Ah, Wilderness!

October 14 – November 7, 2021

By Eugene O’Neill

Directed by Melia Bensussen

Eugene O’Neill’s only comedy, Ah, Wilderness!, is a play full of heart and wit that celebrates family and community. In 1906 Connecticut, a young man falls in love with poetry and a girl, and ends up with his heart broken. But with the help of others, he may yet find happiness. This play, which will feature live music, transforms a classic to reflect our contemporary moment and expand our vision of what family and community can mean.

View the Playbill

Please click PAST EVENTS from the menu to view the program.

Important Info

Approximate Running Time
2 hours, 10 minutes, with one intermission

Recommended Age
12+

Warnings
None

Watch Scene and Heard: LIVE!

Ticket Prices

$100 | $75 | $50 | $30

Includes all fees. Prices subject to change without notice.
All Regular Season Student Seats $20.

Important Dates

October 14-20: Previews (what’s this?)
October 22: Opening Night
Sunday, October 31 at 2pm: Open Captioned Performance
Saturday, November 6 at 2pm: Audio Described Performance

Photos

All photos by T. Charles Erickson.

Press

Reviews

Related Events

AfterWords Discussion

October 26 and October 27 matinee

Join members of the cast and our Artistic staff for a free discussion, immediately following select 7:30 pm performances on Tuesday or 2:00 pm Wednesday matinees. FREE

October 24

Speaker TBD. Immediately following the 2:00 pm Matinee. FREE.

Saturday Afternoon Scholar Discussion on Eugene O’Neill

November 6 | Immediately following the 2:00 pm Matinee. FREE.

Join two Eugene O’Neill Scholars and members of the Eugene O’Neill Society, Beth Wynstra and Steven F. Bloom, for an in-depth discussion with Artistic Director Melia Bensussen on Nobel Prize and four-time Pulitzer-prize winning playwright, Eugene O’Neill. The discussion will center around the notions of home, alcohol and marriage in O’Neill’s work and how this production and adaptation of Ah, Wilderness! highlights some of O’Neill’s more optimistic tendencies.

Beth Wynstra is an Associate Professor of English at Babson College. She holds a Ph.D. in Theater Studies from the University of California at Santa Barbara and a certificate in Directing from the Yale School of Drama. Beth has written extensively on the life and plays of Eugene O’Neill, has served as dramaturg for productions of O’Neill’s plays, and is a member of the board for the Eugene O’Neill International Society. Her forthcoming book connects culturally constructed and early 20th century expectations for marriage to the experiences of O’Neill’s wife characters. Beth regularly directs plays and musicals at Babson and is the Founding Artistic Director of The Empty Space Theater. In 2019 Beth won the Dean’s Award for Teaching at Babson as well as the PRIDE award for significant contributions increating a community that values, supports, and celebrates lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) individuals and allies.

Steven F. Bloom is the author of the Student Companion to Eugene O’Neill (2007) and the editor of Critical Insights: Eugene O’Neill (2013). He has published many articles and reviews on O’Neill and has spoken frequently at Boston-area theatres and other forums. Steve is a member of the Board of Directors of the Eugene O’Neill Society (having served as Vice President, President, and Board Chairman), and was awarded the Society’s Eugene O’Neill Medallion in 2017. He earned his Ph.D. (and M.A.) in English and American Literature from Brandeis University and his B.A. in English from the University of Rochester. Steve is Professor Emeritus, English, at Lasell University in Newton, where he was Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs when he retired in June 2020.