One of the most exciting and produced American playwrights of the second half of this century, Sam Shepard's writing career began in 1964 and continues today. This book examines the playwright's canon first from the perspective of dramatic analysis and intertextuality in terms of theme and performance vocabulary, then from the director's perspective in interpretation for performance. The book is useful to the scholar, the theatre professional, and the theatre goer. Shepard's dramaturgy is analyzed both in terms of dramatic and cinematic influences and of its originality. The author examines how Shepard has synthesized these influences into the unique contemporary dramatic form which Graham terms «Metarealism.»

The Author: Laura J. Graham received her M.A. in English Literature and her Ph.D. in Theatre Arts from the University of California at Los Angeles. Her specializations include Critical Studies in Modern and Contemporary British and American Drama, Directing, and Studies in Performance Theory. An alumna of the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute, she has taught acting and served as the Producing Director of the four theatres which comprise the Lee Strasberg Creative Center, Inc., in Los Angeles. Dr. Graham has produced and directed many works by Sam Shepard including Tongues, Savage/Love (written in collaboration with Joseph Chaikin), Fool For Love, and Buried Child, which received awards for its performance and direction. She has served as a guest lecturer in Directing at UCLA and as adjunct faculty in the Fine Arts and Humanities at Antioch University, Los Angeles.