The Playwrights Database
MARIANNE MCDONALD
Nationality: USAemail: Click here to contact Website: Click here
Literary Agent: n/a
Professor Marianne McDonald was trained in classics and music, taught for many years at the University of California, Irvine, and is now Professor of Classics and Theatre at the University of California, San Diego. She is most well known for her work on ancient Greek Drama, mythology, and modern versions of ancient classics in film, plays and opera, but her poems, plays, and translations have also been widely published. Her latest books include Sing Sorrow: Classics in Opera, and Amid Our Troubles: Irish Versions of Greek Tragedy.
Buy Plays with Doollee
Each page of doollee.com has links to play/book outlets, either directly to the Publisher, through Stageplays.com and Amazon to the second hand and 1st editions of AbeBooks. These links will automatically take you to the relevant area obviating the need for further search.AbeBooks.co.uk AbeBooks.com Stageplays.com amazon.com
amazon.co.uk
amazon.ca
whether you are a Playwright who wishes to make their entry definitive, an unlisted Playwright or a User with a tale to tell - we want to hear from you.
download WORD submission template
below is a list of Marianne McDonald's plays - click on a Play Title for more information
Ally Way, The and then he met a woodcutter Andromache Antigone Bacchae, The Children of Heracles Electra Hecuba Iphigenia at Aulis Medea, Queen of Colchester Oedipus at Colonus Oedipus Tyrannus Oresteia Trojan WomenAlly Way, The
Synopsis:
A Walk on the Wild Side! Stroll into the Ally Way! Exuberant, over-the-top look at our present joys and fears! Should a wife sacrifice herself for her husband even if he is not worth it? Should a man serve a government whether it's just or not? Laugh your way to the answers. Robert Salerno's brilliant direction of Marianne McDonald's irreverent version of Euripides' Alcestis, the Ally Way, shows how men and women need each other in spite of (and sometimes because of) their differences.
Notes:
Original Playwright - Euripides. Later, directed by Robert Salerno, At 6th @ Penn, (2004)
1st Produced:
New York 2002
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:
Version of Alcestis
Parts:
Male: 8 Female: 4 Other: -
Further Reference:
-
Top of Pageand then he met a woodcutter
Synopsis:
During last fall's fires in San Diego, strangely, all of that happened before Penner read Marianne McDonald's 2003 play about devastation and rebirth, and decided to create a performance that blended the play set in the aftermath of a 12th-century war in Japan with her experience of the fires. McDonald's play deals with profound issues, and the text offered a useful road map to exactly what was happening
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
- -
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
San Diego, Quantum 2. (Illustrations by Jasmine de Lung), 2003 -
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:
-
Top of PageAndromache
the play takes place in the aftermath of the Trojan War. Andromache has become a concubine to Achilles' son, Neoptolemus, bearing him a child, Molossus. the captive Andromache is haunted by memories of her former life and by her love for Hector and their son Astyanax, both slain by the Greeks who are now her masters. . .read more
Notes:
Original Playwright - Euripides. Translated by Marianne McDonald And Michael Walton
1st Produced:
- -
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
Aris & Phillips (Nick Hern Books, London, 2001), 1995 978-1854596383
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:
Translation
Parts:
Male: - Female: - Other: -
Further Reference:
-
Top of PageAntigone
Directed by Athol Fugard. . .But it is McDonald's text that is the star of the evening, lending the play plenty of punch without depending too heavily on anachronistic language. the translator's focus on the central ideas has an emotional clarity that is entirely seductive. there may be, Sophocles and McDonald whisper to anyone who will listen, a tremendous moral power in compromise. Luke Clancy, London Times (July 21, 1999)
Notes:
Original Playwright - Sophocles
1st Produced:
Cork, Ireland 1999
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
Nick Hern Books, London, 2000 978-1854592002
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:
Translation
Parts:
Male: - Female: - Other: -
