Representative Plays by American Dramatists: 1856-1911: Paul Kauvar; or, Anarchy

A sweeping drama that bursts onto the stage with the energy of a restless crowd, the play follows a charismatic young man whose ideas about liberty and disorder plunge him into the heart of a city teetering on the brink. Set against the backdrop of a bustling metropolis, his personal convictions clash with family loyalties and the harsh realities of an unforgiving society, creating a tense portrait of ambition and idealism in the first act.

Mackaye’s staging leans into vast, kinetic scenes that capture the roar of protesters and the intimate moments of doubt that flicker behind the public roar. His focus on realistic emotion, inspired by the Delsarte method, adds a raw, physical texture to each exchange, while his pioneering set designs suggest a theater that is both spectacle and laboratory. Listeners will feel the pulse of a world caught between order and chaos, and the compelling humanity that struggles to survive within it.