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David Barr III

DAVID BARR III

  
Nationality:    African American
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Literary Agent:    n/a

David Barr III is also the author of several published works for the stage including Death Of the Black Jesus, Ev'ry Time I Feel the Spirit, the Face Of Emmett Till (Dramatic Publishing), and Black Caesar (PerformInk). His stage works around Chicagoland have been produced at Goodman Theatre, Pegasus Players, Chicago Theatre Company, Black Ensemble Theatre. Nationally, his plays have been produced at a myriad of Theaters including Unity Theatre of Los Angeles and St. Louis, Phoenix Theatre of Indianapolis, Paul Robeson Theatre of Buffalo, University of Louisville, Coppin State University, and Dillard University in New Orleans. Mr. Barr has been a Resident Playwright at Chicago Dramatists since 1993, a playwright-in-residence at Chicago Theatre Company, and an artistic associate at Pegasus Players. In 2005 David received Chicago's Joseph Jefferson Citation for Best New Work for his play the Upper Room. He is also a three time recipient of the Illinois Arts Council Fellowship for Playwriting, a two time winner of the National Play Award sponsored by Unicorn Theatre in Kansas City (1995 and 2000), recipient of the 2000 Festival Of Emerging American Theatre (FEAT) National Playwriting Award, winner of the 1998 theodore Ward Playwriting Award, the 2000 recipient of the Donahue-Tremaine Trust Award for excEllence in playwriting, co-winner of the first annual David Ofner Prize (2000) -- sponsored by Goodman Theatre, the 1998 Edgar Award for Best Play from Mystery Writers Of America, and the winner of the 1993 Mixed Blood Versus America National Playwriting Contest. His Civil Rights docudrama My Soul IS A Witness -- produced by the Jena Company, New York City received national tours in 2005 and 2006 and was a Pegasus Players production of the work was included in the Hindu MetroPlus Theatre Arts Festival in Chennai, India during the Summer of 2007. My Soul IS A Witness subsequently embarked on a three city Indian tour that included the cities of Kolkata, New Delhi and Mumbai. His second engagement with the Jena Company was the biopic Jackie, Vi, and Lena which toured nationally during the Winter of 2007. His first film was a screenplay adaptation of the Zora Neale Hurston classic short story the Gilded Six Bits -- produced by West Side Theatre Guild -- was aired on the Chicago and Gary, Indiana PBS affiliates -- WTTW and WYIN. the movie received critical acclaim at several 2006 and 2007 film festivals across the United States including being named Best Picture at the 2006 Twin Cities Film Festival. It was screened at the annual "Zora Fest" in Hurston's native Eatonville, Florida earlier that same year. the Gilded Six Bits was included in the 2008 International Black Harvest Film Festival held at Chicago's historic Gene Siskel Film Center. It was added to the permanent African American literature collection at the Yale University library. Lastly, his screenplay Death Of Innocence -- co-written with acclaimed author Christopher Benson and Oscar winning director James Moll, adapted from a memoir co-written by Benson and the late, Civil Rights activist Mamie Till-Mobley, was optioned for development by HBO Films in 2007.

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below is a list of David Barr III's plays - click on a Play Title for more information

         Across the Line         Billy         Black Caesar         By the Music Of the Spheres         Death Of the Black Jesus         Down And Out In Chicago         Ev'ry Time I Feel the Spirit         Face Of Emmett Till         House That Rocked, The         I Gotcha: The Story of Joe Tex         Jackie, Vi and Lena         Journal Of Ordinary Thought, A         Marker: The Story of Viola Liuzzo         My Soul Is A Witness         Point Of Revue         Red Death, A         State of Mississippi, The vs Emmett Till         Union Station Pullman Porter Blues Mississippi. . .         Upper Room, The         Memphis Soul: The Story of Stax Records
Across the Line

Synopsis:
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Notes:
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1st Produced:
New American Playwrights Project     2002

Organisations:
Utah Shakespeare Festival

1st Published:
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Music:
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To Buy This Play:
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Genre:
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Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
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Billy

Synopsis:
Ten year old Billy takes a forbidden dip and ends up being charged with the murder of a white girl. He is found guilty and sentenced to die in the electric chair

Notes:
Based on the book by Albert French

1st Produced:
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Organisations:
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1st Published:
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Music:
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To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

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Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
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Black Caesar

Synopsis:
C J Caesar built up a media empire mainly through using the race card and causing racial tensions. He has committed suicide and a reporter from a rival newspaper has been told to write a glowing obituary

Notes:
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1st Produced:
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Organisations:
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1st Published:
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Music:
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To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
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By the Music Of the Spheres

Synopsis:
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Notes:
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1st Produced:
Goodman Theatre, Chicago     2002

Organisations:
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1st Published:
-   

Music:
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To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

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Genre:
-

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
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Death Of the Black Jesus

Death Of the Black Jesus
Three former members of a radical 1960s group the Black Jesus are invited on to a chat show. the host has an agenda and uses inflammatory questions to get the answers he wants

Notes:
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1st Produced:
-     1991

Organisations:
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1st Published:
Dramatic Publishing Company   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  5            Female:  3            Other:  doubling

