| Bury the Dead | |
|---|---|
| Written by | Irwin Shaw |
| Date premiered | April 18, 1936 |
| Place premiered | Ethel Barrymore Theatre, New York |
| Original language | English |
| Subject | World War I |
| Genre | Expressionist agit-prop |
| Setting | "The second year of the war that begins tomorrow." |
| IBDB profile | |
Bury the Dead (1936) is an expressionist anti-war drama by the American playwright Irwin Shaw. It dramatises the refusal of six dead soldiers during an unspecified war—who represent a cross-section of American society—to be buried. Each rises from the grave to express his anguish, the futility of war, and his refusal to become part of the "glorious past" to the woman who has survived him. It was first staged by the Group Theatre in New York in 1936 to great acclaim.