THE
BEST PLAYS OF 2004–2005
BOOK HONORS MAMET, SHANLEY, WILSON, VOGEL
NEW YORK
(July 21, 2005) - Continuing a tradition that dates back to 1920, when Burns
Mantle founded the annual Best Plays
Theater Yearbook, the Best Plays of
2004-2005 were announced today by editor Jeffrey Eric Jenkins.
For the 86th
edition, the annual chronicle of United States theater honors 10 new plays. In
addition to the Best Plays of 2004–2005, the series also honors three
regional plays cited in the American
Theatre Critics/Steinberg New Play Awards and Citations competition, and
will provide a comprehensive collection of facts and figures about the year in
United States theater. The 2005 ATCA/Steinberg honorees include After
Ashley by Gina Gionfriddo (essayist,
Elizabeth Maupin), The
Clean House by Sarah Ruhl
(essayist, Michele Volansky) and Singing
Forest by Craig Lucas
(essayist, Misha Berson).
The Best
Plays of 2004–2005 were chosen from Broadway, Off Broadway and Off Off
Broadway productions of new plays that opened between June 1, 2004 and May 31,
2005. The choices were made by the editor after consultation with the Best Plays Theater Yearbook editorial
board, which includes Robert Brustein,
Tish Dace, Christine Dolen, Robert
Hurwitt, John Istel, Chris Jones, Julius Novick, Michael
Phillips, Christopher Rawson, Alisa Solomon, Jeffrey Sweet, Linda Winer and
Charles Wright. Mel Gussow was also a member of the editorial board until his
recent death.
Published
by Limelight Editions, the 86th
edition of The Best Plays Theater
Yearbook will be dedicated to the memory of longtime Best Plays collaborator, critic Mel Gussow. At his death, Gussow
had written essays on Off Off Broadway for 23 editions of The Best Plays Theater Yearbook. Always searching for the fresh,
the new and the lively in theater, Gussow had a profound and lasting impact on
the art form in the United States. His colleagues at Best Plays mourn his passing and strongly agree with former editor
Henry Hewes, who recently said of Gussow, “He’s
irreplaceable.” For the 86th edition, editorial board member John Istel
will create an Off Off Broadway essay employing interviews with critics and
creators to provide an overview of the OOB season. Editor Jenkins will continue
to survey the Broadway and Off Broadway season.
Each of
the Best Plays of 2004–2005
will be celebrated in an essay to be published in The Best Plays Theater Yearbook 2004–2005. The Best Plays of
2004–2005 (in alphabetical order):
After Ashley by Gina Gionfriddo
Essay by Elizabeth Maupin
Brooklyn Boy by Donald Margulies
Essay by Michael Feingold
Democracy by Michael Frayn
Essay by Chris Jones
Doubt, a Parable by John Patrick Shanley
Essay by Jeremy McCarter
Gem of the Ocean by August Wilson
Essay by Christopher Rawson
Guantánamo: Honor Bound to Defend Freedom by Victoria
Brittain & Gillian Slovo
Essay by Charles Wright
Hot ’n’ Throbbing by Paula
Vogel
Essay by David Savran
A Number by Caryl Churchill
Essay by Robert Hurwitt
The Pillowman by Martin McDonagh
Essay by John Istel
Romance by David Mamet
Essay by Robert Vorlicky
Mailing address:
Jeffrey Eric Jenkins
Best Plays
825 President Street
Brooklyn, NY 11215-1405
Phone: 718-789-5553
E-mail: editor@bestplaysonline.com
