This collection investigates how contemporary playwrights perceive and critique the influence of the Hollywood film industry on American culture and theatrical practice. Kimball King, a scholar of modern drama, compiles a series of essays and interviews that examine the tension between the commercialized nature of cinema and the artistic integrity of the stage. The work argues that the 'culture industry' exerts a profound, often reductive pressure on narrative forms, forcing playwrights to navigate the intersection of celebrity, profit, and creative expression.

Scholars and theater practitioners identify this text as a useful resource for understanding the historical friction between stage and screen. Readers frequently note the academic rigor of the essays, which provide a nuanced look at how playwrights maintain autonomy within a media-saturated landscape.