'Seeking and portraying the lofty'

 

 

“Iregard the theatre as the greatest of all art forms, the most immediate way inwhich a human being can share with another the sense of what it is to be ahuman being.” – Thornton Wilder

Born in Madison, WS in April of 1897, Wilder was both a playwright and novelistextraordinaire.   He won 3 PulitzerPrizes— 1 for the novel The Bridge of San Luis Rey and 2 for his plays OurTown (perhaps one of the “most performed” in American Theatre) and TheSkin of Our Teeth.  He also won a U.S. National Book Awardfor his novel The Eighth Day. 

 

Born into one of America’s most“accomplished” families – his parents were noted writers and diplomats and all4 of his siblings were leading lights in their chosen professions ranging fromeducation to archaeology to religion – Wilder began writing as a high schoolstudent.  Fluent in 5 languages, he alsoplayed a key role in the U.S. Military Intelligence field during World War II.

 

TheBridge at San Luis Rey, published in 1928, has been named oneof the top 100 novels of the 20th century and his many theatricalsuccesses began with 1938's Our Town.  While he continued writing novels, it wasplaywriting that held most of his interest from that point forward.  

                                                                                

 “Seek the lofty,” Wilder once said, “byreading, hearing and seeing great work at some moment each and every day.”

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