Curse of the Starving Class

Curse of the Starving Class
Written by	Sam Shepard
Characters	Wesley Ella Emma Taylor Weston Ellis Malcolm Emerson Slater
Date premiered	2 March 1978
Place premiered	New York Shakespeare Festival, Joseph Papp Public Theater, New York City
Original language	English
Genre	Drama
Setting	a derelict farm house in the California Central Valley

Curse of the Starving Class is a play by Sam Shepard, considered the first of a series on family tragedies. Some critics consider it part of a Family Trilogy which includes Buried Child (1979) and True West (1980). Others consider it part of a quintet which includes Fool for Love (1983) and A Lie of the Mind (1985). The play was commissioned by Joseph Papp and premiered in London in 1977 before playing at Papp's New York Shakespeare Festival in 1978.

The play was initially produced in London at the Royal Court Theatre on April 21, 1977, directed by Nancy Meckler. The play was commissioned by Joseph Papp.

Curse of the Starving Class premiered Off-Broadway at the New York Shakespeare Festival, on March 2, 1978, presented by Joseph Papp. The play closed on April 9, 1978. The cast was as follows:

The play was revived Off-Broadway at the Promenade Theare, running from July 30, 1985 to February 16, 1986. Directed by Robin Lynn Smith, the cast featured Kathy Bates (Ella) and Bradley Whitford (Wesley).

The play was produced at Yale Repertory Theatre, New Haven, Connecticut, in February 2000, directed by Jim Simpson (director)Jim Simpson and featuring Kristine Nielsen, Guy Boyd, Mandy Siegfried, Seckel, Paul Boocock, Ron Faber, Steve Mellor, Dan Moran and Chime Serra. The production had original live rock, blues, jazz, punk, and latin-style music, composed and arranged by Steve Bargonetti and Diane Gioia.

...
Wikipedia