The most famous Theatre company in America, The Group Theatre, only produced 23 plays in their 10 year existence, and only a few of those are currently in print. Though they shaped the future of America drama, many of these plays have been long out of print, or were never published. For the first time EVER, 2 of these plays see publication for the first time ever - Nellise Child's WEEP FOR THE VIRGINS and Robery Ardrey's CASEY JONES finally see publication in this volume, along with Mr. Ardrey's classic THUNDER ROCK Weep for the Virgins: A Bitter Comedy by Nellise Child was presented by the Group in 1935 under the direction of Cheryl Crawford and featured the talents of Jules Garfield, Phoebe Brand, Eunice Stoddard, J.E. Bromberg, Margaret Barker and many more. In Weep, we meet the Jobes: 3 sisters, the original dance mom, a father with dreams of fortunes in frog legs, and his Bible toting, quoting mother. Employed by The Blue Ocean Cannery, the untalented sisters are lead to believe they will have famous lives waiting for them... if only they can get to Hollywood, by whatever means it takes. Act by act, each of the sisters meets her ruin, driven there by their mother's poisonous love. In the first on his two plays for the Group Theatre, Casey Jones, Robert Ardrey tells a tale of man fixated on a machine. Like his namesake of the famous ballad, Casey grows up a man of the railroad. So much so, that he often neglects his family in favor of his career and his love for his locomotive. As he approaches his 50th birthday and begins to have trouble with his eyesight, his days with the railroad may be coming to an end, and he is forced to question his identity. Nearly a century before our obesseion with the computer, iPad, and other gadgets seem to consume our everyday life, Ardrey predicted how man would become "willing slaves to their machines." In the classic play Thunder Rock, successful author and former reporter, David Charleston becomes so disturbed by the state of the world; he takes a job as a lighthouse keeper and the sole resident of Thunder Rock Island. When he notices a memorial plaque dedicated to a sailing ship of immigrants who fatally crashed on the island 90 years prior, he starts to imagine how ideal life was in their time. Soon, they begin appearing to him. At first he controls them, until they decide to teach him about the eternal struggles of life. This classic play became one of the most important plays in Europe during World War II and played continuously in London throughout the bombings.

For the first time in over 75 years, three of the 'lost' plays presented by the famed Group Theatre are now back in print. A huge part of American Theatrical History is now available to the public The book features '1931-' by Claire and Paul Sifton, and 'Success Story' and 'Gentlewoman' by John Howard Lawson. Foreword by the legendary Estelle Parsons, with additional material by George Bartenieff, Jonathan Chambers, Jeffrey Lawson and Allie Mulholland. '1931-' by Claire & Paul Sifton is the story of Adam, who is fired from his warehouse job at the start of the play. Proud and determined, he sets out to find another job, only to find hundreds of other men in the same situation. Without a paycheck, Adam soon realizes how much he has to lose; health, dignity, hope, and possibly even the young shop girl he loves. Alternately, it is the story of all the men, young and old in Adam's situation. These are the men who sleep in the parks, beg for coins and even turn to crime when there seems to be no other option. When their story and Adam's comes to a head at the gripping finale, there is only one way left to turn: revolution. One of the preeminent playwrights of the early 20th century, John Howard Lawson was the first playwright to have 2 plays presented by the Group Theatre. SUCCESS STORY is a classic tale of ambition, the American Dream and what actually constitutes "success." Set in the New York advertising agency, we follow the rise of Sol Ginsburg and his struggles for contentment, before and after, the 1929 stockmarket crash. In 1934, The Group presented Mr. Lawson's GENTLEWOMAN. It is the story of socialite, Mrs. Gwyn Ballantine, who falls for the "inspired Bohemian" Rudy Flannigan. After it is discovered her husband has been committing scandalous business deals, Gwyn is tempted to pursue her passions for the poet Flannigan, despite their conflicting social standing. Can she turn her back on her privileged status and extravagant tastes in the name of love?