Gather any group of actresses, from students to stars, and someone will inevitably ask, "Where are all the great roles for women?" The roles are right here, in this unprecedented and magnificently diverse collection of plays with all-female casts. The seven full-length and ten one-act selections range in tone from the unabashed theatricality of Edward Albee's Pulitzer Prize-winning Three Tall Women to the blistering black comedy of Laura Cunningham's Beautiful Bodies. Their characters include uprooted Japanese war brides, outrageously liberated Shakespearean heroines, an avenging African American housewife, and nuns who double as Catholic schoolgirls. Whether you're looking for a script to produce or a scene for an acting class, this book will provide you with a wealth of juicy, challenging female roles as it introduces you to some of the finest playwrights at work today.

Edward Albee, "Three Tall Women"Lee Blessing, "Independence"Laura Cunningham, "Beautiful Bodies"Mary Gallagher, "Bedtime"Madeleine George, "The Most Massive Woman Wins"Velina Hasu Houston, "Tea"Tina Howe, "Appearances"Sherry Kramer, "David's Redhaired Death"Casey Kurtti, "Catholic School Girls"Adam Lefevre, "Waterbabies"Craig Lucas, "Credo"Lynn Nottage, "Poof!"Jose Rivera, "The Winged Man"Nina Shengold, "Lives of the Great Waitresses"Paula Vogel, "Desdemona: A Play About a Handkerchief"Wendy Wasserstein, "Workout"John Wooten, "The Role of Della"