Humanities › Literature Definition and Theatrical Examples of Memory Plays Print Herb Snitzer / Getty Images Literature Plays & Drama Basics & Advice Playwrights Play & Drama Reviews Monologues Best Sellers Classic Literature Poetry Quotations Shakespeare Short Stories Children's Books By Wade Bradford Wade Bradford Theater Expert M.A., Literature, California State University - Northridge B.A., Creative Writing, California State University - Northridge Wade Bradford, M.A., is an award-winning playwright and theater director. He wrote and directed seven productions for Yorba Linda Civic Light Opera's youth theater. Learn about our Editorial Process Updated on March 09, 2019 Read More What Is Drama? Literary Definition and Examples By Robert Longley A play that focuses on the past as narrated by the main character. Usually, the play is a dramatic representation of the playwright's life—or at least loosely based upon the playwright's experiences. Some memory plays involve narration throughout (such as the play adaptation of A Christmas Story. Other memory plays begin with a recollection made by the narrator and then shifts into a play without an interrupting narrator. (Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie is an example of this type of memory play.) Cite this Article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation Bradford, Wade. "Definition and Theatrical Examples of Memory Plays." ThoughtCo, Sep. 3, 2021, thoughtco.com/memory-play-definition-2713235. Bradford, Wade. (2021, September 3). Definition and Theatrical Examples of Memory Plays. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/memory-play-definition-2713235 Bradford, Wade. "Definition and Theatrical Examples of Memory Plays." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/memory-play-definition-2713235 (accessed April 18, 2024). copy citation