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Home , Bill Irwin, Monte Cristo Cottage, The Hairy Ape

Boston Chosen as Site for Next International Conference in 2020

Fall 2018 O’Neill Society News

The official newsletter of the Eugene O’Neill International Society

Contents

• O’Neill in New York and LA...... 1 • Boston selected as the site of the 2020 conference...... 1 • Nancy, France Conference 2018....2 • ALA Conference May 2018 in ...... 3 • “One Festival, Two Countries” in Danville, CA & New Ross, Ireland...4 • News From Our Members...... 5 • ALA Conf 2019 Call for Papers...... 5 • O’Neill One-Acts in Japan...... 5 • Flock Theatre revives production of Long Day’s Journey into Night.....6 • Photos from O’Neill Events...... 7 • Membership Renewals due Jan 1. 7 • MLA Conference participants...... 8 • Rob Dowling tours China...... 8 New York & Los Angeles Theatres • Upcoming Events in Society...... 8 filled with the sounds of O’Neill

New York audiences were given the gift of two major productions of Boston Selected as plays by Eugene O’Neill in the spring of 2018. First, the Site of the 2020 was given a Broadway staging with O’Neill Conference in the lead role of Theodore “Hickey” Hickman and The membership of the O’Neill direction by George C. Wolfe. The play “laughed more often than I teared up,” Society voted at their May 26, 2018 opened at the Bernard Jacobs Theatre contrasting with other productions that business meeting that the site of the on April 26, and the cast featured some “tend to elicit adjectives like ‘searing’ next Eugene O’Neill International of Broadway’s most accomplished and ‘devastating’ (on the positive side) Conference will be Boston, MA. The character , including David and ‘narcotic’ and ‘way too long’ (on conference will be held in the summer Morse as Larry Slade, Frank Wood and the negative).” One new approach of 2020 and will take advantage of Bill Irwin as Lewis and Mosher, Colm of Wolfe and Washington was to engaging with the many sites in the Meaney as Harry Hope, and Dakin have Hickey deliver his monumental city with which O’Neill was involved. Matthews as Piet Wetjoen. Austin final monologue “in one,” sitting in Butler made an auspicious debut as a chair and talking directly to the Initial planning for the conference will the young Don Parritt. The production, audience. Brantley also felt that “with be helmed by O’Neill Society Board which performed at almost an hour its heightened performances and Chair Steve Bloom and Secretary/ shorter than typical, ran through July 1. tone-poem visuals, this production Treasurer Beth Wynstra, both of whom New York Times critic Ben Brantley also clearly elicits the musical nature live and work in the Boston area. Watch stated that “Mr. Wolfe’s energetic of ‘Iceman,’ which is in some ways for more details in the near future interpretation of this 1946 drama...is closer to opera or oratorio than it is to about this exciting Society gathering. likely to be divisive” because he conventional drama.” (Continued on p2) O’Neill Society News 1 O’Neill on Broadway, Brooklyn, LA (Continued from pg1) Los Angeles Times theatre critic Charles Soon after Iceman opened on McNulty in his review of the production Broadway, Brooklyn Academy of Music writes that the two main reasons to (BAM) presented the British production see the production were “Manville’s of O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journey into Night breathtaking performance as Mary directed by Richard Eyre