Show itastts playwright oa ctflqi Shakespeare And the second mostyroduced playwright? Edward Albec 'The author of Whtft Afraid of Virgina Woolft The American Dream and a dozen othershad this to say about his profession: ‘1 guess you can divide playwrights into two basic categories There is a playwright who feels that he’s primarily' a manufacturer who The most-prodac- ed tuyci? V EDWARD ALBEE s ’ I constructs entertainment for a buyers’ market There is also die kind of playwrisit who really is totally his own man He writes plays basically for himself and is delighted if other people like his plays as well He sees himself as a social critic a man out of step with society He’s a man who feels also that his play should not have had to be written The responsibility of the writer is to be a kind of demon—to present the world and people in it as he sees it and say Do you like what you see? If you don’t like it— change it’ Audiences prefer reaffirmation of their own values they want to see comforting things they don’t want to be upset or disturbed It’s the playwrigfrf s function to keep hammering away at that I don’t write reassuring (days no opiates I’m not Interested in musicals or in die kind of problems that can be tied neatly in a bundle at the end of the third-acurtain You walk out of that sort of play and all you can think about is where you parked your car” J V ct By Frank BaghtsM LITTLE EMILY r 'S 3 Long lean delicious They take longer to smoke so you don’t light up as often i V1 "WeTe slnglalir s SI a - FAMILY ' ' WEEKLY October 24 1S7S : - |