Mamet's criticism of American society, theatrical inventiveness, images of alienation and betrayal, sensitivity to language, and continuing productivity make him one of today's leading playwrights. This critical collection of eight original essays and two recently published essays by noted American and European scholars, including Ruby Cohn, Michael Hinden, Dennis Carroll, Steven Gale, and Chris Hudgins, examines David Mamet's development from the beginning of his career to the present. Structural and thematic essays provide a comprehensive overview of his work in theatre and film through such diverse approaches as aesthetics, linguistic strategies, communal vision, recurring paradigms, comedic structure and purpose, influences of classical and Renaissance drama, and feminist perspectives. Additionally, interviews conducted during 1990 with director Gregory Mosher, who has directed more than 12 Mamet plays, and actor Joe Mantegna, who in 15 years has starred in A Life in the Theatre , Glengarry Glen Ross , Speed-the-Plow , Things Change , and Homicide , offer insights about the writer and his work.