Susan Glaspell: The Complete Plays (MacFarland 2010)

Leave a reply

Edited by Linda Ben-Zvi, Professor Emerita in Theatre and English at Tel Aviv University and Colorado State University, and by  J. Ellen Gainor, Professor of Theatre and Associate Dean of the Graduate School at Cornell University.

The first complete collection of American Pulitzer Prize winner Susan Glaspell’s dramatic works, this book includes the one-acts Suppressed Desires, Trifles, The People, The Outside, Woman’s Honor, Close the Book, Tickless Time, and Free Laughter and the full-length plays Bernice, Inheritors, The Verge, Alison’s House, The Comic Artist, Chains of Dew, and Springs Eternal, the last two of which are published here for the first time. Each play includes an introductory essay along with extended biographical and critical analyses. Two appendices give details on both the first runs and select recent productions of the plays.

ISBN: 978-0-7864-3432-9

To order: http://www.mcfarlandpub.com/book-2.php?id=978-0-7864-3432-9

Her America: “A Jury of Her Peers” and Other Stories by Susan Glaspell (Iowa 2010)

Leave a reply

Edited and with an introduction by Patricia L. Bryan and Martha C. Carpentier, this collection includes “A Jury of Her Peers” and 11 other Glaspell short stories never reprinted since their original publication, most in Harper’s Magazine, the preeminent arbiter of American literary tastes for over fifty years.  Bryan and Carpentier’s introduction places Glaspell’s short fiction in the traditions of Twain’s humor and Poe’s grotesque, and provides startling new data about the publication history of “Jury” — now for the first time, readers have access to the original ending of Glaspell’s most famous work.  Very affordable, this anthology would be a great addition to any course in American fiction.

To order go to Amazon, or:
http://www.uiowapress.org/

To listen to Patricia Bryan’s interview on WUNC, click on July 21.

Trifles at the Ontological-Hysteric Theater 2010

Leave a reply

Another group reviving Susan Glaspell’s drama is Richard Foreman’s Ontological-Hysteric Theater Incubator program for emerging artists at St. Mark’s Church, 131 E. 10th Street and 2nd Avenue, New York City, which sponsored the recent production of Trifles by The Theatre of a Two-Headed Calf on Jan. 28 – Feb. 14, 2010. Glaspell Society members J. Ellen Gainor, Sharon Friedman and Sally Heckel facilitated post-performance discussion on Saturday evening, Jan. 30. The Theatre of a Two-Headed Calf is noted for its intrepid adaptations . . . For Trifles, director Brooke O’Harra and Composer Brendan Connelly teamed up with the new music ensemble Yarn/Wire to approach Glaspell’s text as part concert, part play, and part sculpture. For New York Times review:

The Verge at the Ontological-Hysteric Theater 2009

Leave a reply

In November 2009 the Ontological-Hysteric Theater’s Incubator program for emerging artists produced The Verge directed by Alice Reagan and Performance Lab 115. New York Times critic Claudia La Rocco wrote, “It would be easy to reduce The Verge, Susan Glaspell’s 1921 play, to a feminist tract. Society forces Claire Archer into the boxes it deems acceptable; in attempting to escape those boxes, Claire goes mad. But that summary ignores the work’s wild heart, which, like its fragile, monstrous heroine, is somehow irreducible.”

Rebecca Lingafelter plays Claire in Alice Reagan's Ontological-Hysteric production of The Verge. Other performers included Sara Buffamanti as Anthony, B. Brian Argotsinger as Harry, Tuomas Hiltunen as Dick, and Todd d'Amour as Tom. Photo by Sue Kessler.

SGS members were in attendance and, while La Rocco thought that Reagan’s use of video interludes (by Jeff Clarke) of voluptuously flowering plans was “heavy-handed,” SGS member Michael Winetsky felt that the video as well as Claire’s dance performed by Rebecca Lingafelter “were effective and were in the spirit of Glaspell’s expressionism.” For full text of La Rocca’s Nov. 10 2009 review:

Alison’s House at Orange Tree Theatre 2009

Leave a reply

Sam Walters’ Orange Tree Theatre in Richmond U.K. produced Glaspell’s Pulitzer-Prize winning play Alison’s House in Oct- Nov. 2009, receiving even more ecstatic reviews than their 2008 production of Chains of Dew. The Orange Tree is proving beyond a doubt that Glaspell’s plays – and not just Trifles – entertain and speak to today’s audiences, perhaps even better than in their own day. This production, directed by Jo Coombes, featured Christopher Ravenscroft as John Stanhope, Jennifer Higham as Ann, Mark Arends as Eben, Dudley Hinton as Ted, Emma Pallant as Louise, Grainne Keenan as Elsa, and Nicholas Gadd as Richard Knowles. Michael Billington at the Guardian wrote, “Susan Glaspell . . . is American drama’s best-kept secret. . . . In 1930 Glaspell’s play was dismissed as too literary. But, like all the best American drama, it combines acute understanding of the dynamics of family life with an ability to pierce the heart.” For full Oct. 11 2009 review…

And Jeremy Kingston at the London Times wrote, “Until 13 years ago few of us had heard of the American playwright Susan Glaspell, and she was scarcely better known in the States, for all that she won the 1931 Pulitzer Prize for this terrific play. But Sam Walters at the Orange Tree Theatre in Richmond has been introducing us to almost all her plays, and Alison’s House is the one that has excited me most. It succeeds on all levels. The story it tells is absorbing, steadily tightening its grip as it approaches the climax . . . [while] different threads are cleverly woven into the play’s structure. Bringing the tension into further relief are the moments of stillness. Time pauses while an evidently profound experience is absorbed.” For full Oct. 14 2009 review…

Society for the Study of American Women Writers 4th International Conference 2009

Leave a reply

October 21-24, Philadelphia, PA.

Panel: “Susan Glaspell’s Alison’s House and the Legacy of Emily Dickinson.”
Chair: J. Ellen Gainor, Cornell University.

This panel invited papers considering any aspect of the relationship between the Emily Dickinson legend and Glaspell’s 1931 Pulitzer Prize winning drama. Possible topics included the relationship between the Dickinson biographies (Taggard’s and/or others) or other treatments of the Dickinson legend and Glaspell’s play; comparisons between Alison’s House and other dramas about the Dickinson legend; comparisons of Glaspell’s and Dickinson’s writing; historical analyses of the controversial Eva Le Gallienne production of Alison’s House or its critical reception; new directions in the study of Alison’s House alone or in combination with other Glaspell works.

Papers:  “No Hard Evidence: Alison’s House and Emily Dickinson,” Basia Ozieblo, Universidad de Malaga;

“Susan Glaspell’s Alison’s House and the Many Meanings of Emily Dickinson’s Legacies,” Sharon Friedman, the Gallatin School, New York University;

“On Closets and Graves: Intertextualities in Susan Glaspell’s Alison’s House and Emily Dickinson’s Poetry,” Noelia Hernando-Real, La Salle College-Universidad Autonoma de Madrid;

“Susan Glaspell, Eva La Gallienne: Queering . . . Chekov?” Drew Eisenhauer, University of Maryland.

Staged Reading of Alison’s House presented by the Susan Glaspell Society
Friday evening October 22, 6:00-8:00
Abridged, Directed, and Introduced by Cheryl Black, University of Columbia-Missouri

2009 Business Meeting Minutes

Leave a reply

Friday, October 23, 2009 at SSAWW, Philadelphia.

In attendance: Judith Barlow, Cheryl Black, Martha Carpentier, Drew Eisenhauer, Sherry Engle, Sharon Friedman, J. Ellen Gainor, Noelia Hernando-Real, Ling Jian-e, Basia Ozieblo, Michael Winetsky.

1) President’s Report:
Basia summarized SGS conference activities and publications since the last business meeting in 2006, an impressive list including performances, readings, and papers at Delphi, Cadiz, London, New York, Missouri, and San Francisco. We continue to accomplish the goals stated in the Society mission statement, increasing the visibility of Glaspell and her work in both academic and theatre communities. The future looks bright, with plans for ALA 2010 in San Francisco to be organized by Drew Eisenhauer; the American Drama Conference in January 2010 at Kean College, NJ with SGS panel to be chaired by Linda Ben-Zvi; ATHE reading 2010 to be directed by Monica Stufft; panel and reading at the Eugene O’Neill Society Conference in Greenwich Village June 2011 organized by Sharon Friedman; and ALA Boston 2011. Future goals include increasing membership and publishing more in journals. Ellen volunteered to check Dissertation Abstracts to see if any dissertations other than Noelia’s, Drew’s and Michael’s have been produced since 2006.

