to bookstore, as well as travel, camping, resorts. First time or seasoned, students, brothers, strangers, friends, married, divorced. Perhaps you have been there, or perhaps you might discover what you've been missing. "Gay Adventures is a record of the complicated realities of many gay men's lives. . . . speaking truthfully about erotic longings and sexual needs." -Michael Bronski "These stories need to be preserved. They are writing the history of male-male sex and desire." -Jonathan Ned Katz

"Messiah of the New Technique: John Howard Lawson, Communism, and American Theatre, 1923-1937 "is a critical and political biography and a cultural and social history that focuses on Lawson's career in the theatre. Using a materialist methodology, Jonathan L. Chambers emphasizes the evolution and interplay of the playwright's artistic vision and political ideology, considering his art as both a documentation of this evolution and a product of the socio-political and cultural matrix in which he was immersed.

Spanning the playwright's career, the volume details Lawson's early indoctrination in and commitment to the avant-garde, his use and development of various nonrealistic playwriting techniques, his subtle though unfocused attacks on bourgeois society, and the varied critical responses he received. Chambers addresses Lawson's involvement with the New Playwrights' Theatre and his participation in the protests surrounding the case of Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, which stimulated his growing commitment to left-wing politics and radical causes.

Chambers also analyzes the social and cultural factors that shaped Lawson's growing interest in revolutionary politics, his tutelage in Marxism under Edmund Wilson, and his tenure as president of the Screen Writers Guild. He also covers the final phase of Lawson's playwriting career, which reveals the playwright's internal struggle. That struggle, suggests Chambers, pitted Lawson's view of aesthetics against his political ideology and is reflected in his scripts and theoretical writings.

"Messiah of the New Technique" provides a wealth of new material about both the playwright and the period, offering a criticalsynopsis of the artist's career, addressing his often vehement rebuttals to his critics, and summarizing both his political activism and his creative and critical endeavors in the last forty years of his life.

"Our Land Is Made of Courage and Glory: Nationalist Performance of Nicaragua and Guatemala "adds to a growing and timely body of work on nationalist drama. Examining important twentieth-century plays that few people have written about in English, E. J. Westlake analyzes the phenomenon of nation as performance by focusing on the definition of a people, national metaphors, and the uses of national history.

Westlake discerns the common characteristics that constitute nationalist plays, a genre that seeks to legitimate the nature of a nation by defining its boundaries, race, language, citizens, and history. Particularly relevant in an era influenced by imperialism, migration, and globalization, the volume probes the concepts of nation and nationalism in the context of postcolonial literary and performance theory.

"Our Land Is Made of Courage and Glory "covers the political and theatrical history of Nicaragua and Guatemala. Westlake examines how the blending of races factors into nationalism with a look at the play "El tren amarillo "by Manuel Galich and uses Nobel laureate Miguel Angel Asturias's "Soluna "to show how nationalists appropriate Mayan culture to create a sense of the Guatemalan people and culture. She discusses the mapping of history as a linear progression in Alan Bolt's "Banana republic "and as a cycle of patricide in "Por los caminos van los campesinos "by Pablo Cuadra. Westlake also suggests that Rolando Steiner's "La noche de Wiwili, "a play taken from an eyewitness account, acts as a site of official national memory, and she examines as well the canonizing of the folk ballet "El Gueguence "to further explore the notion of sites of memory versus lived memory.

Raising essential questions about the future of nationalism and nationalist performance, "Our Land Is Made of Courage and Glory "will be of interest to scholars and students in drama, Latin American theatre studies, political science, and history.

"A superb tribute to theatrical pioneers--"The Gay and Lesbian Theatrical Legacy" is required reading for both theatre scholars and gay/lesbian/bisexual history aficionados. A fascinating journey awaits them all in this highly recommended volume." --"Broadside: Newsletter of the Theatre Library Association""" "The Gay and Lesbian Theatrical Legacy "collects in a single volume biographies of more than one hundred notable figures whose careers flourished in the years before the 1969 Stonewall Riots marked the beginning of the gay and lesbian civil rights movement in the United States. The leading lights in American theater have included innumerable individuals whose sexualities have deviated from prevailing norms, but this history has until recently been largely unwritten and unknown. This book contributes" "significantly to the recovery of this history, fashioning a much fuller, more nuanced portrait of American theater as it evolved and shedding light on the influence that sexual desire may have had on professional choices, relationships, and artistic achievements. "The Gay and Lesbian Theatrical Legacy "collects biographies and portraits of influential actors, playwrights, composers, directors, designers, dancers, producers, managers, critics, choreographers, and technicians who made their mark on the American theater. Its broad coverage provides an extended glimpse into lives and careers that intersected and into networks of affiliation that made theatrical history and, by extension, social and cultural history. The late Billy J. Harbin was Professor of Theater, Louisiana State University. Kim Marra is Associate Professor of Theater, University of Iowa. Robert A. Schanke is Professorof Theater Emeritus, Central College, Pella, Iowa.

