Ruhl In an Hour
by James Al-Shamma
Summary
Before Sarah Ruhl became a writer, she was a storyteller, dictating stories to her mother as a young child. Later, her mother brought Ruhl to play rehearsals, where Ruhl took notes as she watched the world of theater open up before her eyes. But her love of words came from her father, a toy marketer, who adored puns and playing with language. Sadly, he died of cancer when Ruhl was twenty years old. Still, he influenced the plays she would go on to write, plays that meditate on death, love, and loss. A perfect example is Eurydice. Ruhl wrote the play, which premiered in 2003, as a final conversation with her father. Setting the playwright in context to her personal life, social, historical and political events, other writers of influence, and more, you will quickly gain a deep understanding of Sarah Ruhl and the plays she wrote. Read Ruhl in an Hour and experience her plays like never before. Know the playwright, love the play!
The book features:
• Ruhl in an Hour, the primary essay in the book
• Ruhl In a Minute, a snapshot chronology
• A complete listing of Ruhl's work
• A list of Ruhl's contemporaries in all fields
• Excerpts from Ruhl's major plays
• An extensive bibliography grouped according to type of reader
• An index of the main essay.
Playwrights in an Hour is a series devoted to the most produced and studied playwrights in the English language, from the Greek masters to contemporary writers, and written by leading authorities in the field. Each short book places the playwright and his or her work in historical, social, and literary context.
Author Bio
James Al-Shamma, a professor, director, and actor. "I first met Sarah Ruhl when she gave a presentation at the University of California, and remember that she mentioned a play in which a character becomes an almond (Melancholy Play). I was drawn into a comprehensive study of her work after reading Eurydice, and have followed her prolific career since.