Curse of the Starving Class is a play by Sam Shepard, considered the first of a series on family tragedies. Some critics consider it part of a Family Trilogy which includes Buried Child (1979) and True West (1980). Others consider it part of a quintet which includes Fool for Love (1983) and A Lie of the Mind (1985). The play was commissioned by Joseph Papp and premiered in London in 1977 before playing at Papp's New York Shakespeare Festival in 1978.