and starring Tyrone, who is not played as an excuse and Leslie Manville. The for flamboyant virtuosity but as a production had begun in 2016 at the credible wife and mother imprisoned in Bristol Old Vic, the oldest continuously addiction,” and the other is “Irons’ suave O’Neillians working theatre in the English- and subtle portrayl of James Tyrone-- Participate at speaking world. Two years later, after one consummate stepping into Manville’s Academy Award-nominated the raffish skin of another.” Of the play, Nancy, France performance in the film Phantom McNulty writes that “O’Neill’s tragedy Thread with Daniel Day Lewis, the wounds without providing the salve IDEA Conference production was remounted in London’s of catharsis. But the acting artistry by David Palmer West End, came to BAM, and then went of Manville and Irons redeems this on to the Wallis Annenberg Center for grueling journey into the heart of a The Eugene O’Neill Society had two the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills, family’s darkness.” Like the Broadway sessions at the 5th International CA, where, like the Broadway Iceman, it Iceman, this production shaved an hour Conference on American Drama and closed on July 1. off the play’s typical running time. Theater hosted by the Université de Lorraine in Nancy, France, June 4-6 IDEA Conference, con’t (https://idea-udl.org/migrations/). The of European writers on O’Neill, chaired by Glaspell Society member conference was co-sponsored by the particularly Saki, Gerhart Hauptmann, Emeline Jouve (Campollion University). American Theatre and Drama Society and Maurice Maeterlinck. Adel Bahroun Plenary talks were given by Susan (ATDS). Its theme was migration. (University of Kairouan, Tunisia) Abbotson (Rhode Island College), concluded the session with remarks who spoke on Arthur Miller; Annette In the first session, Jeff Kennedy (Arizona on how ideas from Friedrich Nietzsche Saddik (City University of New York), State University) discussed how core were developed by O’Neill in The Hairy who discussed grotesque drama; and ideas migrated through O’Neill’s works Ape (1922) and Long Day’s Journey into theatre luminaries Lee Breuer and as his career developed; Thierry Dubost Night (1941). Maude Mitchell, who in two different (Université de Caen Normandie) explored sessions spoke of their research and the theme of migration in O’Neill’s early Other O’Neill Society members Drew experimental theatre experiences one-act Fog (1914); and David Palmer Eisenhauer (Paris College of Art) in creating stage work, particularly (Massachusetts Maritime Academy) and Johan Callens (Vrije Universiteit on their recent pieces by and about spoke about changes in his own views Brussels) gave papers on panels Tennessee Williams. on O’Neill’s conception of tragedy based devoted to O’Neill’s Provincetown on seeing the depictions of Slade and Players colleague Susan Glaspell, along David Palmer is a Society Board Member Parritt in last spring’s George C. Wolfe and with a paper by Jeff Kennedy, and & our Conference Coordinator Denzel Washington production of The Society members Ryder Iceman Cometh. The session was chaired Thornton, Chloé Lucidarme, by Ciarán Leinster, an Irish graduate Adel Bahroun, Thierry student at the Universidad de Sevilla, Dubost, David Palmer, who also gave a paper in a session for Ciarán Leinster, and Johan the Arthur Miller Society on productions Callenspro in Nancy, France this of Miller’s and O’Neill’s plays in Latin summer America.

