Gather any group of actresses, from students to stars, and someone will inevitably ask, "Where are all the great roles for women?" The roles are right here, in this unprecedented and magnificently diverse collection of plays with all-female casts, each of which represents the answer to any actress's prayer.

The seven full-length and ten one-act selections In Plays for Actresses range in tone from the unabashed theatricality of Edward Albee's Pulitzer Prize-winning Three Tall Women to the blistering black comedy of Laura Cunningham's Beautiful Bodies. Their characters include uprooted Japanese war brides, outrageously liberated Shakespearean heroines, an avenging African American housewife, and nuns who double as Catholic schoolgirls.

Whether you're looking for a script to produce, a scene for acting class, or a new audition speech, this book will provide you with a wealth of juicy, challenging female roles - even as it introduces you to some of the finest playwrights at work today.