Acknowledgments ix Preface 1 Introduction: The Plaque (1973) 7 1. Apprenticeship (1945–1950) 11 Part I—The Off Broadway Years 2. Alternative Theatre (1950–1952) 22 3. The Off Broadway Movement (1953) 39 4. The Curse of Success (1953–1956) 56 5. Destiny Intervenes (1956) 68 6. The O'Neill Renaissance (1956) 80 7. The Second Circle in the Square (1957–1960) 96 8. Off and On (1960–1962) 110 9. Endings and Beginnings (1963) 128 10. New Partners (1963–1964) 139 11. Competition Off Broadway (1965) 154 12. Triumph and Tragedy (1966–1968) 166 13. Nobody Owns O'Neill (1968) 184 14. Overproducing (1968–1972) 197 Part II—The Broadway Years 15. The Third Circle in the Square (1972) 214 16. Redefining a Myth (1972–1976) 230 17. A Broadway Institution (1973–1976) 247 18. Matters of Perception (1976–1982) 259 19. The O'Neill Centenary (1981–1988) 276 20. A Time to Grieve (1990–1994) 299 21. Amends (1994–1997) 315 22. A Theatre with Character (1994–1999) 334 23. The Legacy (2000–2020) 347 Circle in the Square Productions 355 Works Cited 359 Index 377