While the trailblazing women playwrights of the 1890s (Martha Morton, Lottie Blair Parker, Rida Johnson Young, and many others) found commercial success on the New York stage with light comedies or melodramas, Rachel Crothers came along scarcely a decade later and carved a special niche with her social problem plays featuring strong, independent-minded women who sometimes riled audiences. Crothers was not the first American woman to make a profession of writing for the stage or to direct her own plays, but she stands out from the others for her provocative grappling with social issues and for a degree of craftsmanship that superseded the clichés of melodrama and light comedy. Beyond her 24 full-length New York-produced plays, Crothers is remembered notably for her ability to rally the…
2544 words
Citation: Londre, Felicia Hardison. "Rachel Crothers". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 16 January 2009 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=1082, accessed 27 April 2024.]
