Plays 6: November / Race / The Anarchist

Collected Plays #6

by David Mamet

Race Sparks fly when three lawyers – two black and one white – and a defendant clash over the issue of race and the American judicial system. Drawing on one of the most highly charged issues of American history, David Mamet forces us to confront deep-seated prejudices and barely healed wounds in this unflinching examination of the lies we tell ourselves and the truths we unwillingly reveal to others. November It's November in a Presidential election year and incumbent Charles Smith's chances for re-election are looking unlikely. Approval ratings are down, his money's running out, and nuclear war might be imminent. But Chuck isn't ready to give up just yet. November is a hilarious take on the state of contemporary America. The Anarchist Cathy is a woman who has served 35 years of a life sentence for killing a policeman in a botched robbery. Her prison officer Ann must decide whether or not to grant her parole. Mamet once again employs his signature verbal jousting in this battle of two women over freedom, power, money, and religion.

236 pages, Paperback

First published February 26, 2015

About the author

David Alan Mamet is an American author, essayist, playwright, screenwriter and film director. His works are known for their clever, terse, sometimes vulgar dialogue and arcane stylized phrasing, as well as for his exploration of masculinity.

As a playwright, he received Tony nominations for Glengarry Glen Ross (1984) and Speed-the-Plow (1988). As a screenwriter, he received Oscar nominations for The Verdict (1982) and Wag the Dog (1997).

Mamet's recent books include The Old Religion (1997), a novel about the lynching of Leo Frank; Five Cities of Refuge: Weekly Reflections on Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy (2004), a Torah commentary, with Rabbi Lawrence Kushner; The Wicked Son (2006), a study of Jewish self-hatred and antisemitism; and Bambi vs. Godzilla, an acerbic commentary on the movie business.