"A Streetcar Named Desire" is a classic American play that explores themes of desire, desperation, and decay through the story of Blanche DuBois, a former schoolteacher from a once-wealthy Southern family who moves in with her sister Stella and her brutish husband Stanley in their cramped apartment in New Orleans. As Blanche grapples with her own past traumas and the harsh realities of her present situation, her mental state deteriorates, leading to a tragic end. The play presents a stark contrast between the genteel Old South and the gritty, working-class reality of post-WWII America.

"Long Day's Journey Into Night" is a semi-autobiographical play that explores the complex dynamics of a family tormented by addiction and regret. The narrative follows the Tyrone family, composed of two parents and their two adult sons, over the course of a single day. As the day progresses, the family members engage in soul-baring conversations that reveal their individual struggles with alcohol and drug addiction, their deep-seated resentments, and the love that binds them together despite their flaws. The play is a poignant examination of the human condition, familial bonds, and the destructive power of addiction.

This classic play explores the life of a failing salesman who, in his quest for the American Dream, struggles with his relationships and his own sense of reality. The protagonist's life spirals into despair as he grapples with his unfulfilled ambitions, strained family dynamics, and ultimately, his own mortality. The narrative delves deep into the themes of identity, illusion, and the destructive nature of the American Dream.

The play explores the dreams and struggles of a Black family living on Chicago's South Side in the 1950s. When the family receives a $10,000 insurance check after the father's death, each member has different ideas about how to use the money. The mother wishes to buy a house to fulfill her late husband's dream of providing a better home for the family, while her son wants to invest in a liquor store to secure their financial future. The daughter seeks to use part of the money for her medical school tuition. Their conflicting aspirations and the pervasive racism of the era put a strain on the family's unity and values, as they strive to find their place in a world that often seems to work against them.

A memory play set in St. Louis during the Great Depression, it follows the story of the Wingfield family. The protagonist, Tom, struggles with his role as the breadwinner for his overbearing mother, Amanda, and his physically and emotionally fragile sister, Laura, who spends her time with her collection of glass animals. The family's life takes a turn when Tom invites a gentleman caller home for dinner to meet Laura, causing tensions to rise and secrets to unfold.

Set during the Salem Witch Trials in the late 17th century, this play explores the hysteria, deceit, and religious extremism that plague a small Puritan village in Massachusetts. The protagonist, a flawed but essentially good man, is caught in a web of accusations when young girls in the town start displaying strange behavior and accusing others of witchcraft. The ensuing trials reveal not only the dangers of mass hysteria and false accusations, but also the destructive power of societal pressures and the human capacity for both cruelty and heroism.

"Mourning Becomes Electra" is a trilogy of plays that retells the Oresteia story of the House of Atreus in a modern American setting. The narrative explores the themes of revenge, obsession, and guilt within the Mannon family, who are haunted by a dark, cursed past. The plot follows the aftermath of the American Civil War, with the characters struggling to escape their tragic fate, ultimately leading to their downfall.

This play is a poignant depiction of life in a small American town called Grover's Corners, New Hampshire, at the turn of the 20th century. Through the everyday lives of its citizens, the narrative explores universal themes of love, marriage, mortality, and the passage of time. The story is narrated by a stage manager who directly addresses the audience and interacts with the characters, guiding viewers through the experiences of two families, the Gibbs and the Webbs. The play's minimalist staging and meta-theatrical elements emphasize the ephemeral nature of human existence, encouraging the audience to appreciate the beauty of life's ordinary moments.

"The Iceman Cometh" is a play set in a New York City bar in 1912, featuring a group of down-and-out alcoholics who spend their days in a state of drunken stupor, telling tall tales and dreaming of better futures. The arrival of a former patron, now sober, disrupts their routine as he insists on forcing them to face the harsh realities of their lives and abandon their delusions. The play is a poignant exploration of despair, disillusionment, and the human capacity for self-deception.