The first full-length biography of stage actress Eva Le Gallienne traces her life from her birth into the troubled but fascinating household of Richard Le Gallienne, British writer and intimate member of the Oscar Wilde circle, to her recent death. This comprehensive biography of the actress Rex Reed called ""a national treasure"" draws upon Robert A. Schanke's interviews and correspondence not only with Le Gallienne but also with more than one hundred of her colleagues and friends, including Glenda Jackson, Burgess Meredith, Eli Wallach, Peter Falk, Ellen Burstyn, Anne Jackson, Farley Granger, Jane Alexander, Uta Hagen, and Rosemary Harris. Forty-two illustrations offer highlights of Le Gallienne's many notable performances in such plays as Hedda Gabler, Liliom, The Cherry Orchard, Peter Pan, Camille, Mary Stuart, The Royal Family, and The Dream Watcher. Behind her public role as famous actress and as the founding and maintaining force of the first civic repertory theatre in the United States, Eva Le Gallienne led a private life troubled by her personal struggle with lesbianism. For more than fifty years she lived in shadows. Like many lesbians of her generation, she viewed herself as a man trapped in a female body. Because she was unwilling to compromise and hide her true self in a convenient marriage or to camouflage her relationships in order to boost her career, her sexuality became a nemesis that defined her great need for privacy. Le Gallienne complained that her lesbianism ruined her career. And as Robert Schanke points out, it also influenced her selection of scripts, management practices, and style of acting, ultimately affecting her work's critical reception. By presenting for the first time this complete account of the life of one of the theatre's great talents, Schanke provides his audience with a fascinating story that also serves as a barometer of the changing values, tastes, and attitudes of American society.

This is the first published resource on the life and seventy-year theatrical career of award-winning actress Eva Le Gallienne. It traces Le Gallienne's acting debut in 1914, her travels to the United States, and the successes and failures of her New York City repertory theatres. Also noted are Le Gallienne's critically acclaimed performances in such plays as Liliom, The Swan, The Master Builder, Hedda Gabler, The Three Sisters, The Cherry Orchard, The Seagull, Camille, Romeo and Juliet, Alice in Wonderland, Mary Stuart, and The Royal Family. The book covers not only her Broadway engagements, but also her many lecture and theatre tours. Also highlighted are her receipt of the National Medal of Arts presented by President Ronald Reagan and the National Artist Award presented by the American National Theatre and Academy. The book is divided into six parts--a biography, a chronology focusing on the highlights of Le Gallienne's career, a list of all productions (stage, film, television, radio, and discography), an annotated bibliography of all items written by Le Gallienne, an annotated bibliography of over 300 items written about Le Gallienne in books, magazines, and newspapers, and a list of archival resources. The section of productions includes such information as titles, authors, directors, producers, venue, casts, designers, length of run, and locations of reviews. This book is an invaluable resource for courses in American Theater, Theater History, American Studies, Introduction to Theater, Women's Theater, Women's Studies, and Introduction to Film.

This comprehensive biography of the actress film critic Rex Reed called "a national treasure" draws on Robert A. Schanke's interviews and correspondence not only with Eva Le Gallienne but also with more than one hundred of her colleagues and friends, including Glenda Jackson, Burgess Meredith, Eli Wallach, Peter Falk, Ellen Burstyn, Anne Jackson, Farley Granger, Jane Alexander, Uta Hagen, and Rosemary Harris. Forty-two illustrations offer highlights of Le Gallienne's many notable performances in such plays as "Hedda Gabler," " Liliom," " The Cherry Orchard," " Peter Pan," " Camille," " Mary Stuart," " The Royal Family," ""and "The Dream Watcher."

Behind her public role as a famous actress and as the founding and maintaining force of the first civic repertory theatre in the United States, Eva Le Gallienne led a private life complicated by her identity as a lesbian. Schanke considers Le Gallienne's sexuality and how it played a role in the struggles, defeats, and triumphs that combined to inspire her greatness. "Shattered Applause," a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Nonfiction, tells a fascinating story that also serves as a barometer of the changing values, tastes, and attitudes of American society.

This title examines the life and achievements of a theater legend. ""Rediscovering Mordecai Gorelik"" explores the life and work of the pioneering scene designer whose career spanned decades in American theater. Anne Fletcher's insightful volume draws intriguing parallels and contrasts between Gorelik's productions and the theatrical movements of the twentieth century, exposing the indelible mark he left on the stage. Through in-depth analysis of his letters, diaries, designs, and theoretical works, Fletcher examines the ways in which Gorelik's productions can be used as a mirror to reflect the shifting dramatic landscapes of his times. Fletcher places Gorelik against the colorful historical backdrops that surrounded him - including the avant-garde movement of the 1920s, World War II, the Cold War, and absurdism - using the designer's career as a window into the theater during these eras. Within these cultural contexts, Gorelik sought to blaze his own unconventional path through the realms of theater and theory. Fletcher traces Gorelik's tenures with such companies as the Provincetown Players, the Theatre Guild, and the Theatre Union, as well as his relationships with icons such as Bertolt Brecht, revealing how his interactions with others influenced his progressive designs and thus set the stage for major dramatic innovations. In particular, Fletcher explores Gorelik's use of scenic metaphor: the employment of stage design techniques to subtly enhance the tone or mood of a production. Fletcher also details the designer's written contributions to criticism and theory, including the influential volume ""New Theatres for Old"", as well as other articles and publications. In addition to thorough examinations of several of Gorelik's most famous projects, ""Rediscovering Mordecai Gorelik"" contains explications of productions by such legends as John Howard Lawson, Clifford Odets, and Arthur Miller. Also included are numerous full-color and black-and-white illustrations of Gorelik's work, most of which have never been available to the public until now. More than simply a portrait of one man, this indispensable volume is a cultural history of American theater as seen through the career of a visionary designer and theoretician.

