One of the most ambitious dramatic poems ever written, Percy Bysshe Shelley's Prometheus Unbound tells the story of the Titan Prometheus who gave mankind the secret of fire in open defiance to the decrees of Zeus, and who, as punishment for this generosity, was chained to the Caucasus Mountains and exposed to horrible tortures. Inspired by the Prometheus Bound of Aeschylus, Shelley's play serves as a sort of sequel, matching its Greek predecessor in stature and pure poetic power. It depicts its philanthropist hero's ultimate triumph over the superstition and bigotry of the gods. As Shelley himself stated in his Defence of Poetry, Prometheus Unbound awakens and enlarges the mind.

Prometheus Unbound

Literature & Fiction

Shelley, Percy Bysshe

Contemporary

Black Box Press

In this modern adaptation of Dialogues of the Dead, Baudelaire Jones remains true to the original spirit of Lucian's dialogues, if not the details. Most of the antiquated cultural references have been updated to modern equivalents that the average reader can more easily understand, and several of Lucian's original characters have been recast with more modern counterparts, most notably: Howard Hughes, John D. Rockefeller, Anna Nicole Smith, Clarence Darrow, Sigmund Freud, Michael Moore, Saddam Hussein, and Jack the Ripper. The result is an infinitely readable and highly entertaining adaptation of a classic text.

Dialogues of the Dead

Jones, Baudelaire

In his final play, Henrik Ibsen tells the story of Rubek, an aging sculptor who has lost all interest in the world around him. In spite of his wealth, his fame, and the attentions of his beautiful, young wife, he can find no joy in his existence. He is stagnating, trapped in a spiritual vacuum, when suddenly he is jolted out of his stupor by an unexpected reunion with Irene, a model who once posed for him and whom he idolized. She is now half-mad and literally believes herself to be a walking corpse, a dead woman who roams the earth. In spite of her delusions, however, and in spite of his marriage, Rubek woos the disturbed woman mercilessly. He believes that, together, he and Irene can make each other whole. He will cure her of her delusions of death, and she will restore in him the joy of life. Irene eventually agrees to allow Rubek a few moments of real happiness. She will spend one final night with him ... but there is a terrible price to be paid.

When We Dead Awaken

Wykes, Walter

Ibsen, Henrik Johan

This collection of 10-minute plays will delight readers and audiences alike. From the dark humor of Nick Zagone's "Sixty Years, to Life" to the zany absurdism of Walter Wykes' "Family 2.0" to the disturbing imagery of Laura Elizabeth Miller's "Fugue," each of these short plays expresses the unique vision of an emerging contemporary dramatist. Together, they make an exciting and diverse evening of theatre. Other plays in this anthology include "While the Auto Waits" by O. Henry, "Lures" by Jeanette D. Farr, "The Next Mrs. Jacob Anderson" by Ann Wuehler, "The Chocolate Affair" by Stephanie Alison Walker, "No Such Thing" by Douglas Hill, "Heart of Hearing" by Joseph Zeccola, and "Phone Arts" by LB Hamilton.

Ten 10-Minute Plays: Volume II

Zagone, Nick

Farr, Jeanette D.

Dramas & Plays

The intellectual offspring of Ionesco, Beckett, and Pinter, Walter Wykes is proof that the Theatre of the Absurd lives on. In his plays, he creates a series of modern myths, tapping into something in the strata of the subconscious, through ritualism and rich, poetic language. The worlds he creates are brand new, and hilarious, yet each contains an ancient horror we all know and cannot escape and have never been able to hang one definitive word on. "The Worker" explores the life of a young woman who fashions a fake child to help her cope with the loneliness she endures each day while her husband is away at work. "Family 2.0" tells the story of a man who invades a stranger's home and attempts to convince the family he finds there to accept him as their new husband/father. "The Spotted Man" follows the trials of a man cursed with a strange disease that may signal the end of the human race. Also included are "Cherry Bizarre" and "The Tragical Tale of Melissa McHiney McNormous McWhale."

One Act Plays from the Edge

This collection of 10-minute plays will delight readers and audiences alike. From the futuristic musings of Michael Rudd's "Clothes For Their Souls" to the poetic mysticism of Nick Zagone's "Portland Blood Slam" to the film noirish farce of Jeff Goode's "Murder by Midnight," each of these short plays expresses the unique vision of a contemporary dramatist. Together, they make an exciting and diverse evening of theatre. Other plays in this anthology include "The Unwanted" by Walter Wykes, "The Goon" by Pete Malicki, "Watch Your Head" by Lynda Rodriguez, "Dog Park or Sexual Perversity in Magnuson" by Dennis Schebetta, "The Care and Feeding of Baby Birds" by Ann Wuehler, "The History of Why the Chicken Crossed the Road" by Jennye James, and "The Brown Shoes" by Julie Jensen.

Ten 10-Minute Plays: Volume III

Goode, Jeff

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