Buried Child by Sam Shepard

Buried Child

by

Sam Shepard

Buried Child is a play written by Sam Shepard. It came out in 1978 and premiered in Magic Theater in San Francisco, California. One year later it won the 1979 Pulitzer Price for Drama. 

The author Sam Shepard was born on November 5, 1943 in Illinois. He is an American playwright, actor and film director. His biggest hit is probably Buried Child, but some of his other great works are:

• Curse of the Starving Class
• Fool for Love
• A Lie of the Mind

I chose Buried Child, because I thought it would be the most interesting one out of his works. It is a drama which portrays the disintegration of American farming family dealing with disappointment and disillusionment with American mythology and American dream. They must also cope with the 1970s rural economic slowdown reflecting the poverty of  farms and people living in hunger. Moreover the traditional family structures and values are completely torn apart amongst their family.

Summary:

Name of the play: Buried Child

Author: Sam Shepard

Premiered: June 27, 1978 [Magic Theater, San Francisco, CA]

Awards: Pulitzer Price for Drama

Language: English

Genre: Drama

Setting: Farm house in Illinois, 1978

Characters:

• Bradley
• Dodge
• Tilden
• Father Dewis
• Shelly
• Halie
• Vince