Further Reference:
-

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Down And Out In Chicago

Synopsis:
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Notes:
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1st Produced:
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Organisations:
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1st Published:
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Music:
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To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
-

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
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Ev'ry Time I Feel the Spirit

Ev'ry Time I Feel the Spirit
a celebration of the life and voice of African-American contralto Marian anderson. Taking place on the eve of the First annual World Negro Arts Festival in Dakar, Senegal, 1966, this play with music paints a sweeping portrait of Anderson as a complex artist and troubled woman moving slowly toward middle age and the evolving image of black people during the precarious Civil Rights Movement. Born in Philadelphia in 1897, Anderson managed the nearly impossible feat of carving out a legendary career as a classical concert singer. She courageously fought institutional racism and her own insecurities and fears to be recognized on her own terms within classical musical circles. Often infuriating others by grandly referring to herself in the third person, she was sometimes portrayed as a royal diva of the first order. But Anderson is seen in ev'ry Time I Feel the Spirit as a very human artist of the first order with deep-seated feelings, resentments and a lifetime of regrets. Through classical music and African dance, the play chronicles the latter half of her career through a series of Dramatic vignettes showing the complexities of this very important 20th-century artist who bravely defied a segregationalist ban against her 1939 concert recital in Washington, D.C., when she sang on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial that easter Sunday. the play culminates with Anderson coming to terms with herself, her place in history and proving to the world that she was more - and less - than a saintly American icon

Notes:
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1st Produced:
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Organisations:
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1st Published:
Dramatic Publishing Company,    

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Historical Drama

Parts:
Male:  5            Female:  4            Other:  -

Further Reference:
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Face Of Emmett Till

Face Of Emmett Till
Emmett Till was a fourteen year old on holiday in Mississippi from Chicago. It was alleged that he wolf whistled a white woman. Two white men kidnapped him, tortured him and shot him in the face. America was shocked when his mother insisted on an open casket at the funeral. the two men were acquitted by an all white all male jury. the men later sold their graphic story to the media.

Notes:
Written by David Barr III And Mamie Till-Mobley (Emmett's mother)

1st Produced:
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Organisations:
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1st Published:
Dramatic Publishing Company   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  7            Female:  3            Other:  doubling

Further Reference:
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House That Rocked, The

Synopsis:
On the eve of their induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Little Richard, Fats Domino and Chuck Berry reminisce

Notes:
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1st Produced:
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Organisations:
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1st Published:
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Music:
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To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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I Gotcha: The Story of Joe Tex

Synopsis:
Joe Tex just wants to play funky music but he is told that he must sacrifice his talents to Allah

Notes:
Written by David Bar III and Joe Plummer

1st Produced:
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Organisations:
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1st Published:
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Music:
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To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Jackie, Vi and Lena

Synopsis:
The stories of Jackie Robinson baseball player. Viola Liuzzo civil rights campaigner. Lena Horne the singer

Notes:
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1st Produced:
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Organisations:
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1st Published:
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Music:
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To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Journal Of Ordinary Thought, A

Synopsis:
a group of neighbours gather to talk and act out personal stories

Notes:
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1st Produced:
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Organisations:
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1st Published:
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Music:
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To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Marker: The Story of Viola Liuzzo

Synopsis:
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Notes:
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1st Produced:
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Organisations:
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1st Published:
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Music:
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To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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My Soul Is A Witness

Synopsis:
Crucial moments from the personal and public lives of Malcolm X, John F Kennedy Martin Luther King

Notes:
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1st Produced:
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Organisations:
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1st Published:
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Music:
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To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Point Of Revue

Synopsis:
a composite shot of African America. . .with attitude. Through a riveting series of short plays and songs, this vaudeville defies stereotype as it explores a myriad of topics and places, from Northern Uganda to the American South, HIV to Condoleeza Rice. Swinging from the serious to the absurd, there's plenty to laugh and cry about in this powerful piece.

Notes:
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1st Produced:
Mixed Blood Theatre Company (Minneapolis, Mn, United States)     2006

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Playscripts, Inc - New York   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
90-115 min Dramatic/Comedic vaudeville

Parts:
Male:  6            Female:  6            Other:  6 males, 6 females, 3 either (12-60 actors possible: 6-40 males, 6-20 females)

Further Reference:
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Red Death, A

Synopsis:
During the McCarthy Red Scare a black businessman arrested on tax evasion charges is asked by the FBI to infiltrate a Black Church

Notes:
Based on the novel by Walter Mosely

1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
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1st Published:
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Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Thriller

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
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State of Mississippi, The vs Emmett Till

Synopsis:
replicates events of that tragedy

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
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1st Published:
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Music:
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To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
-

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
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Union Station Pullman Porter Blues Mississippi. . .

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
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1st Produced:
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Organisations:
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1st Published:
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Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
-

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
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Upper Room, The

Synopsis:
the creative partnership between Jewish artist and scholar, Viktor Lowenfeld and John Biggers an afro-American painter

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
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Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Memphis Soul: The Story of Stax Records

Synopsis:
Twenty years after the launch of Stax Records some of the original artists meet for a reunion concert - but soon old rivalries and resentments surface

Notes:
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1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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