American Drama in the Age of Film

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments The solitude of writing fosters an illusion that you’re on your own with whatever little or big ideas. You know that’s not exactly true, but it feels true as you slog through drafts, endlessly rewrite, refine, attempt to cut all the precious darlings that once seemed fresh and so very interesting, search for a publisher, secure a contract, then repeat the cycle. Only now, with the end truly in sight, with the opportunity to step back and appreciate the entire process, does a more accurate picture come into focus. It is a real pleasure, at last, to thank publicly the people who supported and encouraged me to write the kind of book I wanted to write. First of all, my immediate family gave me needed time to work. That includes, of course, much time spent beyond the keyboard: attending conferences, doing legwork at the libraries , engaging in conversations and speculations, and enjoying hours of deep thoughts twirling pencils and pens. In short, Jack, Sasha, and especially Carol indulged me more than even the great Hjalmar Ekdal! Indeed, my beautiful wife has observed, not entirely falsely, that my eyes are rarely fully open. I wrote the bulk of this book while I was vice president and then president of the Eugene O’Neill Society. The ongoing support and fellowship of that organization , peopled by many fine scholars among its ranks, have been extremely helpful . T wo international conferences, in Tours, France, and Provincetown, Massachusetts , proved to be particularly stimulating and collegial gatherings. As editor of the annual Eugene O’Neill Review at Suffolk University in Boston , I have worked closely with writers during the past three years to prepare their essays and articles for publication. I am grateful for their abilities to put up with my protests and intrusions and, frankly, my mistakes, as I’ve learned how to do this difficult yet quite rewarding job. They have made me a better writer and taught me a lot about how to accept criticism. All the readers of this manuscript, known and anonymous, have contributed to the shape of the final product. I’m grateful to them for inspiring further rounds of judicious and radical cutting and editing. I thank Jackson R. Bryer for his insistence on clarity and keeping the big picture in mind. Brenda Murphy responded to the manuscript on its own terms, no small gift there, and deftly guided me toward my true intentions. A special debt of gratitude and friendship is due Martin Puchner, whose comments, insightful and actionable and supportive , promoted the breezy direction of the book. Readers might be relieved to find out that while my original version numbered more than 150,000 words, a solid third of that initial excess has been excised. The benefits of weight loss apply to heavy manuscripts as well as people. The staff at The University of Alabama Press proved that I can go back home again. My work could not have been in more capable hands. The sensitivity and skill of my copy editor, Lady Vowell Smith, saved me much embarrassment and left me with no one to blame for any fault that remains. Alice Rayner helped me to select a cover photo (although she doesn’t know it!). More directly, I thank the folks at the Southern Theater in Minneapolis, Artistic Director Jeff Bartlett , Marketing and Communications Director Kate Nordstrum, and Production Manager Jennifer Kult for promoting their space on the Web and putting me in contact with photographer Stephen Kmetz, who very graciously permitted me to publish his work. Finally, while it seems as if I’ve been writing this book forever (my family concurs), I realize that I actually have been thinking about it for more than twenty years. The genesis goes back to grad school (the first time) at Alabama, long evenings and early mornings on the front porch, deep thoughts (accompanied by a twirling pen and a frequent nap), and good friends. I directed John Erlanger and Jamie Lawrence in a production of True West that helped to formulate in practice, then, much of what I’ve finally committed to words, here. It’s taken a long time to distill. But, as I told them often enough on a late night, I like scotch. Cheers. x / Acknowledgments ...