Ryder Thornton (Tulane University) opened the second O’Neill panel with a paper on the American Dream in (written between 1936 and 1939). Chloé Lucidarme, a graduate student at the Université de Lorraine studying with conference coordinator John Bak, then spoke on the influence

2 O’Neill Society News Members enjoyed a tour Memorial Day Weekend 2018 was of Tao House by Wendy memorable for the Society as we Cooper, lunch by Wynstra combined our annual business Catering and a perfor- mance of meeting with the American Literature Association conference in San Francisco and took advantage of a gracious invitation from the Eugene O’Neill Foundation to spend a day at Tao House while we were there.

The conference began with a series of papers organized by the Arthur Miller Society and chaired by O’Neill Society Secretary/Treasurer Beth Wynstra, titled “Arthur Miller and Eugene O’Neill: Dramatic Theory and the Business of Performance.” This panel included papers by members David Palmer (“Fate, Diginity, Love and Tragedy: O’Neill, Miller and Their Successors”), Foundation President Dan McGovern (“Performing Miller’s After the Fall, , 1964”), and Foundation American Lit Conference 2018 in artistic director Eric Fraisher Hayes (“O’Neill and Miller in Repertory”). San Francisco Includes Visit to Tao

On Friday, May 25, we crossed the bay House and Business Meeting via BART and were taken to Tao House, former home of Eugene and Carlotta Saturday was another full day that That afternoon, Steve Bloom O’Neill, now the only National Park began with a panel of papers chaired moderated a roundtable discussion dedicated to theatre in the country, by our Society Conference coordinator titled “Eugene O’Neill Today: Pedagogy, with programming and events led David Palmer titled “Eugene O’Neill: Dramaturgy and Transnationality” year-round by the Eugene O’Neill Context, Development, and Influence.” that featured participation by Robert Foundation. After a sumputous lunch Papers were given by Janet M. Roberts M. Dowling, Eric Fraisher Hayes, on the Tao House grounds, Society and (“Unmasking the Mask: Eugene O’Neill, Katie Johnson, Jeff Kennedy, Dan Foundation member Wendy Cooper , and W. B. Yeats in an McGovern, Alex Pettit, Beth Wynstra led us on an informative tour of Tao Alternative Universe”), Lauren Luedtke and Mariette Ogg. This was followed by House. It’s always exciting to visit the (“All the World’s a Capitalist Structure: the Society’s annual Business Meeting site where O’Neill wrote some of his The Allegory of O’Neill’s (minutes of this meeting are available monumental plays and to get a sense of through Performance”), and Isadora to be read on the Society’s website: his life while writing there, and Cooper’s Grevan de Carvalho (“The Influence of eugeneoneillsociety.org). What a full knowledge enlightened us even more. Eugene O’Neill’s Theatre on the Modern and satisfying weekend was enjoyed by Brazilian Stage”). our members. Following the tour, we were treated to an exclusive performance in the O’Neill Barn of Hughie as it was being developed for a future performance in the Foundation’s fall festival. Foundation artistic director Hayes conceived of a performance of the play in which a third voice/character was added to divulge O’Neill’s stage directions for the play. After the performance, the audience was invited to give their feedback on the unique production and a lively discussion was had as members responded to what they had seen.

O’Neill Society News 3 Eugene O’Neill Foundation - Tao House August 31 through September 30, 2018 were special days in the life of 19th Eugene O’Neill Festival in the Eugene O’Neill Foundation as it presented their 19th Annual Eugene Danville merges with “One Festival, O’Neill Festival. Collaborating with the Role Players Ensemble and the National Two Countries” in New Ross, Ireland Park Service, the Festival produced nearby Tinneranny. Also, when James Becomes Electra directed by Ben Barnes, two works by two great American emigrated to America with his family and a one-man play written and playwrights, Hughie by Eugene O’Neill at age five, they left from the Port of performed by Don Wycherley titled My and All My Sons by Arthur Miller. New Ross. Inspired by Eugene famously Real Life. Three of O’Neill’s one-act plays saying “The one thing that explains from the “Glencairn” cycle, Bound East Because the Foundation was also more than anything about me is the for Cardiff, and In celebrating “One Festival, Two fact that I’m Irish,” the New Ross festival, the Zone, were presented on board the Countries,” with activities schedule for co-chaired by O’Neill Ancestral Trust’s Dunbrody Famine Ship in New Ross. To later in the fall in New Ross, Ireland, Sean Reidy, utilized the historic St. this was supplemented two lunchtime they partnered with the Museum Michael’s Theatre from October 11-14 talks at the New Ross Library presented of the San Ramon Valley to present to present three plays and a film. by Waterford Institute of Technology. two concerts of Irish music. They also featured their annual hike to Tao House, Waterford Institute of Technology This cultural and civic celebration a history walk in downtown Danville, presented a screening of Edwin Porter’s between Danville and New Ross and a Danville Public Library exhibit 1913 silent film of The Count of Monte connected by the legacy of O’Neill’s honoring their Friendship City ties with Cristo starting James O’Neill. The work and family has become a bond New Ross, Ireland. Danville production of Hughie was that the organizers hope will continue. remounted in New Ross, along with a The Festival was titled “Passing the two-part staged reading of Mourning Torch,” and its production of O’Neill’s Hughie was unique in that a third “voice” was added to the play to embody O’Neill’s stage directions. Director Eric Fraisher Hayes writes that “When I first read Hughie I was charmed by the stage directions. Along with adding to the expected drama, the stage directions expressed multiple layers of insight into the characters of the play and a rich ironic humor.” He EONF Pres Dan McGovern leads hike from Danville’s downtown to Tao House felt that they “exuded a personality at times,” causing this production to be an “exercise and exploration into how to fully realize a dramatic performance, a third character, from what Eugene O’Neill wrote between the lines of the dialogue.”

