William W. Demastes is San Diego II Alumni Professor of English at Louisiana State University where he teaches modern theatre and drama. He has won numerous faculty excellence and teaching awards and currently serves as the university's faculty athletics representative. He is author of several books, including Spalding Gray's America (2008), Comedy Matters (2008), Staging Consciousness (2002), Theatre of Chaos (1998) and Beyond Naturalism (1988). He also edits the annual publication Best American Short Plays, including the most recent 2010–2011 volume.

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• Introduction: Stoppardianism; Professional chronology; 1. Stoppard: briefly, a life in the theatre; 2. Keys to Stoppard's theatre; 3. The breakthrough years; 4. Playing with the stage; 5. Science takes the stage; 6. Love is in the air; 7. Politics humanized; Conclusion: the play's the thing; Appendix: Stoppard's theatre: a summary; Guide to further reading.

William W. Demastes is San Diego II Alumni Professor of English at Louisiana State University where he teaches modern theatre and drama. He has won numerous faculty excellence and teaching awards and currently serves as the university's faculty athletics representative. He is author of several books, including Spalding Gray's America (2008), Comedy Matters (2008), Staging Consciousness (2002), Theatre of Chaos (1998) and Beyond Naturalism (1988). He also edits the annual publication Best American Short Plays, including the most recent 2010–2011 volume.

Select Guide Rating

• Introduction: Stoppardianism; Professional chronology; 1. Stoppard: briefly, a life in the theatre; 2. Keys to Stoppard's theatre; 3. The breakthrough years; 4. Playing with the stage; 5. Science takes the stage; 6. Love is in the air; 7. Politics humanized; Conclusion: the play's the thing; Appendix: Stoppard's theatre: a summary; Guide to further reading.

William W. Demastes is San Diego II Alumni Professor of English at Louisiana State University where he teaches modern theatre and drama. He has won numerous faculty excellence and teaching awards and currently serves as the university's faculty athletics representative. He is author of several books, including Spalding Gray's America (2008), Comedy Matters (2008), Staging Consciousness (2002), Theatre of Chaos (1998) and Beyond Naturalism (1988). He also edits the annual publication Best American Short Plays, including the most recent 2010–2011 volume.

Select Guide Rating

• Introduction: Stoppardianism; Professional chronology; 1. Stoppard: briefly, a life in the theatre; 2. Keys to Stoppard's theatre; 3. The breakthrough years; 4. Playing with the stage; 5. Science takes the stage; 6. Love is in the air; 7. Politics humanized; Conclusion: the play's the thing; Appendix: Stoppard's theatre: a summary; Guide to further reading.