Further Reference:
-
Top of PageBacchae, The
Synopsis:
-
Notes:
Original Playwright - Euripides
1st Produced:
Rehearsed reading at Sixth at Penn, San Diego, California 01 May 2005
Organisations:
Grass Roots Greeks
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:
Translation
Parts:
Male: - Female: - Other: -
Further Reference:
-
Top of PageChildren of Heracles
Synopsis:
Directed by Delicia Turner Sonnenberg. the story is set in Athens just shortly after the death of the famous hero Heracles (a.k.a. Hercules). His children (and therefore the grandchildren of Zeus himself) have taken shelter in the temple of Zeus while a messenger from the rival city of Argos seeks to bring them back for certain death at the hands of the king of Argos who believes the children will be his undoing if they are allowed to live. Critic's Choice, San Diego Union July/August 2003. "With UCSD professor Marianne McDonald's fluent, lively translation as its spine, and a fine ensemble of actors sparking her script to life. . ." Anne Marie Welsh, San Diego Union (July 21, 2003)
Notes:
Original Playwright - Euripides
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:
Translation
Parts:
Male: 11 Female: 3 Other: -
Further Reference:
-
Top of PageElectra
Synopsis:
Vox Hellenic, the Sledgehammer-GrassRoots Greeks collaboration, concluded with a bang -- and and Electra shock. One of the best pairings of the series was Marianne McDonald's translation of Sophocles' "Electra," coupled with Luis Alfaro's Spanglish adaptation, "Electricidad." McDonald's translation was written in collaboration with J. Michael Walton , and it had her usual clarity coupled with more poetic lyricism. Lovely reading, especially strong in the performances of Anne Tran in the title role, a weepy, wailing affair, extremely well carried off; and Brennan Taylor as her peripatetic brother, Orestes; Lisel Gorel as her sister Chrysothemis. Alfaro spins it all on its head and turns it southward. . . with a charming and delightful bilingual adaptation that was neck-snapping in its pitch-perfect timing (especially given that the cast had only one rehearsal!). they were all nimble and convincing in this intriguing story of a Barrio family stuck in the Life. the father was brutally murdered, gangland style, arranged by his power-hungry wife, who wants to take over the family 'business.' April Doctolero was terrific as Electricidad, with strong performances put in by Rene Pena as her nasty, chain-smoking mother, Clemencia; Kim Miller compelling as born-again sister, Cristina; Juan MANZo potent as the Vegas-escapee, Orestes; and Raul Moncada unwavering as the familia's steadfast friend, Nino. Wonderful way to spend an afternoon.
Notes:
Original Playwright - Sophocles. Translated by Marianne McDonald And Michael Walton
1st Produced:
Sledgehammer theatre -
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
Nick Hern Books, London, 2004 -
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:
Translation
Parts:
Male: 7 Female: 2 Other: -
Further Reference:
-
Top of PageHecuba
Synopsis:
Directed by Esther Emery. the Great War is over. Troy has fallen and the victorious Greek coalition forces are on their way home. Hecuba, once queen of Troy, now a prisoner of war, is being transported back to Athens with other war booty, the women of Troy. Having lost her home, her husband and most of her children, what does this proud and brave woman do when she is asked by her captors to give up her daughter's life having discovered on the same day that her only surviving son has been murdered? One of the most powerful and intense Dramas ever written, a play which celebrates the courage and bravery of Hecuba and the women of Troy as they struggle to survive, a play which asks important questions about how the victors of war deal with the vanquished, a play about what happens to human beings when they lose all hope?.
Notes:
Original Playwright - Euripides
1st Produced:
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
Nick Hern Books, London, 2005 -
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:
Translation
Parts:
Male: 4 Female: 6 Other: chorus
Further Reference:
-
Top of PageIphigenia at Aulis
Synopsis:
Compelling anti-war tragedy. Director Rosina Reynolds, who read Clytemnestra the beleaguered queen whose daughter, Iphigenia, was slaughtered for war, assembled a talented cast of San Diego actors.
