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The Inge Digital collection in KU ScholarWorks contains scholarly conference papers presented at the annual William Inge Theatre Festival, held at Independence Community College, in Independence, KS. The Independence Community College library is the curator of the William Inge Collection, home of over 400 manuscripts by William Inge donated primarily by Inge and his family, as well as press clippings, memorabilia and books.
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Publication Maternal Instinct: The Portrayal of Mothers in the Works of William Inge(William Inge Center for the Arts, 2022-04) Williams, Philip MiddletonOne of the most pervasive characters in the works of William Inge is the role of the mother. She is a strong presence in two of his major works; Picnic and The Dark at the Top of the Stairs, is the central character in his roman a clef novel My Son is a Splendid Driver, and appears in several his short works, most notably in The Boy in the Basement. The apron strings were an unbreakable bond in his life, and they are an unmistakable presence on stage in his plays. This paper will offer an introduction to an examination of Inge’s portrayal of the mother figure, not only as an actual person but as a foundation for other characters in his works, including Lola in Come Back, Little Sheba, and Grace in Bus Stop. In comparison to other playwrights of his time who also brought the family on stage, William Inge’s portrayal of the mother, motherhood, and the impact on the lives of their family is a key element in understanding his place in 20th century American theatre.Publication Uncloseting Drama: Tennessee Williams, William Inge, and Gay Identity in Terry Teachout's Billy and Me(William Inge Center for the Arts, 2022-04) McCoy, ChrisTerry Teachout’s 2017 play, Billy and Me, imagines two fictional encounters between Tennessee Williams and William Inge: first, in a bar in Chicago in 1944 immediately following a pre-Broadway tryout of The Glass Menagerie, then in New York in 1959 following the premiere of Inge’s A Loss of Roses. Through fictional dialogue, Teachout builds upon the historical relationship between these two playwrights to imagine the conversations that must have connected them as two midcentury gay playwrights in America: success and failure, sexual conquests, relationships, and addiction. In this way, Teachout’s play attempts to “uncloset” the issues that were at the heart of Williams’ and Inge’s life and work. Through a comparative analysis of specific characters and situations in their plays, this paper explores how the representation of white, gay male identity varies from the closet dramas of Williams and Inge to the uncloseted and celebrated representation of sexual identity in the theatre of today. Teachout was the lead drama critic for The Wall Street Journal, playwright of Satchmo at the Waldorf, and author or editor of nearly eight books until his untimely death in 2022. His passion and respect for the writing and craft of America’s midcentury playwrights is apparent in the text of Billy and Me, which has had three productions up until now, providing an interesting study in how this work revivifies its historical subjects through both content as well as form.Publication Self and Generational Reality in Modern American Drama(William Inge Center for the Arts, 2016-04-22) Wolf, Howard R.Publication Arthur Kopit: Inveterate Analyst of Frail Human Minds(William Inge Center for the Arts, 2014-03-29) Loomis, JeffPublication The Deadly Seriousness of America’s Funniest Playwright: Christopher Durang(William Inge Center for the Arts, 2008-04-26) Abbotson, Susan C.W.Publication The Bi-Polar Express: Drive for Life in Late Works of William Inge and Sylvia Plath(William Inge Center for the Arts, 2014-05-03) Abbotson, Susan C.W.Publication Looking at Paula Vogel’s Breasts(William Inge Center for the Arts, 2010-04-24) Abbotson, Susan C.W.Publication A Place of His Own: Inge's "The Tiny Closet" as Outside Sexual and Political Orders(William Inge Center for the Arts, 2013-05-03) Warren, Brian; Hernandez, TeresaPublication The Misunderstood Social Activist: A Reexamination of the Plays of William Inge(William Inge Center for the Arts, 2013-05-03) Woods, RobertPublication How Firm a Foundation: Faith and Practice in the Works of William Inge(William Inge Center for the Arts, 2012-04-21) Williams, Philip M.Publication Plain Speaking: The Voices of William Inge(William Inge Center for the Arts, 2011-04-15) Williams, Philip M.Publication Mirror, Mirror: The Pairing of Hal Carter and Alan Seymour in Picnic(William Inge Center for the Arts, 2010-04-23) Williams, Philip M.Publication Images in Picnic: How Far Have We Come?(William Inge Center for the Arts, 2009-04-25) Thibodeaux-Thompson, MissyPublication A Complex Evening – A Complex Playwright: William Inge(William Inge Center for the Arts, 2012-04-21) Thibodeaux-Thompson, MissyPublication Oral Performance/Aural Traditions: Cultural Identity in David Henry Hwang’s Trying to Find Chinatown(William Inge Center for the Arts, 2013-04-16) Dabney, Karen M.Publication The Novels of William Inge: Against the Au Courant: Sex and Identity in American Culture(William Inge Center for the Arts, 2011-04-13) Wolf, Howard R.Publication After the 1950's: Looking Back at William Inge(William Inge Center for the Arts, 2010-04-21) Wolf, Howard R.Publication The Essence of American Drama: The Short Plays of William Inge(William Inge Center for the Arts, 2012-04-21) Wolf, Howard R.