Four One Act Plays: "Love always, in one way or another, means pain as well as joy"

By Susan Glaspell

Susan Keating Glaspell was born on July 1st, 1876 in Davenport.

Glaspell, a precocious child was an active student at Davenport High School where she took an advanced course of study. By age eighteen she was earning a regular salary at the local newspaper as a journalist, and by twenty she was the author of a weekly 'Society' column.

At twenty-one Glaspell enrolled at Drake University. A philosophy major, she also excelled in debate competitions, and represented Drake at the state tournament in her senior year.

The day after her graduation, Glaspell again worked as a reporter, still a rare position for a woman. She was assigned to cover the state legislature and murder cases.

At twenty-four, after covering the conviction of a woman accused of murdering her abusive husband, Glaspell abruptly resigned and moved back to Davenport, and with it, a hoped for career writing fiction. Her stories were published by many periodicals, including Harper's and Munsey's.

Moving to Chicago she wrote her first novel, The Glory of the Conquered, in 1909. It was a best-seller.As was Glaspell's second novel, The Visioning, published in 1911 and her third, Fidelity in 1915. Each novel also received glowing reviews.

With her husband Glaspell founded the Provincetown Playhouse devoted to plays that were more able to reflect contemporary American issues. Her first play, Trifles (1916), was based on the murder trial she covered as a young reporter in Des Moines. She wrote twelve groundbreaking plays over seven years for the company. By 1918 Glaspell was considered one of America's most significant new playwrights.

However, the impact and critical success of Glaspell's theatre work did not unfortunately make financial sense. Therefore she continued to submit short stories in order to support her and her husband during their years with the theater.

In 1931 she wrote the excellent play, Alison's House, for which she received the Pulitzer Prize.

In 1936 Glaspell moved to Chicago as the Midwest Bureau Director of the Federal Theater Project. When that finished she returned to Cape Cod using the Mid-West experience in her last three novels which were increasingly focused on the region, on family life, and on theistic questions; The Morning is Near Us (1939), Norma Ashe (1942), and Judd Rankin's Daughter (1945).

Susan Keating Glaspell died of viral pneumonia in Provincetown on July 28, 1948.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Stage Door
• Release date: Feb 10, 2020
• ISBN: 9781839673115

Book preview

Four One Act Plays by Susan Glaspell

Susan Keating Glaspell was born on July 1st, 1876 in Davenport.

Glaspell, a precocious child was an active student at Davenport High School where she took an advanced course of study. By age eighteen she was earning a regular salary at the local newspaper as a journalist, and by twenty she was the author of a weekly 'Society' column.

At twenty-one Glaspell enrolled at Drake University. A philosophy major, she also excelled in debate competitions, and represented Drake at the state tournament in her senior year.

The day after her graduation, Glaspell again worked as a reporter, still a rare position for a woman. She was assigned to cover the state legislature and murder cases.

At twenty-four, after covering the conviction of a woman accused of murdering her abusive husband, Glaspell abruptly resigned and moved back to Davenport, and with it, a hoped for career writing fiction.

Her stories were published by many periodicals, including Harper's and Munsey's.

Moving to Chicago she wrote her first novel, The Glory of the Conquered, in 1909. It was a best-seller.

As was Glaspell's second novel, The Visioning, published in 1911 and her third, Fidelity in 1915. Each novel also received glowing reviews.

With her husband Glaspell founded the Provincetown Playhouse devoted to plays that were more able to reflect contemporary American issues. Her first play, Trifles (1916), was based on the murder trial she covered as a young reporter in Des Moines.  She wrote twelve groundbreaking plays over seven years for the company. By 1918 Glaspell was considered one of America's most significant new playwrights.

However, the impact and critical success of Glaspell's theatre work did not unfortunately make financial sense.  Therefore she continued to submit short stories in order to support her and her husband during their years with the theater.

In 1931 she wrote the excellent play, Alison's House, for which she received the Pulitzer Prize.

In 1936 Glaspell moved to Chicago as the Midwest Bureau Director of the Federal Theater Project.  When that finished she returned to Cape Cod using the Mid-West experience in her last three novels which were increasingly focused on the region, on family life, and on theistic questions; The Morning is Near Us (1939), Norma Ashe (1942), and Judd Rankin's Daughter (1945).

Susan Keating Glaspell died of viral pneumonia in Provincetown on July 28, 1948.

Index of Contents

THE PEOPLE. A Play in One Act

CLOSE THE BOOK. A Comedy in One Act

THE OUTSIDE. A Play in One Act

WOMAN’S HONOUR. A Comedy in One Act

SUSAN GLASPELL — A SHORT BIOGRAPHY

SUSAN GLASPELL — A CONCISE BIBLIOGRAPHY

THE PEOPLE

A PLAY IN ONE ACT

First performed by the Provincetown Players, New York, March 9, 1917

ORIGINAL CAST

Edward Wills, Editor of The People George Cram Cook

Oscar Tripp, Associate Editor  Pendleton King

The Artist     Donald Corley

Sara     Nina Moise

Tom Howe, Printer   Lewis B. Ell

The Boy from Georgia   Leslie C. Bemis

The Man from the Cape   Ira Remsen

The Woman from Idaho   Susan Glaspell

The Earnest Approach   Lew Parrish

The Light Touch    Pierre Loving

The Firebrand    Harry Kemp

The Philosopher   Hutchinson Collins

THE PEOPLE

SCENE

The office of The People, a morning in March, 1917. There is little furniture—a long table strewn with manuscripts and papers, a desk. On the walls are revolutionary posters; wads of paper are thrown about on the floor—the office of a publication which is radical and poor. This is an inner office; at the rear is the door into the outer one. OSCAR is seated at the table writing. TOM, a printer who loves the cause—or the crowd—almost enough to print for it, comes from the other room, a galley-proof in his hand.

TOM

Why are you writing?

OSCAR [Jauntily]

Because I am a writer.

TOM

But I thought you said there wasn’t going to be another issue of The People.

OSCAR [With dignity]

I am writing.

TOM

There’s a woman here with a suit case.

OSCAR

What’s in it?

TOM

She wants to see the EDitor.

OSCAR [After writing]

All right.

[TOM goes out and a moment later the WOMAN appears. She is middle aged, wears plain clothes not in fashion. Her manner is a little shrinking and yet as she stands in the doorway looking about the bare room, her face is the face of one who has come a long way and reached a wonderful place.

THE WOMAN

This is the office of The People?

OSCAR

Um-hum.

THE WOMAN [In a bated way]

I came to see the author of those wonderful words.

OSCAR [Rising]

Which wonderful words?

THE WOMAN

About moving toward the beautiful distances.

OSCAR

Oh. Those are Mr. Wills’ wonderful words.

[Begins to write as one who has lost interest.

THE WOMAN

Could I see him?

OSCAR

He isn’t here yet. He’s just back from California. Won’t be at the office till a little later.

THE WOMAN [With excitement]

He has been to California? He has just ridden across this country?

OSCAR

Yes. Long trip. He was very cross over the ’phone.

THE WOMAN