1. “Death of a Salesman,” Arthur Miller, 1949
The story: The elusive American dream drives washed-up Willy Loman into a tree.
Did you know? When the film was released in 1951, the wary Columbia studio that released it also shot a short companion film titled “Life of a Salesman,” praising sales as a profession and condemning Willy Loman. It ran with the main feature.
Quote: “Attention must be paid.”
Most recently: At Thunder River, Carbondale, 2007
2. “Angels in America,” Tony Kushner, 1991
The story: A two-part, seven- hour political call to arms for the age of AIDS in the form of two intersecting couples, a fallen angel . . . and an antichrist.
Did you know? A Broadway revival is set for October.
Quote: “Greetings, Prophet! The great work begins!!”
Next: Vintage Theatre, Oct. 1- Nov. 7
3. “A Streetcar Named Desire,” Tennessee Williams, 1947
The story: An exiled neurotic is on a desperate prowl for someplace to call her own.
Did you know? The American Film Institute ranks “I have always depended on the kindness of strangers” as the 75th best line in film history.
Most recently: Vintage Theatre, 2008
4. “Long Day’s Journey Into Night,” Eugene O’Neill, 1956
The story: Autobiographical account of the author’s youth within a severely troubled family.
Quote: “We are such things as rubbish is made of, so let’s drink up and forget it.” Did you know? O’Neill dedicated the play to his wife on their 12th wedding anniversary. Next: Through March 13 at Paragon Theatre
5. “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf,” Edward Albee, 1962
The story: Professional drunks George and Martha savagely toy with each other and a visiting young couple.
Did you know? Its 1963 Pulitzer Prize was yanked by Columbia University because of its profane elements.
Quote: “Dashed hopes, and good intentions. Good, better, best, bested. How do you like that for a declension, young man?”
Next: April 29-May 16 by Star Bar Players, Colorado Springs
6. “Our Town,” Thornton Wilder, 1938
The story: A 1930s stage manager narrates the tale of an average town in the early days of the 20th century.
Did you know? Wilder dedicated the play to Alexander Woollcott, the critic and inspiration for Sheridan Whiteside, the main character in “The Man Who Came to Dinner.”
Quote: “Does anyone ever realize life while they live it . . . every, every minute?”
Next: Colorado Shakespeare Festival, summer 2010
7. “The Glass Menagerie,” Tennessee Williams, 1944
The story: A family of displaced and self-absorbed misfits representing the Southern social order, collapses likes glass in Depression-era St. Louis.
Did you know? Laura has long been assumed to be based on Williams’ frail, mentally ill sister, Rose, but many scholars now believe he was writing about himself.
Quote: “How beautiful it is, and how easily it can be broken.”
Next: Feb. 25-March 13 at Thunder River, Carbondale
8. “A Raisin in the Sun,” Lorraine Hansberry, 1959
The story: A forthcoming insurance payment could mean financial salvation or personal ruin for a poor black family.
Did you know? In the play’s initial review, The New York Times called it “A Negro ‘Cherry Orchard.’ ”
Quote: “What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up, like a raisin in the sun?”
Next: By Inspire Creative, at Parker Mainstreet Center on March 12-20, featuring Cris Davenport and Gwen Harris.
9. “The Crucible,” Arthur Miller, 1953
The story: The Salem witch trials as an allegory for the McCarthy anti-communism blacklisting campaign.
Did you know? The real John Proctor was 60 at the time of his trial; his accuser, Abigail, just 11. But they never met before Proctor’s hearing, the affair between them being Miller’s invention.Quote: “Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life!”
Most recently:Arvada Center, 2009
10. “Fences,” August Wilson, 1983
The story: Set in 1957, a former Negro League baseball star has been reduced to a garbage man. As his world inevitably crumbles, his bitterness touches everyone he loves.
Did you know? James Earl Jones originated the stage role of Troy Maxson.
Quote: “Life don’t owe you nothing. You owe it to yourself.”
Most recently: Denver Center Theatre Company, 1990
Compiled by John Moore
