"The reigning (and often brilliant) king of enervation in experimental theatre . . . one of the few truly original experimental theater auteurs to emerge in New York during the past decade." The New York Times

"A downtown writer and director with a distinctive deadpan aesthetic." Time Out New York

"His work is troubling. . . . But the trouble is intriguing and fruitful in itself, and therefore worth having." The Village Voice

Richard Maxwell, the downtown writer and director with a deadpan aesthetic and an ever-innovative body of work, has written a quasi-study guide to the art of making theater according to his "affecting affectless technique" (The New York Times). This illuminating volume will provide students and artists with a deeper understanding of Maxwell's work, aesthetic philosophy, and process for creating theater.

Richard Maxwell is a playwright and program director living in New York. He was a founder of the Cook County acting at Illinois State University in Chicago, and he is now the Aartistic director of New York City Players and a resident writer at New Dramtists. Maxwell has received a number of awards including a Guggenheim Fellowship and OBIE Award. His plays have been commissioned and presented in over sixteen countries, including Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Argentina, and Australia.