Telling Our Stories of Home: International Performance Pieces

In this review of Telling Our Stories of Home the reviewer finds a thoughtful, globe-spanning collection that will appeal to theatre makers, teachers, and readers interested in gendered experiences of home. The book collects eleven plays by and about women from countries including Lebanon, Haiti, Venezuela, Uganda, Palestine, Brazil, India, the UK and the US, and its single biggest reason to buy is the range of lived perspectives it places on stage; readers get both intimate domestic scenes and politically charged moments that complicate the idea of home.

Key Features

• International authorship: Plays represent diverse geographies, giving readers access to dramatic voices from Lebanon, Haiti, Venezuela, Uganda, Palestine, Brazil, India, the UK and the US.
• Focus on women: The collection centers womens experiences, offering many perspectives on what makes a place or relationship feel like home.
• Theatrical variety: The pieces range from intimate family scenes to politically charged confrontations, useful for directors seeking varied short plays.
• Pedagogical use: The collection is well suited to classroom study and workshops because the plays raise clear themes and staging questions.
• Cultural and historical breadth: Stories include themes from enslavement and migration to burial rights and queer exile, making the volume a resource for interdisciplinary study.

Who It's For

This collection is ideal for theatre directors, acting teachers, dramaturgs and students who want a compact sampler of contemporary plays that explore home across cultures. Its emphasis on women playwrights makes it a strong choice for courses in gender studies, world drama, and community-based theatre practice.

Readers who want a single-author monograph, a how-to staging manual, or a large anthology of dozens of plays should look elsewhere; this book performs best as a focused teaching and repertory resource rather than a comprehensive survey or technical guide.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Broad international scope exposes readers to varied cultural framings of home and belonging.
• Concentrated female perspectives make it a useful text for gender-focused curricula and productions.
• Plays offer both intimate and political material, allowing directors to cast and stage across tones and scales.

Cons

• The collection is necessarily selective, so readers seeking exhaustive regional coverage will find gaps.

Specifications

Title	Telling Our Stories of Home: International Performance Pieces
Editor	Kathy A. Perkins
Contents	Eleven plays by and about women from multiple countries
Geographic coverage	Lebanon, Haiti, Venezuela, Uganda, Palestine, Brazil, India, UK, US
Primary themes	Home, migration, family, burial rites, gender and sexuality
Intended use	Performance, teaching, dramaturgy

Our Verdict

Telling Our Stories of Home is a compact, thoughtful collection that brings varied international female perspectives into one practical volume, making it good value for educators and small companies seeking material that sparks discussion and performance. Its curated scope is an asset for focused study even if it wont satisfy those needing exhaustive coverage of any single region.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are the plays suitable for classroom performance?
Yes. The pieces are short and varied, which makes them easy to assign, rehearse and stage in academic or workshop settings.

Does the book include authors notes or contextual essays?
The collection compiles plays with context implied through selection and staging possibilities; readers should expect play scripts rather than extensive scholarly apparatus.

Is this a single-author book?
No. It is an edited collection assembled by Kathy A. Perkins featuring plays by multiple international playwrights.