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Archibald MacLeish

ARCHIBALD MACLEISH  (1893 - 1982)

 Nationality:    USA
email:    n/a     Website:    n/a

Literary Agent:    n/a


archibald MacLeish was born on May 7th 1892 and educated at Yale and Harvard. He joined up and served in the army from 1917 to 1919. In 1916 he married ada Hitchcock and they had two children who survived beyond infancy. among the many occupations he had were lecturer, attorney and Director of the United States Office of Facts and Figures

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below is a list of Archibald MacLeish's plays - click on a Play Title for more information

 Air Raid         American Bell, The         Colloquy For The States         Evening's Journey To Conway, Massachusetts: An Outdoor Play         Fall Of The City, The         Great American Fourth Of July Parade         Herakles: A Play In Verse         JB         Land Of The Free         Nobodaddy         Panic         Scratch         Secret Of Freedom, The         This Music Crept By Me On The Waters         Trojan Horse         Wild Old Wicked Man

Air Raid

Synopsis:
In a small town people are busy and happy at work and play. The women chatter and gossip and sing; the lovers murmur; the children shout in play. But they are warned of a possible attack. The sound of an enemy plane cuts through the air. Planes circle over the town, nearer and nearer. as the women rush into the square, the attack is launched. The climax is tremendously moving.

Notes:
The poet has combined lyric poetry, superb drama, And A strange, moving quality of terseness into An original And powerful preachment on modern warfare

1st Produced:
-    -

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Dramatists Play Service, NY,    -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
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Genre:
Poetic Drama Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  11            Female:  11            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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American Bell, The

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
includes Our Lives, Our Fortunes, Our Sacred Honor; music by David Amram

1st Produced:
Philadelphia    1962

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
in "Think", armonk, New York, July-august, 1961   -

Music:
-

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Genre:
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Colloquy For The States

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    1943

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

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Genre:
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Evening's Journey To Conway, Massachusetts: An Outdoor Play

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Conway    1967

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Gehenna Press, Northampton, Massachusetts, 1967   -

Music:
-

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Genre:
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Fall Of The City, The

Synopsis:
an announcer is broadcasting from the square of a city. a crowd has gathered to witness the repeated appearance at noon each day of a dead woman. It is expected she will speak. On this day she does, prophesying: "The city of masterless men / Will take a master./ There will be shouting then:/ Blood after!" after her disappearance a messenger announces the arrival on the coast of a Conqueror. an orator makes a spirited address, urging the people not to oppose him. a second messenger announces his advance. Priests urge the people to take refuge with their gods. Fires set by the Conquerer appear on the hills beyond the city. The conqueror enters the square dressed in armor, his helmet closed. The people fall on their faces. The Conquerer mounts a platform, opens his helmet and the announcer sees that the helmet is empty, but the people do not. as the Conquerer raises his arm, they cheer like troops at a victory. The announcer's voice dryly closes the play: "The city has fallen."

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    -

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Dramatists Play Service, NY,    -

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

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Genre:
Poetic Drama One act

Parts:
Male:  7            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Great American Fourth Of July Parade

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Pittsburgh    1975

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
University of Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh, 1975   -

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

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Genre:
-

Parts:
Male:  10            Female:  7            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Herakles: A Play In Verse

Synopsis:
an American scientist receives a prestigious prize. He travels to athens. His wife and son go to Delphi and watch a performance of Euripides' "Herakles".

Notes:
Original Playwright - Euripides. Based on "Herakles"

1st Produced:
ann arbor, Michigan    1965

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Houghton Mifflin, Boston, 1967   -

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

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Genre:
-

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
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JB

Synopsis:
we are deep in the unanswered problems of man's relationship to God in an era of cruel injustices

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Washington, D.C.    1958

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Samuel French 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

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Genre:
verse Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  12            Female:  9            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Land Of The Free

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    1938

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

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Genre:
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Parts:
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Further Reference:
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Nobodaddy

Synopsis:
The word "nobodaddy" and invention of William Blake - "nobody" = man "daddy = God. When God seems to have absented himself it is up to Eve to try and hold things together.

Notes:
Inspired by William Blake's poetry

1st Produced:
-    -

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Dunster House, 1926   -

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

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Genre:
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Parts:
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Further Reference:
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Panic

Synopsis:
Banker McGafferty through many dodgy deals has wronged many a good number of people. His bank collapses and that precipitates panic. Then almost against character McGafferty shoots himself

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    1935

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Houghton Mifflin 1935   -

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

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Genre:
Verse play

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Scratch

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
suggested by The Devil And Daniel Webster by Stephen Vincent Benst

1st Produced:
Boston    1971

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Houghton Mifflin, Boston, 1971   -

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

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Genre:
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Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
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Secret Of Freedom, The

Synopsis:
Joe and Jill go along their quiet way until the day a badly needed school bond, which they worked so hard on, is voted down by an overwhelming majority. Bitterly concerned about what this means for their children's education, they begin to question the attitudes of the people and a way of life that would allow such a thing to happen. Their search for answers runs into the cynicism of today's youth, the hard "mole-eye-view" of one man's realism, the blind optimism of another. They find hope in the person of the philosophical town librarian, who sees the secret of freedom as "each man's courage to believe. To believe in himself, his town. . .the future of the country." Back at his home, Joe thinks he finally has the secret: "Courage. . .to dream your dream and do your duty." Strengthened by this, he and Jill set out in earnest to work for another school bond vote, and this time they are going to win.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    -

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Dramatists Play Service, NY,    -

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 One act

Parts:
Male:  7            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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This Music Crept By Me On The Waters

Synopsis:
Enchanted by the moon Peter and Elizabeth vow to leave their spouses and set up together. Then Peter's wife disappears

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    1953

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Harvard University Press 1953   -

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

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Genre:
-

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
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Trojan Horse

Archibald MacLeish
The people of Troy ignore Cassandra's warnings and bring the Wooden Horse into the city

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    1952

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Houghton Mifflin 1952   -

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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Wild Old Wicked Man

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    1968

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:
-

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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