Broadway to Dim Lights in Memory of Playwright Lanford Wilson

Broadway theaters will dim their lights for one minute at 8PM on March 30 in honor of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lanford Wilson, who died on March 24 at the age of 73.

Wilson began his writing career in the hotbed of 1960s New York, presenting one-act plays like The Madness of Lady Bright at the Greenwich Village haunt Caffe Cino. He soon became a staple of the downtown theater scene, with his plays The Rimers of Eldritch and Balm in Gilead presented at Café LaMama E.T.C.. Wilson co-founded Circle Repertory Company in 1969, and many of his plays were first presented there, directed by his longstanding collaborative partner, Marshall W. Mason. In addition to The Rimers of Eldritch and Balm in Gilead, Wilson’s plays include The Gingham Dog, Angels Fall, Serenading Louie, Lemon Sky, Talley & Son and Redwood Curtain. His plays Fifth of July, Burn This, The Hot l Baltimore and Talley's Folly all had successful Broadway runs, and Talley’s Folly (the most famous play of his "Talley Trilogy," which followed several generations of a Missouri family) won the 1980 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

"Prolific playwright Lanford Wilson's notable contributions to the American theatre will live on through his words, his characters, and his lyrical vision," Paul Libin, Chairman of the Broadway League and Executive Vice President of  Jujamcyn Theaters, said in a statement. “Whether his productions were first mounted off-off Broadway, off-Broadway, or on Broadway, his voice resonated with audiences nationwide and laid the foundation for magical and profound theatrical experiences. Our thoughts are with everyone whose lives he touched."