“One Festival, Two Countries” is a Dunbrody Famine Ship in New Ross partnership of the Eugene O’Neill Production of Hughie at Tao House Foundation, Tao House, and the O’Neill Ancestral Trust of Ireland, designed to mount O’Neill theatre festivals in both Danville in September and New Ross in October. The brainchild of Foundation president Dan McGovern, who visited New Ross after the 2017 O’Neill Society Conference in Ireland, the Irish town was chosen because James O’Neill, Eugene’s father, lived with his parents and seven sibilings in Director Hayes addresses St. Michael’s Theatre in New Ross audience at Tao House 4 O’Neill Society News ss O’Neill’s The Dreamy Kid and The Movie Man performed in Japan, available on video by Yuko Sano and I had to talk a lot to find the accurate balance of those two. Despite Our theatrical group, directed by film this difficulty, we’ve found a way to and stage director Tomonori Fujii, perform O’Neill’s works, staying as staged in Tokyo The Dreamy Kid and The faithful as possible to what he intends Movie Man last fall on November 25 & to show as human fate and its various 26. Those two plays were performed aspects through a Japanese point of four times in two days at the Theater view, especially for the ending of The News From Our Members X in Ryogoku, the heartland of Dreamy Kid. Convinced by the success, Bess Rowen reports that while professional sumo wrestlers. It was such our group intends to perform more attending the Association for Theatre an exciting experience to translate and of the one-act plays of Eugene O’Neill in Higher Education’s (ATHE) annual perform them, given the challenge from now on. You can enjoy the video conference in Boston this past summer, to touch the essential part of human of our performance at http://tl-studio. she took the opportunity to visit O’Neill’s beings that goes beyond the cultural jp/data/20171125m.wmv (it takes a bit grave and shares this photo above. difference and at the same time staying of time to download). aware not to ignore completely the Rowen also reports that an excellent cultural influence over the way we Yuko Sano is an actor and translator of production of interpret each persona. The director English-French to Japanese by the South African theatre troupe Abrahamse and Meyers was presented by Call for Papers for the American Literature EgoPo Classic Theatre in Philadelphia in October. Their production added a layer Association Conference in Boston May 2019 of apartheid South African racial tension to the play via casting, which highlighted The Eugene O’Neill International aspect of O’Neill’s life and work will be different aspects of the action. This same Society is planning to have two considered. company is also touring O’Neill’s The Hairy academic sessions at the 2019 Ape this season. More information about American Literature Association Please email proposals for papers or them can be found at this link. conference during Memorial Day ideas for round tables together with weekend, May 23-26, in Boston. These a brief academic biography to David may be either three-paper panels or Palmer ([email protected]) by round-table discussions. Each session January 15. Selection of papers and will be 75 minutes long. Papers should session proposals will be made by the be no more than 15-18 minutes long O’Neill Society within the following (roughly 2500 words) to allow sufficient week. The O’Neill Society will submit time for discussion at the end of the its proposal for the Society’s sessions session. Round-table discussions should to the conference administrators for include 4-6 participants. Proposals for their consideration by their deadline of reports that to celebrate papers and round-table topics on any January 30. Mark Scharf the centennial of O’Neill’s Bound East for Cardiff being performed in Baltimore by Society member Rupendra Majumdar, fondly remember- the Vagabond Players, he organized and ing his time at Tao House, has directed a staged reading of the play created this new sketch on December 7, 2016, 100 years to the of O’Neill and Blemie, his day of the first production. Originally dalmatian, relaxing on “found” in Provincetown in 1916 by Adele his Tao House Gutman Nathan, looking for plays for hill the Vagabonds, she paid O’Neill his first money ever made as a playwright: $15.

