Playwright comparison

Assignment: I want you to compare the approaches used by playwrights Anna Deveare Smith and Moises Kaufman in presenting history through historically accurate “scripts”. Make an argument about which technique you think yields a more powerful historical play. Remember: they are both staying true to “found” historical “texts,” but with a different style, emphasis, and interpretation. Which do you think is more compelling and why?

Think about how they differ, and what each achieves that the other does not. Focus on the elements that feel the most significant to you in the plays: their structure, character choices, historical elements, central conflict, or whatever stands out most for you. And then build an argument structured around those elements that assess these two approaches.

And be sure to use specific details and quotations to build your argument, and use Chicago style footnotes.

Additional details:
The plays you will be comparing are Gross Indecency, The Trials of Oscar Wilde and Fires in the Mirror by Anna Deveare Smith. I am including below the website these plays can be found, however, I must warn you that Fires in the Mirror is found in pieces on three different websites. Please do not deviate from the sources, do not include any other sources other than the two books, the bibliography should consist of only two items and they are 1.Gross Indecency, The Trials of Oscar Wilde and 2.Fires in the Mirror by Anna Deveare Smith.

The argument:
These plays are Documentary Theater style. Both plays center around a central misunderstanding that leads to further complications. I believe that Moises Kaufmans style is looking to inform in a reporting style with text-based work from published stories whereas Anna Deveare-Smith is looking to explain and approaches through an emotional lens by exploring people’s internal emotions through interviews.

The Readings:
Gross Indecency: The Trials of Oscar Wilde by Moises Kaufman
https://archive.org/details/grossindecencyth00kauf

Fires in the Mirror by Anna Deveare-Smith
1. https://bbenglishmctier.files.wordpress.com/2017/03/fires-in-the-mirror-1.pdf

2. https://dramateach82.weebly.com/uploads/1/8/4/9/18491484/fires-in-the-mirror_2.pdf
3. https://dramateach82.weebly.com/uploads/1/8/4/9/18491484/fires-in-the-mirror_3.pdf