Eugene O'Neill Theater Center

For other uses, see Eugene O'Neill Theater (disambiguation).

Walnut Grove
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district
Location:	305 Great Neck Road, Waterford, Connecticut
Coordinates:	41°18′37″N 72°6′35″W
Area:	40 acres (16 ha)
Built:	1822
Architectural style:	Federal, Gothic Revival, et al.
Governing body:	Local
NRHP Reference#:	05001044
Added to NRHP:	September 21, 2005

The Eugene O'Neill Memorial Theater Center in Waterford, Connecticut is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit theater company founded in 1964 by George C. White. The O'Neill is the recipient of the 2010 Regional Theater Tony Award. The O'Neill is a multi-disciplinary institution that has had a transformative effect on American theater. The O'Neill pioneered play development and stage readings as a tool for new plays and musicals, and is also home to the National Theater Institute (est. 1970), a intensive study-away semester for undergraduates. Its major theater "conferences" include: the National Playwrights Conference (est. 1965); the National Critics Conference (est. 1968), the National Musical Theater Conference (est. 1978), the Puppetry Conference (est. 1990), and the Cabaret & Performance Conference (est. 2005). The Monte Cristo Cottage, Eugene O'Neill's childhood home in New London, Connecticut, was purchased and restored by the O'Neill in the 1970s and is maintained as a museum. The company also received a Special Tony Award in 1979. The theater's campus, overlooking Long Island Sound in Waterford Beach Park, has four major performance spaces: two indoor and two outdoor. The O'Neill is led by Executive Director Preston Whiteway.

Also known as Walnut Grove and Hammond Estate, the seven buildings were added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 21, 2005.

National Playwrights Conference

The National Playwrights Conference (NPC) is one of the premiere play developmental programs in America. Since its founding in 1965, NPC has developed over 1,200 new plays for the stage, launching the careers of many notable writers including: August Wilson, Wendy Wasserstein, Adam Rapp, John Patrick Shanley, Lee Blessing, John Guare, Gina Gionfriddo, and hundreds more. Each year, the Conference accepts scripts under an open-submissions policy, receiving nearly 1000 for consideration for the 2011 and 2012 Conferences. A team of over 125 readers made up of theater professionals, dramaturgs, college department chairs and past participants help to read the scripts and select the most promising. Of the 8 plays developed in each of the past 5 years, at least 7 are from the open-submissions process, with one writer typically being invited to participate.

NPC offers writers a four week residency at the O'Neill's campus, with strong dramaturgical and professional support. Professional actors, directors, designers, and technicians assist the writer in creating and shaping the play, culminating in two, script-in-hand readings for an audience. Sets, costumes, lights, sounds, and other design elements are only suggested with simple props and cues, to allow the writer the time and space necessary, should they wish to adapt or rewrite the script. First and foremost, NPC is focused on the writer and adapts to serve his or her needs in the development of the play.

The National Playwrights Conference (and the O'Neill itself) has served as a model for several other developmental programs, including the Sundance Institute, Actors Theater of Lousiville's Humana Festival; Ojai Festival; the Shelykova Institute in Russia, and more.

Lloyd Richards was the first Artistic Director of the National Playwrights Conference, appointed in 1969 by the O'Neill's founder, George C. White. Mr. Richards was one of the very first African Americans to lead a major theater program in the United States, and ten years later was named the Dean of the Yale School of Drama. He continued to hold both positions before retiring from Yale in 1991 and the O'Neill in 1999. Jim Houghton then led the NPC from 2000-2003, the program was then led by J Ranelli from 2003-2004, then Richard Kuranda from 2004-2005 and currently the program is now led by Wendy C. Goldberg.

National Theater Institute

The National Theater Institute (NTI) is the O'Neill Center's credit-bearing 14-week intensive theater program for college students. Accredited by Connecticut College, NTI offers a comprehensive training curriculum, with classes in acting, directing, design, movement, playwriting and voice. International components include two-week seminars at London/Stratford-upon-Avon or St. Petersburg, Russia; a semester at the Moscow Art Theater is also a possibility.

The motto of NTI is "risk, fail, risk again." [1]

Well Known Faculty: Brian Dennehy; Donna DiNovelli; G.W. Mercier; David Chandler; Adam Bock; Michael Cadman

Major works

The following is a list of plays, musicals, and performance pieces first developed at the O'Neill that have gone on to further success.

National Playwrights Conference

• The Receptionist – Adam Bock (2006)
• Fuddy Meers - David Lindsay-Abaire (1998)
• Trueblinka – Adam Rapp (1997)
• Seven Guitars – August Wilson (1994)
• The Piano Lesson – August Wilson (1986)
• Joe Turner's Come and Gone – August Wilson (1984)
• Fences – August Wilson (1983)
• Fences - August Wilson (1982)
• Danny and the Deep Blue Sea - John Patrick Shanley (1982)
• Ma Rainey's Black Bottom – August Wilson (1982)
• Agnes of God – John Pielmeier (1979)
• FOB – David Henry Hwang (1979)
• Bent – Martin Sherman (1978)
• Uncommon Women and Others – Wendy Wasserstein (1977)
• A History of the American Film – Christopher Durang (1976)
• Madmen and Specialists - Wole Soyinka (1970)
• House of Blue Leaves - John Guare (1966)

National Musical Theater Conference

• Tales of the City (2009)
• In the Heights (2005)
• Avenue Q (2002)
• The Wild Party (1997)
• Nine (1979)

Cabaret & Performance Conference

• The Story of My Life (2006)
• title of show (2005)

National Critics Conference

• Chelsea on the Edge: The Adventures of an American Theater – Davi Napoleon

Notable O'Neill alumni

National Theater Institute

• Emily Bergl
• Adam Bock (The Receptionist)
• Gordon Clapp (NYPD Blue)
• Jack Coleman (Heroes)
• Rachel Dratch (SNL)
• Chris Elliott (SNL)
• Michael Emerson
• Paul Hodes (US Congressman, NH)
• Kristina Klebe
• John Krasinski (The Office)
• Jeremy Piven (Entourage)
• Michael "Soy Bomb" Portnoy
• Josh Radnor (How I Met Your Mother)
• Kate Robin (Six Feet Under)
• Sam Robards
• Mark Teschner

Conference Playwrights

• Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
• Edward Albee
• Lee Blessing
• Julia Cho
• Kia Corthron
• Joe DiPietro
• Christopher Durang
• Rebecca Gilman
• Gina Gionfriddo
• John Guare
• Willy Holtzman
• Israel Horovitz
• David Henry Hwang
• David Lindsay-Abaire
• Adam Rapp
• John Patrick Shanley
• Sam Shepard
• Regina Taylor
• Paula Vogel
• Wendy Wasserstein
• August Wilson
• Lanford Wilson

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in New London County, Connecticut

External links

• Eugene O'Neill Theater Center official website