It is with great pleasurethat Bookpleasures.com extends a warm welcome to the highly respected author, Amnon Kabatchnik, as we begin our interview with him.

Amnon has made significant contributions to the world of theater through his remarkable career.

He has worked with renowned educational institutions such as SUNY Binghamton, Stanford University, Ohio State University, Florida State University, and Elmira College, and his work has left an indelible mark on the performing arts industry.

A native of Tel Aviv, Israel, he attended Boston University for his undergraduate studies, where he excelled and earned a summa cum laude degree in both theater and journalism.

As a testament to his exceptional academic performance, he was awarded the coveted Rodgers & Hammerstein Award. He holds an MFA degree in directing from the esteemed Yale School of Drama.

Throughout his career, he directed a diverse range of plays, including dramas, comedies, thrillers, and musicals, captivating audiences in New York and throughout the United States. Notably, he has authored the enlightening work Sherlock Holmes on the Stage and a comprehensive seven-volume series titled Blood on the Stage.

For more insights into his illustrious career and scholarly contributions, be sure to visit his WEBSITE  Join us as we delve into the fascinating world of theater with the exceptional Amnon Kabatchnik.

Norm:  Good day Amnon and thanks for taking part in our interview.

Amnon:  It is my pleasure, Norm, to be interviewed for your esteemed site.

Norm: Can you tell us about your inspiration for writing Courtroom Dramas on the Stage and why you felt it was important to fill the void in the literature of this topic?

Amnon:  There are many books in print that cover courtroom action in film and on television, but none, I believe, about trials that unfold on the legitimate stage.

While many plays in this sub-genre take place within the walls of a courtroom and thus seem static, there is a wide range of accused characters,  motivations, defense tactics, and final fates to keep the reader glued.

Norm: How did you go about selecting the plays included in the book?  What criteria did you use to determine which would be featured?

Amnon: I selected plays with historical and milestone importance, like the first murder trial on record (The Danaid Tetralogy, 463 B.C., by Aeschylus); the placement of ten juror-judges between the audience and the actors (Aeschylus' The Oresteia, 458 B.C.); the introduction of a step-by-step murder investigation by interrogating witnesses (Sophocles' Oedipus the King, 429 B.C.);  ridiculing the Athenian law courts (Wasps, 422 B.C. by Aristophanes); lynching vs. the rule of law (The Bacchae, 405 B.C. by Euripides); the first surviving drama based on an actual murder case (Arden of Faversham, 1592, by Anonymous); and classics like Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice (1596-7). 

Norm: In each entry, you provide a plot synopsis, production data, scholarly opinions, and biographical information. How did you conduct your research for this book, and what were some of the challenges you faced in gathering the information?

Amnon: I have been collecting play scripts for many years in a variety of genres with an infinity for melodramas of suspense. I directed crime-tinged plays Off Broadway, on the road, in summer theater, at universities, and abroad, including The Cat and the Canary, Arsenic and Old Lace,  Gas Light, The Mousetrap, Sleuth, Wait Until Dark, Dial M for Murder, and A Shot in the Dark.

It was not a long step to take up courtroom dramas. I had the scripts at hand and then traveled to New York' s Public Library for the Performing Arts spending long hours scrutinizing performance data and reviews. Most of the information I gathered was based on performances in New York and London.

Norm:  As a theater professor and director, how much has your background influenced your approach to analyzing and evaluating the plays in this book?  Did you bring any specific perspectives or insights from your own experiences in the theater world?

Amnon:  In most cases, if not all, I placed myself as the director of the play, visualizing characters, picturing locales, and analyzing motives, conflicts, climaxes, and resolutions. 

As an actor and director, I personally let my first reading of a play leave a strong impression that dictates my acquaintance with the characters, the mood of the proceedings, and the ups-and-downs of the plot.

I guide the cast to make inner discoveries less by sitting in discussion around the table, more while we are on our feet blocking the action of the play.

Norm: Your previous works, such as Blood on the Stage series, have received critical acclaim. What do you believe sets your books apart from other reference works, and how do you ensure the readability and accessibility of the information presented?

Amnon:  The Blood on the Stage series, as well as the present volume of courtroom dramas, deal with crucial matters where the protagonists, often accused of murder, find themselves fighting for their lives.

I try to paint the proceedings in a way that keeps the reader invested in the outcome. On another level, the books are filled with detailed information regarding theatres, performances, critical reception, playwrights, actors, and directors that can hardly be found elsewhere.

Norm:  What makes a courtroom drama on the stage interesting for audiences? Are there any common elements or techniques that successful plays in this genre employ?

Amnon:  While at first sight it seems that the courtroom dramas may be handicapped by one locale (a room) and  limited physical action from witnesses sitting on a chair, grilled by a lawyer, the plays I chose for this volume are dramatically very different from one another with a variety of characters, clever legal maneuvers by the prosecution and the defense, and often surprising outcomes.

Norm:  What impact do you think courtroom dramas have on society, and how do they reflect or comment on the legal system or broader social issues?  

Amnon:  John Galsworthy's Justice (England, 1910) proves that courtroom dramas can have profound impact. The play takes aim at the flawed British justice system.

William Falder, a frail junior clerk, is accused of a minor forgery and  sent to prison for three years. In a harrowing scene, he is shown caged in a cramped dark cell.

Suddenly, we hear a banging sound, started up by his fellow inmates, growing louder and louder, traveling from cell to cell, till it finally invades Falder's space.

Trembling from head to foot, he flings himself against the metal door, helplessly beating on it.

When Winston Churchill, home secretary at the time, saw the play, he was affected by the scene and reduced the allowable period of solitary confinement in England's prisons from nine months to four weeks.

In an upcoming Courtroom Dramas on the Stage Volume 2, I will analyze plays dealing with racial issues, anti-Semitic slurs, and anti- war activities. 

Norm:  What do you hope readers will take away from Courtroom Dramas on the Stage?

Amnon:  I trust that readers will get an inkling of the legal changes and applications that took place through the years -- from the early Greeks to modern times -- in civil, religious, royal, and military courtrooms. And I hope that this labor of love will ignite interest in some neglected and forgotten plays many of which deserve a new lease of life.

Norm: Thanks once again and good luck with all of your future endeavors

Follow Here To Read Norm's Review of  Courtroom Dramas: ON THE STAGE: VOLUME 1