Description
Book Synopsis Based on years of research as well as interviews conducted with Circle in the Square''s major contributing artists, this book records the entire history of this distinguished theatre from its nightclub origins to its current status as a Tony Award-winning Broadway institution. Over the course of seven decades, Circle in the Square theatre profoundly changed ideas of what American theatre could be. Founded by Theodore Mann and Jose Quintero in an abandoned Off-Broadway nightclub just after WWII, it was a catalyst for the Off-Broadway movement. The building had a unique arena-shaped performance space that became Circle in the Square theatre, New York''s first Off-Broadway arena stage and currently Broadway''s only arena stage. The theatre was precedent-setting in many other regards, including operating as a non-profit, contracting with trade unions, establishing a school, and serving as a home for blacklisted artists. It sparked a resurgence of interest in playwright Eugene O''Neil
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Preface 1
Introduction: The Plaque (1973) 7
1. Apprenticeship (1945–1950) 11
Part I—The Off Broadway Years
2. Alternative Theatre (1950–1952) 22
3. The Off Broadway Movement (1953) 39
4. The Curse of Success (1953–1956) 56
5. Destiny Intervenes (1956) 68
6. The O'Neill Renaissance (1956) 80
7. The Second Circle in the Square (1957–1960) 96
8. Off and On (1960–1962) 110
9. Endings and Beginnings (1963) 128
10. New Partners (1963–1964) 139
11. Competition Off Broadway (1965) 154
12. Triumph and Tragedy (1966–1968) 166
13. Nobody Owns O'Neill (1968) 184
14. Overproducing (1968–1972) 197
Part II—The Broadway Years
15. The Third Circle in the Square (1972) 214
16. Redefining a Myth (1972–1976) 230
17. A Broadway Institution (1973–1976) 247
18. Matters of Perception (1976–1982) 259
19. The O'Neill Centenary (1981–1988) 276
20. A Time to Grieve (1990–1994) 299
21. Amends (1994–1997) 315
22. A Theatre with Character (1994–1999) 334
23. The Legacy (2000–2020) 347
Circle in the Square Productions 355
Works Cited 359
Index 377
