"Have you ever noticed how clever you feel in the theatre? You get the joke when no one on the stage is laughing. You see the threat that no one on the stage seems to notice. You weep when leading characters do not shed a tear. Sometimes you feel an almost godlike understanding of people and events. Without the playwright's careful preparation of plot, scene, language, and mood, the delicate balance between a live audience and live players would crumble." "The Audience & the Playwright analyzes the tactics used by all playwrights, from Sophocles to David Mamet, to give the audience extraordinary powers and a unique role that it will play perfectly and without rehearsal. Using examples from a wide variety of plays, including Oedipus the King, Romeo and Juliet, The Elephant Man, A Doll's House, and Translations, the essential elements of the theatrical experience are revealed." "Structured as an evening in the theatre, this book is analytical but straightforward, serious but entertaining. Mayo Simon presents a working playwright's view of what really happens between the stage and the audience, from the beginning of the play until the end."--Jacket.