Zoe Akins: Broadway Playwright

Zoe Akins was an artist who became successful as a Broadway playwright. For Akins, this was a hard earned title, which she achieved after years of false starts and near misses. She wrote over 40 plays, 18 of which appeared on the Broadway stage between 1919 and 1944. Also in her oeuvre are two novels, numerous short stories and essays, several film and television scripts, and two volumes of poetry. Akins constantly tried to balance her writing style so that it would suit her own moral code and simultaneously appeal to a paying audience. She was a woman in a field dominated by men, but she persevered and accomplished much including winning the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1935 for The Old Maid.

This volume follows the progression of Akin's writing career. It primarily focuses on her Broadway plays, but also highlights other plays and writings (such as poems, film scripts, and short stories) which reflect various aspects of Akin's artistry. It will appeal to theatre, history, and women's studies scholars, as well as anyone interested in the literary career of a unique individual.

Zoe Akins (1886-1958) wrote or adapted over 40 plays, 18 of which appeared on the Broadway stage between 1919 and 1944. Although she was honored for her skills, winning the Pulitzer Prize for her adaptation of Edith Wharton's novella The Old Maid, her work receives little notice in American theater history texts. Kreizenbeck (theater, University of Maryland-Baltimore County) examines her work as a playwright for the Broadway stage, and discusses Akins' poetry and other writing as well. Appendices list original plays and adaptations by Akins performed on Broadway, and films adapted from her plays. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

ALAN KREIZENBECK is Associate Professor, Department of Theatre, University of Maryland, Baltimore County.