Albee describes journey in life
Daniel Clark, Staff Writer
Issue date: 11/8/04 Section: News
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Edward Albee spoke about his life and his journey toward becoming a famous playright at the Walton Arts Center Thursday as part of the Free Fall Festival.
Hosted by the University Programs Cultures and Concepts Committee, Albee came to lecture, answer questions and sign books for fans. He described his childhood and what he has gone through in life.
Albee was born in Washington D.C. in 1928 and was adopted by Reed and Frances Albee a week later. Reed, an owner in part of the Keith-Albee Vaudeville circuit of theatres, raised young Albee in luxury at Wenchester, New York.
Albee said he has been writing since he was eight years old. He said when he first began writing poetry, he imitated E.E. Cummings.
"As I got older, I started imitating the better ones," Albee said. He wrote poetry until he was 28 years old despite the fact that, "I never felt like a poet," he said. Struggling to find a niche in writing, Albee also wrote two novels in his teens. When novels didn't work for him, Albee then tried the short story, but felt that his work had no substance, he said.
Albee worked a series of odd jobs until he was 28 years old. At 28, he was a messenger for the Western Union, but Albee said he didn't want to picture himself at the age of 60 still being a messenger. He stole a typewriter that nobody used and some yellow paper from his work place and quit his job to write, he said. Three weeks later, the one-act play The Zoo Story was finished.
The difficulty, Albee said, was not writing the play, but getting it produced. After being rejected by all of the local theatres, Albee sent a copy of his play to a friend. His friend agreed to produce the play in his theatre at Berlin.
"I expected the play to be produced in New York," said Albee. He took a boat to Germany to be at the play's opening night. During the performance, Albee said that he was very nervous.
"I kept stealing looks into the audience," he said. The audience loved the play, and The Zoo Story's success caught the attention of a New York Times reporter who wrote an article about it. An American theatre producer who heard about Albee's play had it produced off-Broadway and Albee's success was sealed.
Albee is upset by Americans' trend to shift away from the arts and place more emphasis on television and movies, he said. Albee argued that man is the only animal that consciously makes art and that we can learn from the arts.
"The arts are there to teach us," he said. Less than one-tenth per capita in America is spent on arts such as theatre and galleries, far below the amount most European countries spend.
"Is it our prerogative to turn our backs on...the one thing that sets us apart [from animals]?" he asked.
Hosted by the University Programs Cultures and Concepts Committee, Albee came to lecture, answer questions and sign books for fans. He described his childhood and what he has gone through in life.
Albee was born in Washington D.C. in 1928 and was adopted by Reed and Frances Albee a week later. Reed, an owner in part of the Keith-Albee Vaudeville circuit of theatres, raised young Albee in luxury at Wenchester, New York.
Albee said he has been writing since he was eight years old. He said when he first began writing poetry, he imitated E.E. Cummings.
"As I got older, I started imitating the better ones," Albee said. He wrote poetry until he was 28 years old despite the fact that, "I never felt like a poet," he said. Struggling to find a niche in writing, Albee also wrote two novels in his teens. When novels didn't work for him, Albee then tried the short story, but felt that his work had no substance, he said.
Albee worked a series of odd jobs until he was 28 years old. At 28, he was a messenger for the Western Union, but Albee said he didn't want to picture himself at the age of 60 still being a messenger. He stole a typewriter that nobody used and some yellow paper from his work place and quit his job to write, he said. Three weeks later, the one-act play The Zoo Story was finished.
The difficulty, Albee said, was not writing the play, but getting it produced. After being rejected by all of the local theatres, Albee sent a copy of his play to a friend. His friend agreed to produce the play in his theatre at Berlin.
"I expected the play to be produced in New York," said Albee. He took a boat to Germany to be at the play's opening night. During the performance, Albee said that he was very nervous.
"I kept stealing looks into the audience," he said. The audience loved the play, and The Zoo Story's success caught the attention of a New York Times reporter who wrote an article about it. An American theatre producer who heard about Albee's play had it produced off-Broadway and Albee's success was sealed.
Albee is upset by Americans' trend to shift away from the arts and place more emphasis on television and movies, he said. Albee argued that man is the only animal that consciously makes art and that we can learn from the arts.
"The arts are there to teach us," he said. Less than one-tenth per capita in America is spent on arts such as theatre and galleries, far below the amount most European countries spend.
"Is it our prerogative to turn our backs on...the one thing that sets us apart [from animals]?" he asked.