O’Neill Society News 5 PhoPhoPhotos

Monte Cristo Cottage

Flock Theatre Revives Production of Long Day’s Journey Into Night at by Roberta Eisel in a 12-hour experience of drama, found ourselves in tears and complete education, and affinity. Director Derron darkness as we apprehended the “You came all the way from for Wood shared fascinating tidbits about terrible understanding of being “so this?” On the morning of April 21, 2018, the home, the O’Neill family, the New happy for a time.” I arrived at 325 Pequot Avenue in New London community, and the text. He London, CT. This was my second visit to pointed out examples of how things My journey–my long-term quest to the address, my first being during the in the home actually were “done in the plumb our capacity to become more 2015 Eugene O’Neill Conference. I had cheapest way.” The performance began fully human–takes me again and again come for the Flock Theatre’s remount of at a moment that approximated the to moments and places where Eugene O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journey Into Night. lighting one would have expected in O’Neill’s work is the toil and trouble As we introduced ourselves at the door, August 1912. of fellows who “stammer” to find the someone said, “So you’re the one from “native eloquence” of all us “fog people.” California! Did you come all the way just Staged in the very room that O’Neill The Flock Theatre’s Long Day’s Journey for this?” The question was unexpected. knew so well, the performance was Into Night provided one of the most Given time and resources, who wouldn’t powerful. Following the first act, we productive of such moments. rise to the opportunity to be here? I were encouraged to go downtown missed out in 2017; I wouldn’t miss out to tour the Thames Club frequented Yes, I will come all the way from this time. by James O’Neill. Following lunch, California for moments like this. we returned for more of the play After all O’Neill suffered to share his It was an added bonus that Anna followed by a stimulating talkback understanding; after all, the cast, Christie would be performed in Boston with the well-informed cast. Finally, director, and crew gave of themselves at the Lyric Stage April 18. So, while we returned for the slow progression to provide this experience; the least I on countdown toward retirement into the loss and heartbreak night’s could do is make a jaunt from California in June 2018, I spent my final spring arrival brings. The room, the mood, to bear witness to their offerings. Thank break indulging my passion for literary darkened as evening slogged toward you to all the folks affiliated with the expression of the tragic grace I find in night, just as in the text. The four-fold Flock Theatre remount of Long Day’s the works of O’Neill. tragedy subsumed all the love, laughter, Journey Into Night in the spring of 2018. regret and loss. Confessions oozed Once at Monte Cristo Cottage, the 26 forth with Edmund reeling from the Roberta Eisel is a retired instructor of audience members were immersed burden of comprehension. Finally, we literature & composition at Citrus College 6 O’Neill Society News PhoPhoPhotos

SocietyMore Members Photos tour of Tao Society House during Members ALA conference and O’Neill Society Activities Members tour Tao House during ALA conference Beb

Society Members tour Tao House during ALA conference Alex and Bette Mandl with Steve Bloom and Judi Barlow enjoying a meal together in Brookline, MA

Beth Wynstra, Eliane Dubost, Margie Rob Dowling visiting Yangzhou with Over 80 guests introduced to the Mitlin, Steve Bloom and Thierry Dubost Shiyan Xu on his lecture tour in China history of O’Neill’s “Hills of Solace” at attending Richard III together on the O’Neill Fesitval at Tao House Boston Common this past summer

