Steinbeck's Plays: From Realism to Abstraction

Steinbeck wanted more people to read plays unencumbered by lengthy set descriptions or stage directions, so he set about writing novellas that could be staged, wherein the set descriptions were minimal, and everything else was conferred by dialogue between characters. The first of three such novella/plays was Of Mice and Men, based to some extent on Steinbeck's own experience and set in a recognizable California landscape. The next, The Moon Is Down, written for the propaganda wing of WWII's OSS, is set in an unnamed country invaded and occupied by unnamed forces. The third, Burning Bright, initially set in a circus, then on a farm, originally titled Everyman by Steinbeck, indicated his purpose: to preach a moral lesson. The three plays move from realism to abstraction, and in so doing, had shorter Broadway runs and much less audience involvement.