Explicit political messages dominate the play, whose ultimate goal was nothing less than the promotion of a communist revolution in america. One of the first examples of proletarian drama, the play takes place during the depression, in a meeting hall of the taxi drivers union. In the climactic finale of his taxiunion drama waiting for lefty, the. The stage is assumed to be the platform at a labor union meeting, and the audience to be the assembled members of the. Waiting for lefty is a play set during the great depression. Waiting for lefty and other plays by clifford odets. Waiting for lefty by clifford odets directed by drew vanderburg in this last segment the union workers declare a strike, to stand up for their right to earn a living wage. In 1935 odets first play on broadway, waiting for lefty, was a smash hit. Click download or read online button to waitingforleftyandotherplays book pdf for free now. Waiting for lefty by clifford odets looking up at down readings february 1821 some of the most influential theatre artists of the twentieth century, men and women who were instrumental to the development of theatre and film in america, passed through or were once associates of the group theatre. The flowering peach, clifford odets, oct 1, 1973, drama, 89 pages. Subcategories this category has the following 2 subcategories, out of 2 total.
Waiting for lefty study guide contains a biography of clifford odets, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. In the mid1930s he was widely seen as the potential successor to nobel prizewinning playwright eugene oneill, as oneill began to withdraw from broadways commercial pressures and increasing critical backlash. Clifford odets stateexpanded to show the template expanded, i. He met harold clurman when he began attending initial meetings. First presented by the famous group theatre, the play has become a symbol of its times and a beacon for many soontobe famous playwrights. Clifford odets s waiting for lefty is a vigorous, confrontational work, based on a 1934 stake of unionized new york cabdrivers. Waiting for lefty by clifford odets looking up at down readings february 1821 some of the most influential theatre artists of the twentieth century, men and women who were instrumental to the development of theatre and film in america, passed through. Odets fame as a playwright was made when he wrote and acted in waiting for lefty, produced by the group theatre in 1934. Clifford odets s name will always be associated by theatergoers with the word strike. He was raised in philadelphia and in the bronx, new york, and dropped out of school to become an actor. From january 1935 odets socially relevant dramas were extremely influential.
One of the most celebrated and significant plays of the modern american theatre, waiting for lefty by clifford odets is set in the depression era and deals with the exploitation of the working classes. Waiting for lefty and great scenes from clifford odets promo. Waiting for lefty, oneact play by clifford odets, published and produced in 1935. The framing uses the audience as part of the meeting.
Start your 48hour free trial to unlock this waiting for lefty study guide and get. Books by clifford odets author of waiting for lefty and. Most of his other plays of the 1930s, most notably awake and sing 1935 and paradise lost 1935, concern the economic and psychological plight of poor new york city jewish families and heighten middleclass jewish speech into a kind of poetry. It garnered critical accolades and was soon adapted into a hollywood film, and later, a broadway musical. Hero theatre presents waiting for lefty and great scenes from clifford odets. Buy a cheap copy of waiting for lefty and other plays book by clifford odets. Clifford odets 19061963 waiting for lefty is ingenious and forthright rather than impressive as play writing. Lefty is the story of a meeting of a new york cab drivers union on the verge of a strike. Waiting for lefty by clifford odets is a play that is centered on taxi drivers meeting, who are planning to hold a labour strike. Lolling against the proscenium down left is a young man chewing a toothpick. Clifford odets july 18, 1906 august 14, 1963 was an american playwright, screenwriter, and director. It tells the story of 56 men who create a union meeting that was meant to bring together workers who were getting underpaid. Seattles waiting for lefty university of washington. Pdf waiting for lefty, which was written by clifford odets during the great.
Its production in new york was simultaneous with the citys famous taxicab strike, and for that reason among others it gained considerable public attention. During the play these men are waiting for a man named lefty, who is the leader of this union. Odets s early, more leftwing plays, such as waiting for lefty, awake and sing. After graduating from high school he became an actor and in 1931 joined the group. In the 1930s he became a charter member of the group theatre, the famous method acting troupe founded by harold clurman, lee strasberg and cheryl crawford. Download waitingforleftyandotherplays ebook pdf or read online books in pdf, epub, and mobi format. Waiting for lefty as the curtain goes up weseea bare stage. Coming in the midst of the depression and labor struggles of the 1930s, the play was labeled as communist propaganda by critics.