Members enjoying a banquet meal in Nancy, France at the One of the two O’Neill Society Panels at the American American Theatre Idea Conference, June 2018 Theatre Idea Conference in Nancy, France, June 2018 Membership Renewals due January 1, 2019 Remember that the Eugene O’Neill Society Membership renewals society’s journal, The Eugene O’Neill Review and our newsletter. are due January 1, 2019 and can easily be paid for with credit Your attention to this matter allows us to keep functioning as an or debit card by going to our Society website and choosing active society, furthering the study, research, performances and “Membership.” The dues from our members continues the work public interest in the plays of Eugene O’Neill. of the Society and entitles each member to receive copies of the O’Neill Society News 7 Upcoming Events O’Neill Panel at the MLA Conference in for the O’Neill , Jan 2019 The O’Neill Society will host a session • Anne Fletcher, Southern Illinois Society 2019 at the MLA Convention in Chicago University, Carbondale on Thursday, January 3, at 7:00 p.m. • William Davies King, University of January 1: RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP by (Session #146). Its title is “Tao House California, Santa Barbara going to Society website and choosing and O’Neill’s Late Plays” and explores • Patrick Midgley, Texas Tech “Membership,” where you can pay online the themes of O’Neill’s late plays, University for another year’s membership in the Long Day’s Journey Into Night, The • Chair: David Palmer, Massachusetts Society. Iceman Cometh, and A Moon for the Maritime Academy Misbegotten, and the role that Tao January 3: O’Neill Society Panel at House and O’Neill’s wife, Carlotta, had All four of these people have been Modern Language Association (MLA) in their creation. The panel explores Travis Bogard Fellows at Tao House and Conference in Chicago (7:00pm, Session a place, a man, and his confrontation they will talk about how their time at 146) with his past. Tao House has help them to understand O’Neill’s experience there and what he January 15: Paper submissions for The session participants are: was doing in the plays he wrote there. American Literature Asssociation Conference in Boston due to David Palmer ([email protected]) O’Neill Society Pres. Dowling tours in China by Robert M. Dowling O’Neill Conference in Galway, Ireland April 4-6: Comparative Drama Conference in late July 2017. And I discussed my at Rollins College, Orlando, FL. The O’Neill The Chinese translation of Eugene O’Neill: experience touring China for the O’Neill Society will have a panel of papers given A Life in Four Acts was released in the Society panel at the American Literature early spring of 2018. At that time, I was Association. (One of my core platforms May 23-26: American Literature elected President of the O’Neill Society as president of the Society is that that we Association Conference in Boston, MA. and my inimitable translator, Professor must expand our international outreach O’Neill Society will have two panels and Shiyan Xu of Nanjing Normal University, efforts, starting with East Asia.) the membership annual Business Meeting was elected the Society’s Secretary will take place for Asia. Professor Xu’s translation is During April 2018, we gave presentations distinctive on many levels, but in no on O’Neill at twelve Chinese universities NEWSLETTER EDITOR: Jeff Kennedy small part that no American biography and other venues, including Hangzhou of O’Neill that was written in the last Dianzi University, Hangzhou Normal NEWSLETTER PHOTO CREDITS: half a century had been translated University, Nanjing Normal University, Page 1: Sara Krulwich, Hugo Clendinning into Chinese. My hope is that its recent Fudan University (Shanghai), Minzu Page 2: Jeff Kennedy, David Palmer appearance in China will allow O’Neill’s University of China (Beijing), Harbin Page 3: Charlie Jarrett, Jeff Kennedy reputation to grow and flourish long Normal University, the Royal Asiatic Page 4: Marcia Harmon, John Carter, into the future of that most important of Society (Shanghai), Tianjin Foreign Sheila Hickey Garvey world nations. Studies University, Zhenghzhou Page 5: Bess Rowen, Fiona McPherson, University, Nanjing University, and Mark Scharf The challenges for this project were Librairie Avant-Garde (Nanjing). I was Page 6: Roberta Eisel : How does the translator and also the keynote speaker at the Annual Page 7: Charlie Jarrett, Steve Bloom, the author ensure that the fidelity of Symposium of the Shandong Provincial Shiyan Xu, Marica Harmon, Jeff Kennedy the original text is maintained while Foreign Literature Association at my delivering a complete narrative in fluent university’s sister school Shandong For future newsletter submissions, send and engaging Chinese? How and to Normal University (Jinan). By every to the editor at [email protected]. what extent do we clarify the contextual measure, the tour was a remarkable Deadlines are March 15 and October 15. background? To what extent can success, and Professor Xu and I have American idiomatic English be translated agreed that it would be beneficial— For up-to-the-minute news, like and/or into idiomatic Chinese that still maintains especially now that the book has been follow the “Eugene O’Neill International the original’s texture and allusions? What well-reviewed in multiple Chinese literary Society” Facebook page. The efforts do we make to convey O’Neill’s journals, newspapers, and websites—to Eugene O’Neill International Society Web ethnic Irishness in such a way that will be tour new universities and cities in the site. comprehensible to a Chinese audience? south of China this coming late May and For this last, Professor Xu and I, of course, early June (the only city we will return to For info on submitting to the O’Neill presented our findings for a session is Shanghai) and continue our discussion Review, go to our web site, then “Journal” titled “How O’Neill’s Irishness ‘Translates’ of the challenges of translating the life of for the Chinese” at the International America’s foremost playwright. 8 O’Neill Society News