This collection features four new plays about war, tyranny and discrimination by Eastern and Central European writers. Includes the plays The Body of a Woman as a battlefield in the Bosnian war by Matei Visniec, Cordon by Nebojsa Romcevic, When I want to whistle, I whistle... by Andreea Valean, Soap Opera by Gyoergy Spiro The title of this volume alludes to the history of political double-dealing in a troubled region within southern Europe, surrounded by the Adriatic, Aegean and Black Seas. G.B. Shaw wrote Arms and The Man about a small Balkan plot in the 19th century. It's in this tradition, rather than in a geographical sense that we use the title Balkan Plots. The plays in this volume are dramatic works which have emerged from, or which take as their subject matter, the struggle of individuals within societies affected by recent political upheaval. The writers explore aspects of freedom and rebellion, ethnicity and discrimination, loyalty and betrayal in situations where conventional attitudes and beliefs are severely tested. In some plays, the conflict is between traditional socialist attitudes and western capitalism. In others, the values and beliefs of the younger generation collide with and challenge those of the older generation. Within each of the plays, the way in which the personal and the political interacts, is very much in evidence.

About the Author
Gina Landor Gina was born in Chicago of Italian and English descent and read Classics at Oxford University. As an actress, she has played many leading theatre roles in the UK and abroad, notably in Shakespeare, American classics, comedies and new plays. During the Bosnian war, Gina performed in London and Ireland with prominent refugee artists from Sarajevo. As actor/manager of her ad hoc troupe, she initiated projects with the Royal National Theatre, the Tricycle Theatre, Equity and the International Committee for Artists' Freedom to raise awareness and funds for actors in Bosnia. During this period, she travelled to Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia with theatre research grants from the British Council. She has also toured her one-woman show Men Do Not Go to War Over Women which she adapted from the Troy Trilogy by Andrew Rissik.

Reviews
"Incontestably one of the best, the most powerful plays of the Avignon Festival." La Gazette Provencale



Book Information
ISBN 9780953675739
Author Cheryl Robson
Format Paperback
Page Count 185
Imprint Aurora Metro Books
Publisher Aurora Metro Publications