Long Day’s Journey into Night
By Eugene O’Neill, directed by Eric Hayes, artistic director Eugene O’Neill Foundation
Eugene O’Neill’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play Long Day’s Journey Into Night is set over one summer’s night and tells the story of the Tryone family in a seaside town in Connecticut. The family consists of father James, mother Mary and sons Jamie and Edmund as they deal with family problems such as their pasts and illness. O’Neill’s play is semi-autobiographical; he wished to tell the story of his family background and what his life was like growing up. It was written as an anniversary present to his wife, and published posthumously in 1956.
O’Neill’s play premiered in Sweden, where his works proved very popular. In November 1956, the play opened on Broadway at the Helen Hayes Theatre starring Fredric March, Florence Eldridge and Jason Robards, Jr. It won the Tony Award for Best Play, New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Best Play and saw O’Neill awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for the fourth time.
The Eugene O’Neill Foundation, Tao House, was established in 1974 for the purposes of acquiring O’Neill’s former residence in Danville, California and establishing it as a historic monument. Since then the foundation has devoted itself to developing the site into a center that promotes the vision and legacy of America’s first great playwright, Eugene O’Neill, through numerous educational, artistic, and research programs.
