Defining Contemporary Theater: Expert Play Picks

Cole Escola, Lynn Nottage and other prominent theater artists have selected the plays that define contemporary theater in a feature published by The New York Times. The list highlights works that have significantly influenced the art form since World War I, with selections reflecting diverse voices and innovative approaches to storytelling on stage.

Among the chosen plays is Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ “Appropriate,” a drama that reexamines family legacy and racial identity through a darkly comic lens. Jacobs-Jenkins, known for works like “An Octoroon” and “Gloria,” has been recognized for pushing theatrical boundaries with formal experimentation and sharp social commentary.

Lynn Nottage’s “Sweat” is also included in the selection, a Pulitzer Prize-winning play that depicts the decline of industrial America through the lives of factory workers in Reading, Pennsylvania. Nottage, a MacArthur Fellow and two-time Pulitzer winner, has consistently centered marginalized communities in her work, with “Sweat” emerging as one of the most-produced plays in recent seasons across American regional theaters.

David Henry Hwang’s “Yellow Face” appears on the list, a semi-autobiographical play exploring identity, representation, and the complexities of Asian-American experience in theater, and media. Hwang, best known for “M. Butterfly,” has long advocated for authentic Asian voices in American theater, and “Yellow Face” blends personal narrative with satirical critique of cultural appropriation.