The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford, Connecticut, is a

501(c)(3) A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, Trust (business), trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of ...

non-profit theater company founded in 1964 by George C. White. It is commonly referred to as The O'Neill, seating just over 1,000 guests. The center has received two

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

s, the 1979 Special Award and the 2010 Regional Theatre Award. President Obama presented the 2015

National Medal of Arts The National Medal of Arts is an award and title created by the United States Congress in 1984, for the purpose of honoring artists and Patronage, patrons of the arts. A prestigious American honor, it is the highest honor given to artists and ar ...

to The O'Neill on September 22, 2016. The O'Neill is a multi-disciplinary institution; it has had a transformative effect on American theater. The O'Neill pioneered play development and stage readings as a tool for new plays and musicals. It is home to the National Theater Institute (established 1970), an intensive study-away semester for undergraduates. Its major theater conferences include the National Playwrights Conference (est. 1964); the National Critics Conference (est. 1968), the National Musical Theater Conference (est. 1978), the National Puppetry Conference (est. 1990), and the Cabaret & Performance Conference (est. 2005). The first full-fledged National Playwrights Conference took place in the summer of 1966. The Monte Cristo Cottage,

Eugene O'Neill Eugene Gladstone O'Neill (October 16, 1888 – November 27, 1953) was an American playwright. His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce into the U.S. the drama techniques of Realism (theatre), realism, earlier associated with ...

's childhood home in

New London, Connecticut New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States, located at the outlet of the Thames River (Connecticut), Thames River in New London County, Connecticut, which empties into Long Island Sound. The cit ...

, was purchased and restored by the O'Neill in the 1970s and is maintained as a museum. The theater's campus, overlooking

Long Island Sound Long Island Sound is a sound (geography), marine sound and tidal estuary of the Atlantic Ocean. It lies predominantly between the U.S. state of Connecticut to the north and Long Island in New York (state), New York to the south. From west to east, ...

in Waterford Beach Park, has four major performance spaces: two indoor and two outdoor. The O'Neill is led by Executive Director Tifanni Gavin. The estate, also known as Walnut Grove or Hammond Estate, was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

on September 21, 2005, for its architectural significance, and its associations with Revolutionary War Colonel William North and Edward Crowninshield Hammond, a wealthy railroad tycoon who frequently had the young O'Neill thrown off of the property when he owned it.Verde, Tom (October 7, 1996
"Eugene O'Neill Center May Get Remains of Tycoon Who Chased Him Off It"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

Major works

The following is a list of plays, musicals, and performance pieces first developed at the O'Neill that have gone on to further success. ; National Playwrights Conference * '' Slave Play'' - Jeremy O. Harris (2018) * ''I'm Gonna Pray For You So Hard'' – Halley Feiffer (2014) * '' The Nether'' – Jennifer Haley (2011), Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, 2012 * '' The Receptionist'' – Adam Bock (2006) * '' Fuddy Meers'' – David Lindsay-Abaire (1998) * ''Trueblinka'' – Adam Rapp (1997) * '' Seven Guitars'' –

August Wilson August Wilson (né Frederick August Kittel Jr.; April 27, 1945 – October 2, 2005) was an American playwright. He has been referred to as the "theater's poet of Black America". He is best known for a series of 10 plays, collectively called '' ...

(1994) * '' The Piano Lesson'' –

(1986) * ''

Joe Turner's Come and Gone Joe or JOE may refer to: Arts Film and television * ''Joe'' (1970 film), starring Peter Boyle * ''Joe'' (2013 film), starring Nicolas Cage, based on the novel ''Joe'' (1991) by Larry Brown * Joe (2023 film), an Indian film * ''Joe'' (TV se ...

'' –

(1984) * '' Fences'' –

(1983) * ''Danny and the Deep Blue Sea'' – John Patrick Shanley (1982) * '' Ma Rainey's Black Bottom'' –

(1982) * '' Agnes of God'' – John Pielmeier (1979) * '' FOB'' –

David Henry Hwang David Henry Hwang (born August 11, 1957) is an American playwright, librettist, screenwriter, and theater professor at Columbia University in New York City. He has won three Obie Awards for his plays '' FOB'', '' Golden Child'', and '' Yellow ...

(1979) * '' Bent'' – Martin Sherman (1978) * '' Uncommon Women and Others'' –

Wendy Wasserstein Wendy Wasserstein (October 18, 1950 – January 30, 2006) was an American playwright. She was an Andrew Dickson White Professor-at-Large at Cornell University. She received the Tony Award for Best Play and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1989 ...

(1977) * ''A History of the American Film'' –

Christopher Durang Christopher Ferdinand Durang (January 2, 1949 – April 2, 2024) was an American playwright known for works of outrageous and often absurd comedy. His work was especially popular in the 1980s, though his career seemed to get a second wind in th ...

(1976) * '' Madmen and Specialists'' –

Wole Soyinka Wole Soyinka , (born 13 July 1934) is a Nigerian author, best known as a playwright and poet. He has written three novels, ten collections of short stories, seven poetry collections, twenty five plays and five memoirs. He also wrote two transla ...

(1970) * '' House of Blue Leaves'' –

John Guare John Guare ( ; born February 5, 1938) is an American playwright and screenwriter. He is best known as the author of '' The House of Blue Leaves'' and '' Six Degrees of Separation''. Early life He was raised in Jackson Heights, Queens.Druckma ...