The play explores the life of an African American family in the 1950s, focusing on the complex relationships between a father, who once aspired to be a professional baseball player but was thwarted by racial discrimination, and his family. The father's bitterness and frustrations over his unfulfilled dreams and the racial barriers of his time manifest in his relationships with his sons, who have their own hopes and ambitions. The narrative delves into themes of generational conflict, racial inequality, and the struggle for personal fulfillment, all symbolized by the fence the father builds around his yard, which serves as a metaphor for both division and protection.

The play is a profound and complex exploration of the AIDS crisis in the 1980s, intertwining the lives of several characters grappling with their sexuality, religion, and politics. Set against the backdrop of a conservative Reagan-era America, it delves into themes of abandonment, race, and the supernatural, as characters confront personal and societal challenges. The narrative weaves together the stories of a gay man diagnosed with AIDS, his closeted and conflicted lover, a Mormon couple facing their own crises, and a notorious real-life lawyer, Roy Cohn, also battling AIDS. Ethereal beings, including a heralding angel, intersect with the characters' lives, adding a fantastical dimension to the play's commentary on human suffering, redemption, and the quest for justice and love.

The play is a darkly comedic exploration of the volatile relationship between two estranged brothers who are brought together at their mother's suburban California home. The older brother, a struggling screenwriter, is working on a script while housesitting, only to be interrupted by his younger sibling, a drifter and thief. What follows is an intense, often surreal, confrontation that challenges their identities and aspirations, ultimately leading to a role reversal as they vie for the approval of a Hollywood producer. Their conflict escalates to a point of no return, symbolizing the clash of American myths and realities and questioning the very nature of authenticity and success.

This play is a powerful and emotionally charged piece of American agitprop theater that centers on the struggles of taxi drivers in the 1930s facing exploitative working conditions. Through a series of vignettes and monologues, it delves into the lives of individual workers, revealing their personal hardships and the impact of broader social injustices. The narrative builds towards a climactic union meeting where the characters debate whether to strike against their oppressive bosses. The play is renowned for its leftist political stance and its call to collective action, encapsulating the spirit of working-class resistance and solidarity during a time of economic turmoil.

This play is a tragic tale set on a New England farm, exploring themes of passion, family conflict, and the destructive power of desire. The narrative centers around an aging father, his young wife, and his son from a previous marriage. The complex relationships between these characters are strained further by issues of inheritance and the son's romantic feelings towards his father's new wife. As jealousy and desires escalate, the characters are driven to extreme actions, leading to a devastating conclusion. The work delves deep into the human psyche, examining the dark and often destructive nature of desire and the consequences of pursuing one's deepest wants at the expense of others.

This play is a gripping exploration of gender roles and the dynamics of power through the investigation of a rural murder. Set in the early 20th century, it follows two women who accompany their husbands, a sheriff and a neighbor, to the home of a man who has been murdered. While the men dismissively search for evidence, considering the women's concerns as mere "trifles," the women uncover crucial evidence by paying attention to domestic details overlooked by the men. Through their discoveries, the play critiques societal underestimation of women and subtly explores themes of justice and solidarity, revealing the women's empathy and understanding of the accused wife's plight, leading them to a moral dilemma.

The play is a powerful expressionist work that follows the life of a young woman who feels trapped and dehumanized by the societal expectations and mechanical nature of the early 20th-century urban environment. She is suffocated by her mundane job, an oppressive marriage to her boss, and the overall constraints of a patriarchal society. Her desperate longing for freedom and individuality leads her down a dark path that culminates in a shocking and tragic act, ultimately resulting in her entanglement with the justice system. The narrative is a critique of the industrial age and its impact on the human spirit, exploring themes of autonomy, alienation, and the crushing force of societal norms.

"Toys in the Attic" is a dramatic play that delves into the complexities of family dynamics and the corrosive power of greed and secrets. Set in early 20th-century New Orleans, it follows the Berniers sisters, whose lives are upended when their younger brother returns home with his new, wealthy wife. The sudden influx of wealth exposes hidden jealousies, suppressed desires, and societal pressures that threaten to unravel the fabric of the family. As the characters confront their personal demons and the consequences of their choices, the play examines themes of moral decay, the illusion of genteel Southern society, and the destructive nature of lies and deceit.

