2 minute read
Haunted Poets to Visit the Valley This Fall as the Eugene O'Neill Festival Turns 20
www.DanvilleLivingCA.com @DanvilleLivingCA #DanvilleLivingCA
By Eric Fraisher Hayes, Resident since 1974
Playwright Eugene O’Neill lived and worked at Tao House in the Danville hills from 1937-1944. During his years living in the San Ramon Valley, he wrote the plays that cemented his reputation as America’s greatest dramatic playwright: Long Day’s Journey Into Night, A Moon for the Misbegotten and The Iceman Cometh. Today, Tao House is a National Historic Site and the home of the annual Eugene O’Neill Festival.
The Eugene O’Neill Festival is a month-long tribute to classic American theatre hosted by the Eugene O’Neill Foundation, Tao House. Each year an O’Neill play is thematically paired with a play from another great American playwright. Previous festivals have featured the works of Arthur Miller, Tennessee Williams and Edward Albee. This fall’s 20th annual festival is built on the theme of Haunted Poets and will feature productions of Eugene O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journey Into Night (September 14-29) and The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams (August 30-September 15.) These soul-stirring confessions about the family they left behind and yet can’t escape have become two of the most celebrated plays in American Theatre history. Seeing Long Day’s Journey Into Night performed at Tao House will be a uniquely theatrical experience as the energy of O’Neill home courses through the veins of the play. Patrons will be able to tour the house and soak up the spirit of the place before experiencing the play.
Additionally, the festival is producing three script-in-performances of Irish playwright Ronan Noone’s play The Second Girl (August 24-25.) Set in the kitchen of the Tyrone family on the same day in 1912 that Long Day’s Journey Into Night takes place, The Second Girl tells the story of the dreams and challenges of the family’s hired help. Their tale touches on the plight of all immigrants trying to make their way in a new world. Seeing The Second Girl and Long Day’s Journey Into Night back to back during this year’s festival offers an illuminating Upstairs Downstairs experience of O’Neill’s master play. A special reception with Ronan Noone will take place prior to the first performance on August 24.
The Irish Cast of the S.S. Glencairn sea plays.
Photo by: Tomas Kavanagh
Rounding out the festival will be the presentation of Eugene O’Neill’s S.S. Glencairn sea plays performed by a troupe of actors from New Ross, Ireland upon two ships at the San Francisco Maritime Park (August 30-September 1.) Their visit is part of a cultural exchange which started last year with the founding of the Eugene O’Neill International Festival of Theatre in New Ross. Last year, Tao House sent an American production to New Ross and following this year’s Danville Eugene O’Neill Festival, the Tao House production of Long Day’s Journey Into Night will travel to Ireland to take part in the International O’Neill Festival.
The cast of Long Day’s Journey Into Night at Tao House: Carole Swann, Kevin Copps, Ryan Hayes and Ben Elie.
Photo by: John Carter
This fall promises an outstanding series of performances in honor of the plays of Eugene O’Neill and the great tradition of the American drama.
For more festival information, go to eugeneoneill.org. For info on the S.S. Glencairn sea plays, go to maritime.org. For tickets to all other events, go to villagetheatreshows.com.
Eric Fraisher Hayes is the Artistic Director of the Eugene O’Neill Foundation, Tao House. He is a leading scholar/practitioner of the plays of Eugene O’Neill in the United States.
