NYT: The Eugene O’Neill Theater Center, an Indispensable Theater Incubator, Faces a Troubled Future

[MezzA101]

Posted: 7/14/25 at 3:35pm

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/14/theater/eugene-oneill-theater-center-waterford-connecticut.html?unlocked_article_code=1.WU8.qHiq.UVPNZvQlwGHg&smid=nytcore-android-share

[BorisTomashevsky]

Posted: 7/14/25 at 4:09pm

Thanks for posting this. A decade ago I was at the O’Neill and saw a reading for a musical about zombie hamburgers (or something) by the writers of Urinetown. Totally abysmal in every way, and I had been hopeful prior because of the brilliance of Urinetown.

If it’s any indication (and maybe it’s no indication), then maybe the majority of stuff that passes through the campus just isn’t great. And while it’s fabulous that Quiara had the happiest time of her life there, there are likely writers who had a terrible time if they didn’t make the progress they’d hoped, or if they weren’t affirmed like they needed to be, or if it became clear that they maybe shouldn’t write. Maybe donors and audiences just aren’t in a mood for less-than-great anymore, especially if their discretionary spending is more limited. 

If places similar to the O’Neill are having to close, perhaps it’s time to pull a David Merrick and close with dignity. Plenty of great plays and musicals have been written without a Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center, and plenty more will be. And as for finding out what works and what doesn’t work in front of an audience, Neil Simon did just find standing at the back of the house during previews and rewriting based on what the audience gave him. Maybe micro-workshopping isn’t entirely necessary.

I’d be curious about the selection criteria. If there’s no aim for commercial production, what are the submissions being judged on?

Updated On: 7/14/25 at 04:09 PM