Wilson, Lanford, 1937–, American playwright, b. Lebanon, Mo. An important figure in modern drama, he is a master of realistic dialogue in which monologue, conversation, and direct address to the audience overlap. Frequent themes include decay, dissolution, loneliness, and loss, and he addresses such issues as American conformity, family conflicts, and the plight of social outcasts. Wilson settled in New York City in 1962 and soon became part of the "off-off-Broadway" movement, producing such one-act plays as So Long at the Fair (1963) and Home Free! (1964).

Wilson graduated to off-Broadway with the production of the full-length Balm in Gilead (1964) and moved to Broadway with The Gingham Dog (1968). In 1969 he cofounded the Circle Repertory Theatre in Greenwich Village, where, until its closing (1996), many of his plays were performed. Among these were the extremely successful The Hot l Baltimore (1972) and an acclaimed trilogy—Fifth of July (1978), Talley's Folly (1980, Pulitzer Prize), and A Tale Told (1981)—plays set in Wilson's hometown that span several decades. His later dramas include Angels Fall (1982), Burn This (1987), Redwood Curtain (1993), Book of Days (1998), and Rain Dance (2002).

Bibliography

See G. A. Barnett, Lanford Wilson (1987); M. Busby, Lanford Wilson (1987); P. M. Williams, A Comfortable House: Lanford Wilson, Marshall W. Mason, and the Circle Repertory Theatre (1993); A. Dean, Discovery and Invention: The Urban Plays of Lanford Wilson (1994).

Wilson, Lanford (Eugene)

(born April 13, 1937, Lebanon, Mo., U.S.) U.S. playwright. He began writing plays in 1962 and became cofounder and director of the Circle Repertory Company (1969–95), a regional theatre in New York City. His plays, which are known for their experimental staging, simultaneous dialogue, and deferred character exposition, include Lemon Sky (1970), the long-running hit The Hot l Baltimore (1973), The Mound Builders (1975), Talley's Folly (1979, Pulitzer Prize), Burn This (1987), and By the Sea (1996).

Wilson, Lanford (1937– ) playwright; born in Lebanon, Mo. A founder of the Circle Repertory Company in New York (1969), he had several of his plays performed there, including The Hot 1 Baltimore (1972), which earned the off-Broadway record of 1,166 performances for a nonmusical. The Fifth of July (1978) and the Pulitzer Prize-winning Talley's Folly (1979), depict the post-Vietnam War world of the same Southern family.