OPESN ? Q U E S T I O N
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the right answers, I'm not presumptuous enough to think that you don't. Besides, yours may be entirely different Atark O'Donnell 16 has written off-Broad- from mine. And you probably have a aiwy comedies including Thai's It, Folks!, closed mind and think mine are wrong. In the second place, for a variety of Fables for Friends, and The Nice and the Nasty. Knopf recendy published a col- reasons, I'm not particularly interested lection of his humorous pieces called Ele- in the answers, and you shouldn't be mentary Education. either. No matter how sophisticated or significant the questions are, the answers usually are boring, and at this stage of our lives, who wants to spend any time on boring stuff? If you waste time dwelling on answers, there's no time left to divine the intriguing questions. As a writer, what are you most apprehensive about? In the third place, . . . I forget whatever was in third place. I am concerned about encroachments entire budgets threatened, and with against free speech, coupled with (and their board members facing organized Frank Sahigian '55 is an English major caused by) an increasing intolerance for campaigns to brand them as "bigots" alio adjusts his life so that the lessons of his differences of opinion. The phrase "free and oust them. In Coral Gables, Floracademic experience remain true. speech" has, I bet, a ho-hum quality to ida, a theatre found itself "condemned" it as you read this. However, as a playby the city council, and then received wright, I have had some firsthand expethree death threats. There are many rience that has made the issue quite examples. real, and personal, for me. No one has to like my play. But I am My best-known play is Sister Mary Ig- alarmed by the number of senators, city natius Explains It A/I For You. It is writ- council members, mayors, and the like What about the future? ten out of my own religious background who seem to believe that free speech as a Catholic, and presents the rigid means only the expression of majority A hundred years ago, as a small boy in a dogma taught to me and many others in opinion. Free speech has to protect all niral Massachusetts town, I watched my the late Fifties Church in a comic and speech, popular and unpopular. I see father (M.D. 1875) practice medicine biting way. conservative and fundamentalist groups without the electronic devices and antiopposing this idea with great vigor and The play has been critically praised, biotics of today. Unaided also, my effectiveness. Those who disagree with but has also been the focus of many vomother performed broad ranges of them must not presume this problem ciferous protests. In St. Louis, two state household activities. Now many of will take care of itself. senators attempted to keep it from these varied family abilities are lost. opening; when they didn't succeed, The modern, often working, mother rethey wrote into law that the nonprofit Christopher Durang '71 has won Obit lies greatly on others to do everyday theatre that did the play could never awards for his plays Sister Mary Ignatius chores. Today's father may be a specialagain receive state arts funding. (This Explains It All For You and The Marist concentrating on details, speaking law was overturned.) Many colleges riage of Bette & Boo. A film of his play his own technical language not readily who allow their drama departments to Beyond Therapy is planned, directed by understood by his neighbor. We do less, do the play find themselves with their Robert Alt/nan. lie lives in tim York City. we understand less! Compounding the problem is the aging of America. In 1886 the average U.S. life expectancy was about 45. Now 45-year-olds have over half their adult life still ahead of them! Our vocations' importance lessens and our daily-living concerns increase at our new older ages. Why is life? What is happiness? Does it matter? These changes occur in a time when Look. I have a confession to make. I Don't get me wrong. I have nothing basic living is less practiced. 'Ibo, an incan't answer those questions. Wait a against these questions. I think they're creasing responsibility is thrust upon minute. Thai's not true. I can answer great. World-class questions. I thought the coming younger generation. them; I just don't want to. I mean, if of them myself. I think of questions It seems desirable that we explain this were a final exam and my entire like that every so often, even without ourselves to each other in clearer lanfuture depended on it, I'd answer those being asked. So do you. guage, also that we regain our lost abiliquestions; one of them or all of them; But in the first place, I'm a modest ty to do many of our daily-living activwhatever they told me to. And I'd snow guy (you probably don't believe that, ities. Bold initiators in the Harvard them so good, I'd get at least a B. but I am), and although I know I know Community and elsewhere could weave would if I weren't so distracted with that damned—But why burden you? Let's stick to the Cohan Proposition: Does it wash? William Alfred told me over the phone that Graham Greene used as an epigraph, in a hook I am going to read soon, this definitive non-answer from George Santayana, in a book of his, I suppose: "Everything in nature is lyric
in its ideal essence, tragic in its fate, and comic in its existence."
Christopher Durang
Andrew F. Faden
Frank Nahigian
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