Theatrica Obscura I: Moden British Drama Quiz

Answer: Crave

First performed in 1998, this play marked a distinct change from Kane's earlier plays, "Blasted," "Phaedra's Love," and "Cleansed." Featuring characters identified only by letter and essentially no stage directions, some critics claim that Kane was finding a more mature, more Beckett-ian voice. Though only one act, the play examines Kane's familiar themes of love, war, and depression.

It premiered at the Traverse Theater in Edinburgh, and has been performed all over the world, including London, Madrid, Berlin, Washington, D.C. and New York City.

Answer: The Boy's Wife

Dreamlike and highly symbolic, "Lear" is Edward Bond's attempt at a socialist take on William Shakespeare (a theme he explored further in "Bingo", a play which featured Shakespeare as a character). Bond once again examines violence as a necessary means to an end in human existence.

It is noted for its extreme use of graphic violence onstage, including a scene where knitting needles are plunged into a man's ears.

Answer: Howard Barker

Howard Barker's plays often have characters in extreme situations to examine sex, violence, and fault. Barker often attempts to shatter the "collective" thoughts of an audience through overt use of complexity, forcing them to examine the play alone. His thoughts and writings went on to influence writers like Sarah Kane. Famous plays include "Scenes from an Execution," "The Europeans," and "Gertrude--The Cry." His theories on the Theatre of Catastrophe are laid out in "Arguments for a Theatre," and "Death, The One and the Art of Theatre."

Answer: This Lime Tree Bower

McPherson is noted for his stark and powerful dialogue, which is evident in the play, structured as monologues by three different men: Joe, a young man bored with school and obsessed with his friend Damien; Frank, his brother who hatches a plan to solve all the family's financial troubles; and Ray, their sister's fiance who is a graduate student.

This play won McPherson the Evening Standard Award for "Most Promising Playwright" in 1997.

Answer: Ben is supposed to kill Gus

This play opened in 1960 on a double bill with another Pinter one-act, "The Room," and was directed by James Roose-Evans. Revivals have featured notable actors such as Lee Evans and Jason Isaacs.

Answer: Butterfly Kiss

"Butterfly Kiss" is by Phyllis Nagy. Ridley is widely regarded as a seminal writer of the in-yer-face movement, cemented by "The Pitchfork Disney," an intense, provocative play that premiered in 1991 and pointed the way for many future writers such as Patrick Marber and Sarah Kane.

Answer: The Pillowman

An exploration of the responsibility of the author as well as a gruesome reinvention of the fairy-tale, "The Pillowman" has become one of McDonagh's most produced plays. The Broadway production featured Billy Crudup as Katurian and Jeff Goldblum as Tupolski.

Answer: The Royal Court

Under the guidance of Stephen Daldry, the Court fastened a place in the annals of theater history as a home for young playwrights. A hotbed of controversy, the theater maintained its artistic goals and has earned its reputation for a forward-looking theater.

Answer: Patrick Marber

Premiering to rave reviews at the National Theater, it starred Clive Owen as Dan. It won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play. The United States West Coast premiere featured Maggie Gyllenhaal.

Answer: Aleks Sierz

A British theater critic, Sierz wrote the first guide to this aesthetic (appropriately called "In-Yer-Face Theater"). He served as theater critic of the Tribune and has been a critic on TV and Radio.