Although stage plays are primarily written to be seen, many are equally interesting to read! From Shakespeare to contemporary dramas, Writer’s Relief brings you this list of ten plays that are just as engaging and memorable to read as they are to see performed live on stage. You may even pick up some tips on how to keep your own audience on the edge of their seats!
A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams
This Pulitzer Prize-winning classic tells the story of Blanche Dubois, a southern belle whose tempestuous relationship with her sister’s husband, Stanley Kowalski, alters the course of her life forever.
brownsville song (b-side for tray) by Kimber Lee
Set against the gritty backdrop of rundown Brooklyn, brownsville song (b-side for tray) tells the poetic and powerful story of one family’s journey to hope and light after a tragedy rocks their world.
Lobby Hero by Kenneth Lonergan
From the Oscar-winning screenwriter of Manchester by the Sea comes a romantic comedy/drama about a slacker security guard who winds up getting involved in a local murder investigation. Actors Chris Evans and Michael Cera will star in a Broadway revival of this play in 2018. Read it before you see it!
The Flick by Annie Baker
Set in a rundown movie theatre that hosts one of the last 35 mm film cameras in the country, The Flick follows three cinema employees as they navigate love, friendship, and a world that seems to be losing its authenticity.
Hamlet by William Shakespeare
Shakespeare’s classic tragedy tells the tale of the Prince of Denmark’s quest to avenge the murder of his father.
The Crucible by Arthur Miller
An accusation of witchcraft turns a small Massachusetts town on its head in this classic Arthur Miller drama, written in response to the McCarthy witch hunts of the 1950s.
Fences by August Wilson
The original stage play that inspired the Oscar-winning film tells the story of Troy Maxim, a garbage man who is forced to confront his shattered dreams of being a star baseball player.
In The Blood by Suzan-Lori Parks
A powerful modern-day “riff” on Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, this play tells the story of Hester, a single mother who struggles against an unsympathetic society to provide a better life for her five children.
How I Learned to Drive by Paula Vogel
This controversial Pulitzer Prize-winning play features a young woman named Li’l Bit and her complex relationship with her uncle Peck.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany, and Jack Thorne
The eighth installment in the Harry Potter series finds the titular character’s son confronting the possible return of the same evil that nearly killed his father years before.
QUESTION: Tell us your favorite stage play—did you see it or read it?
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