American significant playwrights - Research Paper Example

American Significant Playwrights Introduction A playwright refers to an individual who writes plays. They are also referred to as dramatists or dramaturge (Morrison 2). This paper will research on two significant American playwrights and clarify why they are significant or influential, including an analysis of some their plays. The two playwrights in this research are William Dean Howells and David Belasco. Both of the playwrights lived in the 19th century. David BelascoHe was born on 25 July 1853 in San Francisco, California.

His Jewish parents, at that time, had relocated from London, England. This was during the Gold Rush era. He started his job in a San Francisco theatre doing a range of routine posts such as script copier and callboy (Belasco 1). Throughout his extensive career, which stretched from 1884 to 1930, he wrote over 100 Broadway plays including The Heart of Maryland, Hearts of Oak, and Du Barry. This put him out as the most influential celebrity in the New York City drama scene. In his influential part, he liked the existing theatre technology and wanted expand on it.

Belascos New York theatres were set on advanced technology. When he took control of the Republic Theatre, he created a fresh basement stage to contain his equipment. The Stuyvesant Theatre was set up with vast amounts of hydraulics systems, lighting rigs and fly space (Belasco 56). The basement of the theater had an operational machine shop where he experimented with significant effects such as lighting among others. Many of the modernisms adopted in the Belasco shop were sold to other theater owners.

William Dean HowellsHowells was born on 1 March 1837. He was an American literary critic and a realist. He was born in Ohio. His parents were Mary Dean and William Cooper Howells. His father was an editor and a printer of a local newspaper and travelled regularly around Ohio. Howells began to assist William Copper with printing and typesetting work in their early days. In 1852, his father organized to have one of Howells poetry put in the Ohio State Weekly without Howells’ knowledge. The poem was treated with considerable reception by analysts, and this was the breaking point for Howells as a playwright (Belier 135).

He put into writing his first book, Their Wedding Journey, in 1872. His literary repute started with the pragmatist book, A Modern Instance. Its publication was in 1882, and it explained the recent crumble of marriages in the society. His writings were gathered in 1873 and 1886, and a series of the writings printed in 1895 under the heading Stops of Various Quills. He was the originator of the American Institution of Realists which originated from the Russians. He normally encouraged writers to come up with new writings through which he discovered new ideas of setting plays (Belier 173).

In conclusion, Howells thought on realism is nothing more than a truthful treatment of literature material. These two playwrights made significant impacts in the American play scene. They should be recognized for the valuable work they put out in the field of theaters and plays. It is because of their efforts that modern theaters stand in the world today. Works CitedBelasco, David. Theatre through Its Stage Door. New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1919. Print. Belier, Everett. The Checklist of Fantastic Literature.

Chicago: Shasta Publishers, 1948. Print. Morrison, William. Broadway Theatres: History and architecture. New York: Dover Publications, 1999. Print.