Notes:
Original Playwright - Euripides
1st Produced:
readings at the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice 2004
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:
Translation
Parts:
Male: - Female: - Other: -
Further Reference:
-
Top of PageMedea, Queen of Colchester
Synopsis:
Directed by Kirsten Brandt. A Cape Town transvestite expelled from her homeland for betraying her family for love is now the hottest thing on the Las Vegas strip. But, when her lover leaves her to marry the beautiful daughter of a Casino owner, Medea is driven to avenge his betrayal the only way a "woman" knows how. From Marianne McDonald, award-winning author of the critically acclaimed Trojan Women, comes this tale of passion and sacrifice. "Marianne McDonald's script ingeniously modernizes all this. Medea is a black transvestite from South Africa's Colchester (the original Medea was involved from Colchis) who becomes involved with white drug dealer James, a widower with two sons." Don Braunagel, Los Angeles Times I (Aug. 29, 2003)
Notes:
Original Playwright - Euripides
1st Produced:
Sledgehammer theatre 2003
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:
Adaptation
Parts:
Male: 6 Female: - Other: -
Further Reference:
-
Top of PageOedipus at Colonus
Synopsis:
Directed by George Ye. "there's humor, perhaps not all of it Sophoclean, in McDonald's direct language. . .." Anne Marie Welsh, San Diego Union (April 12, 2004). "Despite the passage of time and the absence of more sophisticated theatre techniques, the story in Marianne McDonald's fluid translation is still engaging Drama." Bill Fark, North County Times (April 15, 2004). "Oedipus, Schmoedipus. . .As Long As He Loves His Mother. . .McDonald used the line I borrowed to title this section . . .and also said that the Greek tragedies, on which she is an expert, should be updated and re-translated every decade or so, to keep them fresh, relevant, and presented in a language that people can readily understand. Well, she's certainly doing her part, making her way through the whole tragic canon, with translations that are clear, colloquial and comprehensible. . ...there are several memorable lines that go right to the heart and soul of our current cultural climate; 'so much for fame, when it trickles away and comes to nothing.' 'I was a victim, not a criminal.' 'Trouble for the sake of a parent should be no trouble at all.' A country's power withers, just like a man's body." ' You ignored our sovereignty and took what you wanted by force.' (That one really hit home.) Pat Launer, KPBS (AIRDATE April 16, 2004)
Notes:
Original Playwright - Sophocles
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:
Translation
Parts:
Male: 9 Female: 2 Other: -
Further Reference:
-
Top of PageOedipus Tyrannus
Synopsis:
Directed by George Ye. "McDonald's translation is terrific; it's poetic and lyrical, crystalline in its clarity." Pat Launer, KPBS (October 2003). "In UCSD Prof. Marianne McDonald's clear and poetic translation, Sophocles' Oedipus Tyrannus plays in a smashing head-on production. . ." Charlene Baldridge, the Beacon (10/33). "'Call no one happy/ Until that person has ended life /Free from sorrow.' these words come from Marianne McDonald's poetic new translation. . ." Jennifer de Poyen, San Diego Union (October 18, 2003)
Notes:
Original Playwright - Sophocles
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:
Translation
Parts:
Male: - Female: - Other: -
Further Reference:
-
Top of PageOresteia
Synopsis:
the Oresteia is the only surviving trilogy from the classical repertoire. the first play, Agamemnon, deals with the return home from Troy to Argos of the victorious leader of the Greek army, only to meet his death at the hands of his wife, Clytemnestra. Choephori (Libation-Bearers), set several years later, describes the vengeance exacted by Agamemnon's exiled son, Orestes, on his mother and her lover, Aegisthus. In the third play, the Eumenides, (the Kindly Ones), Orestes, pursued by the Furies roused by his mother's ghost, stands trial for matricide in Athens at a newly-created court of justice and is acquitted by the casting vote of the goddess Athene. the thwarted Furies are persuaded to become benign deities and the rule of law supersedes the primitive rule of personal vendetta.
Notes:
Original Playwright - Aeschylus. Translated by J Michael Walton And Marianne MacDonald. This is A new translation of Aeschylus' the Oresteia, commissioned by Nick Hern Books As An Addition to the Greek tragedy section of Drama Classics', others of which include Sophocles' Antigone (tr. McDonald) And Electra (tr. McDonald And Walton), And Euripides' Andromache (tr. McDonald And Walton), Bacchae (tr. McLeish), Electra (tr. McDonald And Walton), Hecuba (tr. McDonald), Medea (tr. McLeish) And Women of Troy (tr. McLeish).
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:
Adaptation
Parts:
Male: - Female: - Other: 2f4m(Ag); 3f5m(Ch); 3f3m(Eu) plus chorus & extras
Further Reference:
-
Top of PageTrojan Women
Synopsis:
Directed by Seret Scott . "Sorrowful, spent, angry, enlightened: the Trojan Women makes you feel these things, often at once. In 90 minute, the Old Globe staging of Euripides' tragedy, directed by Seret Scott and adapted by Marianne McDonald, delivers a shattered world, the one women inhabit when soldiers leave. Without flinging the play heedlessly into the present, UCSD professor McDonald's words have an unadorned familiarity. Her text brings home the horrors of war transparently; we can see through the language to the rapes of Kosovo, the bombings in the Gulf or Vietnam, and as Euripides so boldly anatomized, the Greek slaughter of the men of Melos in 416 B.C." Anne Marie Welsh, San Diego Union (September 11 2000)
Notes:
Original Playwright - Euripides
1st Produced:
San Diego Old Globe theater 09 Sep 2000
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
In Six Greek Tragedies: Aeschylus: Persians, Prometheus Bound; Sophocles Women of Trachis, Philoctetes; Euripides Trojan Women, Bacchae, Intro. Marianne McDonald and Michael Walton, Methuen, London, 2002 -
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:
Translation - Adaptation
Parts:
Male: - Female: - Other: -
Further Reference:
-
Top of Page