如果我们把美国戏剧史看作是世界戏剧史的组成部分,它就必然显得短暂,而且具有明显的衍生性质。不过,瑕不掩瑜,值得注意的是,他们的茁壮成长和蓬勃发展抵消了这种缺憾,二十世纪颇具特色的美国戏剧结出的累累硕果,越过了国界,名扬天下。由于在东部海岸最早定居的是英国侨民,英国戏剧的形态就不可避免地影响到美国戏剧的发展。完全可以说,美国戏剧起源于英国。1607年英国詹姆斯顿的殖民者首次在弗吉尼亚靠岸,他们是莎士比亚和马洛的同代人,可是他们当时顾不上演戏。他们新建立的家园被怀有敌意的土著人包围着,他们处于饥饿、疾病和屡遭劫掠的困境。他们首先考虑的是迫在眉睫的生存问题。1642年伦敦的几个剧院暂时停业,代表宗 If we view the history of American drama as part of the history of the world’s theater, it must inevitably be short-lived and manifestly of a derivative nature. However, it is worth noting that their vigorous growth and vigorous development have offset such shortcomings. The talented American drama of the twentieth century has brought about tremendous achievements. It has crossed the national boundaries and made its name worldwide. As the earliest settlers on the east coast were British nationals, the shape of British drama inevitably affected the development of American theater. It can be said that the United States drama originated in the United Kingdom. For the first time in 1607, Jamestown’s colonists in Britain docked in Virginia. They were the contemporaries of Shakespeare and Mallow, but they were not acting at the time. Their newly built homeland is surrounded by hostile indigenous peoples who are in hunger, disease and repeated looting. The first thing they think about is the imminent issue of survival. In 1642, several theaters in London were closed for business temporarily