Plays & Screenplays | Books & Reading

There are many plays and an increasing number of screen plays available to purchase. These range from plays that belong to classic literature through to modern plays and to screen plays adapted from or based on recent films. Plays can be bought for the use of study as many famous plays are used for this purpose at schools, colleges and university or for pleasure, for amateur dramatic societies or as a gift. Buying second hand is often a good idea as the price is considerably lower and the more famous ones are usually readily available as there have been so many editions. It is important to check, however, whether the edition you are buying is the one you want, particularly if it is for the purpose of study! There are examination boards who insist upon particular editions.

Classic Plays
There are few famous classic plays that were written before the Renaissance period in Europe, however the Greek tragedies are probably amongst the few that have sustained interest over the years, such as 'Antigone'.

Shakespeare, however, is the forerunner for most of the work produced during the Renaissance period after writing his own famous plays and prose. He is perhaps best known for producing history plays such as 'Henry V' and 'Richard 111' as well as tragedies such as 'Romeo and Juliet' and 'Hamlet' and also comedies such as 'The Taming of the Shrew' and 'Midsummer Night's Dream.' These and other Shakespeare plays have been adapted for the big screen in more recent times showing the enduring popularity and relevance of his work today. Thereafter followed a set of European plays (mainly tragedies) by numerous playwrights including famous plays such as 'The Duchess of Malfi', 'The Spanish Tragedy' and 'A Woman Killed with Kindness'. These plays are often used for the purpose of study and the second hand prices are considerably lower than those of brand new copies. The study of Shakespeare at secondary school is mandatory therefore it is always useful to purchase copies of Shakespeare plays at reduced prices for this purpose.

Plays of the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century
The plays of these two centuries were focused somewhat on turning the novel into a stage play and adaptations include Jonathan Swift's 'Gulliver's Travels', a contemporary novel. Subsequent adaptations were also popular and ran for many years although not enjoying the same popularity as Swift's original works today. Following this were more experimental plays such as those by Gilbert and Sullivan. Oscar Wilde also wrote some plays just before the turn of the century and is known for his tragedy, 'Salome' and also his comedy, 'The Importance of Being Earnest' which has now been adapted as a film.

Twentieth Century Plays
Many famous plays were written during the last century as the popularity of the play increased both in Europe and America. In the earlier part of the century later writers received inspiration from the likes of Bernard Shaw and J B Priestly, who wrote, 'An Inspector Calls' which is frequently used for study at GCSE level. Also providing inspiration for later writers was Dylan Thomas who penned the very famous 'Under Milkwood' which is often still performed today. Across the ocean, American play writers were beginning to produce excellent work, although from Northern and Southern perspectives as opposed to different countries within Britain. The American plays include the famous plays of Tennessee Williams who wrote 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof' and Arthur Miller who wrote 'Death of a Salesman' and 'The Crucible.' Both Miller and Williams are American playwrights but are studied on both sides of the Atlantic.

Around the same period when these were written - or just after - European playwrights began to experiment with writing post-modern plays. These authors include Samuel Beckett who famously wrote, 'Waiting for Godot' and Harold Pinter, who wrote most famously, 'The Dumb Waiter' and 'The Birthday Party.' While these texts are more likely to be studied at university they are also good plays to use, particularly for a small drama or theatrical group and can also be an enjoyable short read.

Screenplays
It was not until late into the twentieth century that screen plays became popular as an increasing number of existing plays, novels, scripts and short stories began to be adapted for film. As a result there is now an increasing interest in screenplays particularly for the more successful films. There are many films that have precipitated plays scripts such as 'Gregory's Girl' which can be studied at secondary school but also there are screenplays of the films themselves. 'Trainspotting' has been made into a film, adapted from the novel of the same name by Irvine Welsh but it has also been produced as a screenplay on the back of the success of the film. Interestingly, as a result Welsh has begun writing his own stage plays as well as novels including the successful, 'You will have had your Hole.' Well known current writers such as Welsh have made the theatre more popular assisting the careers of others. Janice Galloway, also a Scottish playwright, has enjoyed success with 'The Trick is to Keep Breathing,' for example. With screen plays and plays written in the last twenty or thirty years such as Carole King's 'Top Girls' and novel adaptation, even from children's books, such as 'The Turbulent Term of Tyke Tyler', the number of plays and screenplays is greater than ever and there is a huge number to choose from for a drama group, school, college or university or as an accompaniment to your favourite film.

Buying Plays and Screenplays
If you need to buy a play or screenplay then buying second hand is a good idea -- or buying at internet prices as these will be considerably cheaper. Both screenplays and plays are relatively inexpensive, particularly in soft back form and buying online also means you may be able to find one that is currently out of print and unavailable elsewhere. However if you are looking for first edition or original or signed copies then, you should look at antiquarian books as these will be listed separately and are likely to fetch a much higher price.