Applause is proud to continue the series that for over 70 years has been
the standard of excellence for one-act plays in America. From its
inception, The Best American Short Plays has identified new,
cutting-edge playwrights who have gone on to establish award-winning
careers, including Tennessee Williams, Edward Albee, Wendy Wasserstein,
Terrence McNally, and David Mamet. The complex and diverse plays that
make up this collection reflect both personal concerns and social
issues. The 2008-2009 edition includes A Second of Pleasure, by Neil
LaBute; St. Francis Preaches to the Birds, by David Ives; The Stormy
Waters, The Long Way Home, by Carey Lovelace; Early Morning, by Eric
Lane; Sisters, by Adam Kraar, Maria Filimon, and Tasnim Mansur; Little
Duck, by Billy Aronson; A Portrait of the Woman as a Young Artist, by
Meg Miroshnik; Slapped Actress, by Emily Conbere; The Last Artist in
NYC, by Polly Frost and Ray Sawhill; THE TRUE AUTHOR of the plays
formerly attributed to Mister William Shakespeare REVEALED to the world
for the first time by Miss Delia Bacon, by James Armstrong; The Lovers
and Others of Eugene O'Neill, by Marla Del Collins; III, by Joe
Salvatore; Pete & Joe at the Dew Drop Inn, by Lewis Gardner; Decades
Apart, by Rick Pulos; 508, by Amy Herzog; and Naked Old Man, by Murray
Schisgal.