Dramaturgical Resources
2008
A Family Affair
By Alexander Ostrovsky
Over the course of the season, our assistant directors and student dramaturgs will be compiling dramaturgical resources relating to each production as it develops. Below are some links to websites which relate to the history of the play, the biography of the playwright, and sites that contextualize and, we hope, shed light on the directorial approach to the dramatic material.
We hope you find these resources of interest.
Alexander Ostrovsky (1823-1886)
A Family Affair was written by Russain playwright, Alexander Ostrovsky. Here's a brief biography of Ostrovsky. And here's a more in-depth bio.
Our version of A Family Affair was translated by the English playwright, Nick Dear. Here's a full list of Nick Dear's work.
Ostrovsky's place in popular Russian literature of the nineteenth century is described in this extract from the book,The Popular Theatre Movement in Russia, 1862-1919
(available via Google books).
Here's more on realism in Russian literature (again, via Google books).
Here some information on the history of Russian imperialism during Ostrovsky's life.
Here's a review of an off-Broadway production of A Family Affair; and here's a review of an English production of the work.
For those of you on the University system (i.e. if you have a NetID), this article made available by JSTOR provides insight into the Russian merchant class.