2) Vice-President’s Report:
Martha forgot to work on the SGS logo as per the last business meeting; she will try to develop an image using Aline Fruhauf’s caricature of SG so that we can have a logo. Martha read Monica’s Membership and Finance Officer’s Report. We approved Monica’s decision to choose the non-profit, non-interest bearing account and to stay with the registered unincorporated non-profit association status. Discussion of overseas members’ payments ensued. Martha will pursue the idea of putting a Paypal option on the web site for all members.

3) Webmaster’s Report:
Members thanked Martha and approved her re-election as Webmaster. Martha encouraged members to send her information, pictures, and programs about this year’s events for the archives, and to provide input particularly in June when she usually updates the site. She also mentioned the need to create a copyrights page with Patricia Bryan’s (SGS member and attorney) latest statement about public domain.

4) Bibliographer’s Report: Martha will e-mail Mary Papke and ask whether she wishes to continue as SGS Bibliographer, and tell her that we need an update every six months and suggest the possibility of a graduate student to assist her. If Mary decides against continuing as Bibliographer, Ellen volunteered to take it on.

5) Nominations and Elections Officer:
Members thanked Judi Barlow for her willingness to conduct the upcoming election. Even though she is planning a trip to Thailand and Cambodia, she will attempt to complete the election process in November. Cheryl and Ellen agreed to be nominated for a second term on the Executive Council. Judi volunteered to check whether Monica wants to be nominated for a second term as Membership and Finance Officer. Basia noted that any by-law amendments approved at this meeting must receive a two-thirds vote by the full membership. Martha will send the amended by-laws for Judi to include on the ballot. Although according to the By-laws, Basia should continue as President till the end of the year, she and Martha have agreed that Martha should now take over as President.

6) Awards:
After much debate, it was decided that the SGS would 1) fund a grant to defray registration costs for graduate students and underemployed Glaspell scholars presenting papers on SGS-sponsored panels or participating in SGS readings at the American Literature Association Conference; and 2) the SGS would award biannual prizes of $100 for the best published paper and $50 for the best conference paper on any aspect of Susan Glaspell’s life and works. This award is open to nonmembers as well as SGS members. The awarding of all grant and prize monies is to be judged and determined by the Executive Council and will be announced at the biannual SGS Business Meeting. Grant requests and papers must be submitted to the Executive Council at least four weeks prior to the ALA Conference.

8) Proposed amendments:
Amendments to Article III, section 4 and Article II, section 1 passed unanimously and will be provided to Judi for inclusion in the ballot for all members to vote on.

9) Sharon, the SGS representative and organizer for the EONS Conference:
Reported on plans for the EONS Conference, scheduled for the last weekend in June, 2011. She got permission for the conference to use the Gallatin Theatre, plus a $500 grant from her dean to defray any costs of performing there. Sharon met with EONS organizers Brenda Murphy and Jeff Kennedy, and she proposed back-to-back readings of O’Neill and Glaspell one-acts, in addition to a Glaspell panel, possibly focusing on the cultural and historical background to her Provincetown plays. Cheryl is willing to direct the SGS readings (and, if asked, the O’Neill readings as well). Cheryl proposed another possible idea of incorporating O’Neill and Glaspell into a script she would devise focusing on the Greenwich Village institutions such as The Masses, the IWW, Liberal Club, and Heterodoxy, that inspired these playwrights. Michael Winetsky suggested that, based on his experience at the last EONS in California, there is a significant “cultural divide” between the EONS and ours that might make them less receptive toward such a collaboration. Sharon must find out what their performance plans are before we can proceed with our own.

10) Members unanimously approved holding the next business meeting at ALA 2011 in Boston.
Our association with SSAWW will not be severed and we can propose panels for SSAWW as desired, but given the new “Five Drama Society” association at ALA, we decided it would make a better venue in future for meetings.

11) Glaspell online:
Michael Winetsky will monitor and update the Wikipedia entry on Glaspell. Basia sought volunteers to continue the entries for Glaspell’s works on the Literary Encyclopedia online (www.litencyc.com). Basia has already done the biographical entry plus Trifles and The Verge; Noelia has done Alison’s House and several one-acts; Martha has done Fidelity, Brook Evans, and Fugitive’s Return. Links
to these may be found on the SGS web site External Links page http://academic.shu.edu/glaspell/links.html.

Cheryl volunteered to do Inheritors; Ellen will do Close the Book, Springs Eternal, and Chains of Dew; Drew will do Lifted Masks, and Michael will continue with the novels. Martha will e-mail everyone the URL and contact information.