This play delves into the power struggle between a university professor and one of his female students, who accuses him of sexual harassment. Set in the professor's office, the narrative unfolds through intense dialogues that explore themes of political correctness, miscommunication, and the dynamics of power and gender. As the situation escalates, both characters' lives and careers are profoundly affected, leading to a dramatic and controversial conclusion. The work challenges the audience to question the nature of truth and perspective, making it a compelling and thought-provoking piece.

The play delves into the fragmented psyche of a young African American woman named Sarah, who grapples with her mixed-race identity and internalized racism in a society that imposes severe racial divisions. Through a series of surreal and symbolic vignettes, the protagonist confronts various historical figures and personal apparitions that represent different aspects of her heritage and her struggle with self-hatred. The narrative's non-linear structure and the haunting atmosphere of the "funnyhouse" reflect the turmoil and complexity of Sarah's mental state as she seeks to reconcile her place in a world rife with racial tensions and her own fractured sense of self.

This book is a groundbreaking work of feminist literature, a choreopoem that weaves together 20 separate poems with music and dance to tell the stories of seven women who have suffered oppression in a racist and sexist society. Each woman is represented by a color, and through a series of poetic monologues, they share their experiences with love, abandonment, domestic violence, and sexual assault, ultimately finding strength in their shared womanhood and the resilience of their cultural heritage. The work celebrates the power of speaking out, the healing potential of community, and the unbreakable spirit of women of color.

This play unfolds in a Brooklyn apartment in 1938, amidst the terrifying backdrop of the Kristallnacht pogrom in Nazi Germany. It centers on a Jewish couple, Phillip and Sylvia Gellburg, whose marriage is unraveling under the strain of Sylvia's mysterious paralysis, which seems to be a psychosomatic response to the horrors unfolding in Germany. As Phillip struggles with his own identity and his role in his wife's illness, the couple seeks help from Dr. Harry Hyman, whose involvement only deepens the complexities of their relationship. The narrative explores themes of guilt, identity, and the psychological impact of historical events on personal lives, revealing the brokenness within individuals and their relationships against the backdrop of a broken world.

This classic play explores the turbulent relationships within a wealthy Southern family. The main characters include an alcoholic ex-football player, his wife, and his domineering father, who is dying of cancer. The story revolves around the family's internal conflict, deceit, and denial as they grapple with the patriarch's impending death and the question of who will inherit the family's wealth. Themes of sexual desire, repression, greed, and death are prominent in this intense, emotional drama.

The play centers around two African American brothers, Lincoln and Booth, who share a tenuous and competitive relationship marked by a troubled past. Lincoln, a former street hustler, now works as a Lincoln impersonator in a shooting gallery, while Booth aspires to be the greatest card hustler, practicing the three-card monte con that Lincoln has abandoned. As they navigate their sibling rivalry, the brothers grapple with their roles as the "topdog" and the "underdog" in a cycle of poverty and broken dreams. The narrative delves into themes of identity, family dynamics, and the struggle for power, culminating in a dramatic and tragic exploration of fate and the inescapable nature of their circumstances.

The play is a poignant exploration of the Berger family's struggles during the Great Depression in the Bronx, New York. It centers around Bessie Berger, a matriarch determined to keep her family afloat amidst economic hardships, conflicting ideals, and the pursuit of the American Dream. Through the interwoven lives of her idealistic son Ralph, disillusioned husband Myron, and rebellious daughter Hennie, the narrative delves into themes of hope, disillusionment, and the quest for a better life. The characters grapple with their individual aspirations and the harsh realities of their circumstances, revealing the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity.

"Sexual Perversity in Chicago" is a play that explores the relationships and sexual dynamics of two young couples in 1970s Chicago. The narrative dissects the complex nature of sexual relationships, highlighting the characters' struggles with intimacy, communication, and emotional honesty. The play uses humor and sharp dialogue to delve into themes of gender roles, sexual politics, and the difficulty of establishing genuine connections in a culture saturated with false and damaging representations of love and sex.