Lanford Wilson

“A significant addition to the published work of Lanford Wilson, illuminating his work as a playwright and enlarging the scope of his work as a writer, adding a substantial group of stories and poems to Midwest, and particularly Missouri regional literature, and adding an important group of stories to the coming-of-age and LGBTQ literature of the 1950s.”—Brenda Murphy, Professor Emeritus of English, University of Connecticut, author of The Theatre of Tennessee Williams

“Hail David Crespy for his lovingly edited treasure trove of the early work of the great Lanford Wilson. This collection, an amazing eye into the heart and mind of this essential 20th century playwright, is a feast for every student of American drama. These pages, far from being juvenilia, are like walking into a hall of mirrors where we see the great plays illuminated by their roots. An invaluable work.”—John Guare, playwright, author of The House of Blue Leaves, Six Degrees of Separation, and A Free Man of Color
“Lanford Wilson wrote several of the great plays of our time, mixing a keen appreciation of human failings and hopes with often raunchy humor and an effortless lyricism. These qualities are front and center in the early stories and poems featured in this engaging book - fine company in themselves and intriguing for the promise they show of a master to come.”—Jeffrey Sweet, playwright, author of The Value of Names and Kunstler
“I’ll never forget seeing Burn This on Broadway way back when—what struck me is how Wilson, supposedly the sweetest of playwrights, could write something so strict and tough-minded. It felt like he was teaching Mamet how to write a play. Ferocious indeed! He was however a true outsider artist (like so many of those he loved and collected). Indeed, he was a magnificent crystal with many sides.”—Mac Wellman, Professor of Playwriting, Brooklyn College, author of Linda Perdido
“The stories are lyrical depictions of place with an overlay of sadness, as Wilson’s outsider characters search for their niche in small town Missouri, Chicago, or new York. Loneliness is a key element in nearly all of the work. Even Wilson’s humor suggests an uncertainty and insecurity among his characters that makes the reader – this reader anyway – want to reach out an arm to offer comfort or protection to these valiant lost souls.”—Ozarks Watch
“Owing many accolades to Crespy’s fervent editorial labor, this remarkable collection will be received
with tremendous excitement by enthusiasts of Wilson’s work … This book is a delightful treasure for anyone familiar with or interested in learning more about the various influences and writing styles of Lanford Wilson.”—Theatre History Studies
“This newly available collection of short stories, sketches, and poems is an excellent addition to the work of one of America’s greatest playwrights. The publication of these writings invites a critical conversation and fresh examination of the correlation between Wilson’s early prose and his more mature dramatic dialogue. This book is a delightful treasure for anyone familiar with or interested in learning more about the various
influences and writing styles of Lanford Wilson.“—Jeff Grace, Theatre History Studies

David Crespy is Professor of Playwriting, Acting, and Dramatic Literature at the University of Missouri. He is the author of many plays and two previous books, founder and co-director of the Writing for Performance Program, and founding artistic director of the Missouri Playwrights Workshop and the Mizzou New Play Series. He lives in Columbia, Missouri.

David founded MU’s Writing for Performance program and serves as its Co-Director. He is the founding Artistic Director of MU’s Missouri Playwrights Workshop, the Mizzou New Play Series, and Summer Rep’s Comedies-in-Concert Series. His areas of research and teaching include playwriting, acting, dramatic literature, and theatre history. He has a special scholarly focus on dreamwork for playwriting and the plays of Edward Albee. He holds a BFA in Acting from Rutgers University’s Mason Gross School of the Arts, an MFA in Playwriting from the University of Texas, and a PhD in Theatre History, Theory, and Dramatic Literature from the City University of New York. David currently serves as the President of the Edward Albee Society, and has served as the Dramatist Guild Field Representative for the state of Missouri, and the resident playwright for First Run Theatre in St. Louis, MO. His plays have been developed and produced at theatres across the US.

David is the former Region V National Playwriting Program Chair through the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival, and has served as chair of the Playwriting Program for the Association for Theatre in Higher Education and the Playwrights Symposium of the Mid-America Theatre Conference. His major plays include William & Bettie, Parabolis, Men Dancing, The Queens Orphans, Seven Were Hanged, Tekìya, Beshert; Or the Jewish Dating Cycle, Houseblend; Or Coffeecake Tsimmis; Or My Bubby & Zeyde Are From Outer Space!, and The Sudden Glide. His plays have been finalists in the David Mark Cohen Award, the Playwrights Conference of the O’Neill Theatre Center, and the National Ten-Minute Play Festival of Actors Theatre of Louisville. He has been a featured playwright and Director of the Play Lab for the Great Plains Theatre Conference in Omaha, Nebraska and the Last Frontier Theatre Conference in Valdez, Alaska. Dr. Crespy is the recipient of the 21st Century Playwrights Festival, the 2011 Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival Gold Medallion, the 2010 Region V Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival Road Warrior Award, the University of Missouri Summer Research Fellowship, Provosts Research Leave, and Excellence in Education Award. Over 60 of his playwriting students have been recognized as regional finalists with the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF) and 20 have received national recognition through KCACTF as well. Dr. Crespy has been instrumental in bringing major American playwrights, scholars and theatre artists to the University of Missouri, including Edward Albee, Tony Kushner, John Guare, Lanford Wilson, Kim Marra, William Yellow Robe, Mac Wellman, Robert Schanke, Lynn Nottage, Romulus Linney, Rick Sordelet, Caridad Svich, Elaine Romero, Lindsey Alley Elizabeth Ashley, Marshall Mason, among many others.

His publications include The Off-Off Broadway Explosion, (Watson-Guptill, 2003), his book about New York’s off-off Broadway in the 1960s. His articles have appeared in a variety of academic journals. His plays and essays may be found in several anthologies. Dr. Crespy has been working with Edward Albee as a scholar since 1994, and his most recent book is Richard Barr: The Playwrights’ Producer (SIU Press, March 2013), about Broadway producer, Richard Barr. His current book projects include Lanford Wilson: Selected Short Stories and Poetry, Dreamwrighting: Dreamwork for Dramatic Writing For Stage & Screen, and the third volume of New Perspectives on Edward Albee Studies. His current play projects include Wallace’s Line, a play that explores the tenuous line between science and faith; Stars in the Sky, A Civil War Romance, which is a new musical based on the letters of William and Bettie Hill, separated during the Civil War in Missouri; and Gehinnom; or, The Darkness of our Blessing, which is a dramatization of the events surrounding a controversial charismatic Jewish leader, and The Sad Girl, a new play about a soothsayer, murder, and insidious libidinous influence of board games.

This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.