12) New publications:
Michael has published an article in Ecumenica; Martha and Patricia Bryan’s Her America: “A Jury of Her Peers” and Other Stories by Susan Glaspell is forthcoming from University of Iowa Press and Martha described their discovery of the original publication of “A Jury of Her Peers” in Every Week with a different conclusion; Ellen and Linda’s Complete Plays is forthcoming in 2010 and Ellen reported their very exciting discovery of a new Glaspell one-act originally performed at a Provincetown festival, which is a political allegory about free speech.

20th Annual American Literature Association Conference 2009

Leave a reply

May 21-24, Boston MA.  The Susan Glaspell Society was pleased to join the Eugene O’Neill Society, the Thornton Wilder Society, the Arthur Miller Society, and the American Theater and Drama Society in sharing the general thematic topic “Adaptations” at ALA 2009.

Panel: “Challenging Generic Boundaries: Susan Glaspell’s Adaptations.”
Chair: Martha C. Carpentier, Seton Hall University.

In addition to welcoming papers discussing film adaptations of Susan Glaspell’s work (can anybody find Paramount Pictures1931 The Right to Love with screenplay by Zoe Akins?), this panel invited discussions of Glaspell’s own adaptations. While producing eleven innovative plays for the Provincetown Players from 1916 to 1922, Glaspell continued to publish short stories in magazines such as Harpers Monthly as well as producing a third critically acclaimed novel, and her increasingly sophisticated fiction showed the impact of her playwriting success. Throughout Glaspell’s four-decade writing career she was a consistent adapter of her own work: themes, narratives, and characters that engrossed her appear and reappear, transformed, in both the genres she excelled in. This panel asked contributors to analyze how Glaspell tests generic boundaries as she adapts similar content to the different demands and different possibilities offered by drama and fiction. Works suggested for consideration were: Trifles and its short-story version “A Jury of Her Peers”; her 1917 play Close the Book and 1916 story “Unveiling Brenda“; her lyrical 1917 one-act The Outside with “A Rose in the Sand” written ten years later; either of her 1921 full-length plays Inheritors or The Verge with the 1919 story “Pollen“; her final play for the Provincetown, Chains of Dew, and 1931 novel Ambrose Holt and Family, etc.

Papers:  “Ethnic and Racial Discourse in Susan Glaspell’s Generic Transformation of ‘Unveiling Brenda’ to Close the Book,” Sharon Friedman, Gallatin School, New York University;

“Susan Glaspell’s Dionysian Poetics in Trifles and ‘A Jury of Her Peers,'” Yoko Onizuka Chase, Osaka University of Human Sciences;

“Susan Glaspell’s Generic Hybridity,” Drew Eisenhauer, University of Maryland.

The Society also presented a concert reading of Inheritors directed by Cheryl Black: Inheritors Program

Women Writers of the Provincetown Players (SUNY Press 2009)

Leave a reply

From Judith E. Barlow, Women Writers of the Provincetown Players features thirteen short plays by women originally produced by the Provincetown Players: Neith Boyce, Winter’s Night; Louise Bryant, The Game; Mary Carolyn Davies, The Slave with Two Faces; Rita Wellman, The Rib-Person; Susan Glaspell, Woman’s Honor; Rita Creighton Smith, The Rescue; Alice L. Rostetter, The Widow’s Veil; Bosworth Crocker, The Baby Carriage; Mary Foster Barber, The Squealer; Edna St. Vincent Millay, Aria da Capo; Edna Ferber, The Eldest; Djuna Barnes, Kurzy of the Sea; and Rita Leo (Rita Wellman), The Horrors of War.

“These are plays that we have been reading about for years; it is exciting to experience the actual texts and make one’s own judgment.” — Carol DeBoer-Langworthy

Paper: ISBN 978-1-4384-2790-4 Hardcover: ISBN 978-1-4384-2789-8
To order: http://www.sunypress.edu/p-4832-women-writers-of-the-provinceto.aspx

Chains of Dew at the San Francisco Free Civic Theater 2009

2 Replies

The San Francisco Free Civic Theatre performed the first professional American revival of Chains of Dew since 1922, on April 2-12 2009, directed by Glenn Havlan. The cast included Kelly Rinehart as Nora Powers, John Hull as Leon Whittaker, Ariel Herzog as James O’Brien, Greg Gutting as Seymore Standish, Mamie Rheingold as Dotty Standish, and Kristin Anundsen as Mother Standish.