Event—Adult Education

American Theater: The Beginning of a Long Journey

The plays of O’Neill, Williams, Odets, Hellman, Wilder, and Miller define American theater. This seminar will combine lecture and discussion to examine the major works of these playwrights, concentrating on theme, structure, and social impact.

Cost and Registration Information

Early Registration Price (August 7 at 10 am – August 31 at 4 pm): $220
Regular Registration Price (August 31 at 4 pm – first day of class): $242

Members, seniors, and students get a 10% discount.

Register Online

Mark your Calendar!

The Newberry Bookstore will re-open on August 14, and you will once again be able to find most of your assigned books for sale there.

Seminar Description

The plays of O’Neill, Williams, Odets, Hellman, Wilder, and Miller define American theater. This seminar will combine lecture and discussion to examine the major works of these playwrights, concentrating on theme, structure, and social impact. Plays such as The Iceman Cometh, All My Sons, The Glass Menagerie, and Our Town will help illuminate what it meant to be an American during the first half of the twentieth century, and what makes American theater so powerful and influential today.

Eight sessions. E - $220, L - $242

Todd Bauer holds an MA in Liberal Studies from Northwestern University. A playwright and director, his work has been performed across the country.

Materials List

Required:

  • Clifford Odets, The Plays of Clifford Odets, any edition
  • Lillian Hellmann, The Little Fox, any edition
  • Eugene O'Neill, The Iceman Cometh, any edition
  • Thorton Wilder, Our Town, any edition
  • Tennessee Williams, The Glass Menagerie, any edition
  • Arthur Miller, All My Sons, any edition
  • Tennessee Williams, A Streetcar Named Desire, any edition
  • Eugene O'Neill, Long Days Journey into Night, any edition

First Reading:

  • For the first class, please read Waiting for Lefty and Golden Boy in Clifford Odets, The Plays of Clifford Odets.

This class is part of the Newberry’s Adult Education Seminars Program. Learn more about our registration procedures.