(1966) ; National Musical Theater Conference * '' Tales of the City'' (2009) * '' In the Heights'' (2005),

, (2008) * '' Avenue Q'' (2002),

, (2004) * '' The Wild Party'' (1997) * ''

Nine 9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding . Evolution of the Hindu–Arabic digit Circa 300 BC, as part of the Brahmi numerals, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bot ...

'' (1979),

, Best Musical, 1982 ; Cabaret & Performance Conference * '' The Story of My Life'' (2006) * '' title of show'' (2005) ; National Critics Conference * '' Chelsea on the Edge: The Adventures of an American Theater'' – Davi Napoleon

Notable O'Neill alumni

; National Theater Institute *

Emily Bergl Emily Bergl (born Anne Emily Bergl;''Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1916–2005.''; at ancestry.com 25 April 1975) is an English-born American actress. Bergl is known for her roles as Rachel Lang in the supernatural horror ...

* Adam Bock ('' The Receptionist'') * Gordon Clapp (''

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'') * Jack Coleman ('' Heroes'') *

Michael Douglas Michael Kirk Douglas (born September 25, 1944) is an American actor and film producer. He has received numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, five Golden Globe Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, the Cecil B. DeMille Award, and the ...

* Rachel Dratch (''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...

'') * Chris Elliott (''

'') *

Michael Emerson Michael Emerson (born September 7, 1954) is an American actor who is best known for his roles as Benjamin Linus on '' Lost'' (2006–2010) and as Harold Finch in the CBS series ''Person of Interest'' (2011–2016). Other prominent roles include ...

Jennifer Garner Jennifer Anne Garner (born April 17, 1972) is an American actress. Born in Houston, Texas and raised in Charleston, West Virginia, Garner studied theater at Denison University and began acting as an understudy for the Roundabout Theatre Company ...

* Paul Hodes (US Congressman, New Hampshire) *

Daniel Dae Kim Daniel Dae Kim (born August 4, 1968) is an American actor. He is known for his many roles in network television and theater. In 2025, ''Time'' magazine listed him as one of the world's 100 most influential people. On television, he portray ...

* Kristina Klebe *

John Krasinski John Burke Krasinski (; born October 20, 1979) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is known for his role as Jim Halpert on the NBC sitcom ''The Office'' (2005–2013), where he was also a producer and occasional director. He directed, co-w ...

(''

The Office ''The Office'' is the title of several mockumentary sitcoms based on a British series originally created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant as '' The Office'' in 2001. The original series also starred Gervais as manager and primary charac ...

'') *

Jeremy Piven Jeremy Samuel Piven (born July 26, 1965) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Ari Gold in the comedy series '' Entourage'', for which he won a Golden Globe Award and three consecutive Emmy Awards. He also starred in the Britis ...

('' Entourage'') * Michael Portnoy * Josh Radnor (''

How I Met Your Mother ''How I Met Your Mother'' (often abbreviated as ''HIMYM'') is an American sitcom created by Craig Thomas (screenwriter), Craig Thomas and Carter Bays for CBS. The series, which aired from September 19, 2005, to March 31, 2014, follows main char ...

'') * Kate Robin ('' Six Feet Under'') * Sam Robards * Britain Simons * Mark Teschner * Rebecca Taichman * Elizabeth Olsen * Adam Shulman * Cynthia Wade ; Conference Playwrights * Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa *

Edward Albee Edward Franklin Albee III ( ; March 12, 1928 – September 16, 2016) was an American playwright known for works such as ''The Zoo Story'' (1958), ''The Sandbox (play), The Sandbox'' (1959), ''Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'' (1962), ''A Delicat ...

* Lee Blessing * Julia Cho * Kathleen Clark * Kia Corthron * Joe DiPietro *

* Jacob Aaron Estes * Rebecca Gilman * Gina Gionfriddo *

* Willy Holtzman *

Israel Horovitz Israel Horovitz (March 31, 1939 – November 9, 2020) was an American playwright, director, actor and co-founder of the Gloucester Stage Company in 1979. He served as artistic director until 2006 and later served on the board, ex officio and ...

* Samuel D. Hunter *

* David Lindsay-Abaire * Adam Rapp * John Patrick Shanley *

Sam Shepard Samuel Shepard Rogers III (November 5, 1943 – July 27, 2017) was an American playwright, actor, director, screenwriter, and author whose career spanned half a century. He wrote 58 plays as well as several books of short stories, essays, ...

* Regina Taylor *

Lanford Wilson Lanford Wilson (April 13, 1937March 24, 2011) was an American playwright. His work, as described by ''The New York Times'', was "earthy, realist, greatly admired ndwidely performed". Fox, Margalit"Lanford Wilson, Pulitzer Prize-Winning Playwrigh ...

References

External links

* {{Authority control Performing groups established in 1964 Theatre companies in Connecticut Drama schools in the United States Theatres in Connecticut Tony Award winners Buildings and structures in Waterford, Connecticut Tourist attractions in New London County, Connecticut Buildings and structures in New London County, Connecticut National Register of Historic Places in New London County, Connecticut Federal architecture in Connecticut Gothic Revival architecture in Connecticut 1820s architecture in the United States Historic districts in New London County, Connecticut 1964 establishments in Connecticut Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut Special Tony Award recipients

Major works

Notable O'Neill alumni

See also

References

External links