THREE USES OF THE KNIFE

The purpose of theater, like magic like religion.ids to inspire cleansing awe. W
ith bracing directness and aphoristic authority, one of our greatest living play
wrights addresses the questions: What makes good drama? And why does drama matte
r in an age that is awash in information and entertainment? David Mamet believes
that the tendency to dramatize is essential to human nature, that we create dra
ma out of everything from today's weather to next year's elections. But the high
est expression of this drive remains the theater.