Angels in the American Theater: Patrons, Patronage, and Philanthropy examines the significant roles that theater patrons have played in shaping and developing theater in the United States. Because box office income rarely covers the cost of production, other sources are vital. Angels - financial investors and backers - have a tremendous impact on what happens on stage, often determining with the power and influence of their money what is conceived, produced, and performed. But in spite of their influence, very little has been written about these philanthropists. Composed of sixteen essays and fifteen illustrations, ""Angels in the American Theater"" explores not only how donors became angels, but also their backgrounds, motivations, policies, limitations, support, and successes and failures. Subjects range from millionaires Otto Kahn and the Lewisohn sisters to foundation giants Ford, Rockefeller, Disney, and Clear Channel. The first book to focus on theater philanthropy, ""Angels in the American Theater"" employs both a historical and a chronological format and focuses on individual patrons, foundations, and corporations.

In this first book-length biography of Mercedes de Acosta, theatre historian Robert A. Schanke adroitly mines lost archival materials and mixes in his own interviews with de Acosta's intimates to correct established myths and at last construct an accurate, detailed, and vibrant portrait of the flamboyantly uninhibited early-twentieth-century author, poet, and playwright. Born to wealthy Spanish immigrants, Mercedes de Acosta (1893-1968) lived in opulence and traveled in the same social circles as the Astors and Vanderbilts. Introduced to the New York theater scene at an early age, her dual loves of performance and of women informed every aspect of her life thereafter. Alice B. Toklas's observation, "Say what you will about Mercedes, she's had the most important women in the twentieth century," was well justified, as her romantic conquests included such internationally renowned beauties as Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich, Isadora Duncan, and Eva Le Gallienne as well as Alla Nazimova, Tamara Karsavina, Pola Negri, and Ona Munson. More than a record of her personal life and infamous romances, this account offers the first analysis of the complete oeuvre of de Acosta's literary works, including three volumes of poetry, two novels, two film scripts, and a dozen plays. Although only two of her plays were ever published during her lifetime, four of them were produced, featuring such stage luminaries as John Gielgud, Ralph Richardson, and Eva Le Gallienne. Critics praised her first volume of poetry, "Moods, "in 1919 and predicted her rise to literary fame, but the love of other women that fueled her writing also limited her opportunities to fulfill this destiny. Failing to achieve any lastingfame, she died in relative poverty at the age of seventy-five. De Acosta lived her desires publicly with verve and vigor at a time when few others would dare, and for that, she paid the price of marginalized obscurity. Until now. With ""That Furious Lesbian" "Schanke at last establishes Mercedes de Acosta's rightful place as a pioneer--and indeed a champion--in the early struggle for lesbian rights in this country. Robert A. Schanke has edited a companion to this biography, "Women in Turmoil: Six Plays by Mercedes de Acosta, "also available from Southern Illinois University Press.

"Staging Desire" gathers critical and biographical essays on notable stage personalities who made their mark before 1969, when the Stonewall riots accelerated the lesbian and gay rights movement in the United States. How they staged their unconventional sexualities greatly influenced the course of their personal and professional lives, and thus the course of American theater history. The book builds on an earlier collection--the well-received "Passing Performances, " which focused on actors, directors, producers, and agents--by examining playwrights, lyricists, critics, and designers. Shaping theatrical representations from offstage, these practitioners exploited the special opportunities theater offered as a complex and many-layered medium for expression of transgressive desire.
Essays cover the careers of major figures Clyde Fitch, Rachel Crothers, Mercedes de Acosta, Djuna Barnes, Cole Porter, Lorenz Hart, George Kelly, William Inge, James "Acorn" Oaks, Adam "Vagabond" Badeau, Eric Bentley, Loie Fuller, Robert Edmond Jones, and Jean Rosenthal. Grounded in research into the history of sexuality, the book engages central problems of terminology and evidence in analyzing sexual practices of the past and the modes of articulation of sexuality in theater, conditioned by American culture's peculiar anxieties about both.
Kim Marra is Associate Professor of Theatre Arts, University of Iowa. Robert A. Schanke is Professor of Theatre, Central College, Iowa. They edited "Passing Performances: Queer Readings of Leading Players in American Theater History, " a previous volume in this series.