Applause is proud to continue the series that for over 70 years has been
the standard of excellence for one-act plays in America. As previous
series editor Ramon Delgado wrote in his introduction to The Best
American Short Plays of 1989, the choice of entries for each edition has
been based on the same goal: to include a balance among three categories
of playwrights: 1) established playwrights who continue to practice the
art and craft of the short play, 2) emerging playwrights whose record of
productions indicate both initial achievement and continuing artistic
productivity, and 3) talented new playwrights whose work may not have
had much exposure but evidences promise for the future. 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,
David Mamet, and Horton Foote. This volume, Bill Demastes' first edition
as series editor, illustrates how well the short play can grapple with
the many dimensions of love. The selected plays present unique
perspectives on the wide range of love's impact on our lives, each
giving a thoroughly modern twist to the idea that life would be so much
easier (but also much less interesting) if we could only avoid love's
mercurial influence.