Waiting for lefty is a 1935 political and perhaps even revolutionary play written by american playwright clifford odets. Catherine jones recommends cain and the social realist plays of clifford odets, penner concludes that the 1930s was a decade dominated by the masculine cult of virility and the overthrow of. Lefty is the story of a meeting of a new york cab drivers union on the verge of a. Waiting for lefty, written by clifford odets about a 1934 taxi union strike, is one of the best examples of this tradition, written while odets was working with the group theatre in new york. Odets began his acting career playing small supporting roles and understudying at the poets theatre and the guild theatre. Clifford odetss waiting for lefty is a vigorous, confrontational work, based on a 1934 stake of unionized new york cabdrivers. Waiting for lefty, which odets wrote in three days, crosscut a union meeting with scenes of the aftermath of the depression, which had left more than one in four workers unemployed.
Chicago manual of style, and the american psychological association apa. Clifford odets statecollapsed to show the template collapsed, i. The roundabout theatre company presented the first revival of odets s 1949 play, the big knife, in the spring of 20 at the american airlines theatre in new york, with doug hughes. Clifford odets waiting for lefty is not a timeless story rather it is the produ ct of a specific time and culture that needs to be scrutinized in order to evaluate its value better. His affiliation with the american communist party is strongly noticeable in all most all of his early works and especially waiting for lefty. Beginning with waiting for lefty 1935, odets quickly became the most famous young playwright in america. In other words he is the head of a union and the men.
Waiting for lefty solidarity forever part 7 of 7 youtube. The play was waiting for lefty, by clifford odets, and the show was so successful it gave the group the confidence to go from strength to strength. Clifford odets article about clifford odets by the free. Odets family moved from pennsylvania to the bronx, ny where his father was a successful businessman and owned a printing. Odets fame as a playwright was made when he wrote and acted in waiting for lefty, produced by the. Seattles production of waiting for lefty in 1936 by selena voelker.
Waiting for lefty is a 1935 play by the american playwright clifford odets. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. Waiting for lefty by clifford odets essay example topics. Consisting of a series of related vignettes, the entire play is framed by a meeting of cab drivers who are planning a labor strike. Dec 12, 2010 waiting for lefty by clifford odets directed by drew vanderburg in this last segment the union workers declare a strike, to stand up for their right to earn a living wage. Clifford odets dropped out of high school to pursue acting. After working as an actor for several years in new york citys avantgarde, leftwing group theatre repertory company, clifford odets produced his first play, waiting for lefty, in 1935.
This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of waiting for lefty by clifford odets. In a series of six vignettes, various drivers make a plea to strike. Benjamin, miller, stein, mitchell, phillips, keller. Waiting for lefty remained popular and will remain relevant as an artifact of this time period as an expression of the ideology of american communism. A critical and popular success, this masterfully constructed work brings searing intensity and rare theatrical excitement to its probing, yet sharply. The year waiting for lefty was published, odets was officially a part of the communist party, and it is apparent throughout this script. Enclosure a collection of plays, robert james nelson, gerald clifford weales, 1975, drama, 282 pages. Waiting for lefty and other plays book by clifford odets. When it was first produced by the group theater in 1935, waiting for lefty made a sensation of its playwright, clifford odets, who became the theatrical conscience of his generation, much as arthur miller and tony kushner later would for their own generations.
Clifford odets birthdaywednesday, july 18, 1906 birthplacephiladelphia, pennsylvania, u. Lefty, a play about a taxi drivers strike, sought to engage the audience with the production and meld leftwing labor politics and artistic forms. Jan 14, 2011 waiting for lefty by clifford odets directed by drew vanderburg this is the first of seven segments of odets s famous unionization play. Decoding healthcare 3pm podcast 2 band guys beyond polarity button mashers 1 song cast out.
Clifford odets iconic 1935 play waiting for lefty was first produced for the group theatre in new york city, pictured above. The framing uses the audience as part of the meeting the play was premiered by the group theatre, a new york city theatre company founded by harold. Clifford odetss waiting for lefty is a vigorous, confrontational work, based on a 1934 strike of. Waiting for lefty is a 1935 political and perhaps even. Golden boy opened in 1937 and was a commercial success at the box office, running for 250 performances. The year waiting for lefty was published, its author, clifford odets, was officially a. A fat man of porcine appearance is talking directly to the audience. It was firstly produced by the group theatrean american, new york city. Download pdf waitingforleftyandotherplays free online. Waiting for lefty by clifford odets directed by drew vanderburg this is the first of seven segments of odetss famous unionization play. The union members are waiting for their representative, lefty, to arrive so that they can vote on a strike. His first play, waiting for lefty 1935, an agitprop play about strikers, was an enormous success.
Featured software all software latest this just in old school emulation msdos games historical software classic pc games software library. This video contains fats opening monologue and the joe and. Respond to the following on waiting for lefty by clifford odets in 750 words. The play, which focuses on a group of taxi drivers planning a labor strike, was the first of odets works to be performed on the stage. Waiting for lefty is a hamhanded political statement to make the point that communism lefty. Clifford odets was born july 18th, 1906 in philadelphia, pennsylvania.
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