William Inge Theatre Festival
William Motter Inge was born in Independence, Kansas, on May 3, 1913. His parents were Luther Clayton Inge and Maude Sarah Gibson. William’s father was a traveling salesman who was rarely at home so William spent most of his time with his mother. This played a major role in the development of William’s personality and "creative art." Inge was very sensitive and observed people. William was a good listener and could catch the rhythm and flow of conversations easily. He was able to capture these patterns in his writings, adding to the greatness of the writing.
Growing up in the Midwest, Inge included the region in many of his plays. Inge said he would always be nostalgic about is hometown. He described Independence as, "A beautiful little town with enormous shady trees and lots of fine spacious homes."
From the beginning Inge wanted to be an actor. He would memorize lines and offer to recite them to his elementary school classes. His favorite part was watching people’s reactions to his performance. He later was an actor in high school and college. Inge attended the University of Kansas. Unfortunately and fortunately, during college Inge had a moment of stagefright in the play "Our Town" and decided to give up acting. Instead, he became interested in watching and listening to the other actors recite their lines.
After Inge graduated from KU, in 1935, he wanted to move to New York, but he was afraid because he did not know a soul in New York. So, Inge accepted a scholarship to study for a master’s degree in Tennessee. Two weeks before Inge finished his degree he moved back to Kansas. It was said that he had been depressed during graduate school.
In 1937, Inge moved to Columbus, Kansas and taught high school there for awhile at Cherokee County High School. In 1938 Inge returned to Tennessee to finish his master’s degree and did not return to Columbus. From Tennessee Inge went to Columbia, Missouri to teach until 1943. This is where Inge began to write a little, and drink more heavily.
After 1943, Inge started a job as a drama editor. During this job Inge had the chance to see many "national companies of Broadway’s best plays and shows," and he also had a chance to review the play "The Lost Weekend." This play dealt with alcoholism. Later, Inge wrote the play "Come Back, Little Sheba." In the play one of the characters dealt with Inge’s own personal views toward alcoholism. Inge also joined Alcoholics Anonymous.
Inge was also able to interview the noted playwright Tennessee Williams who told Inge he should try to write again. Inge then completed another play called "Farther Off From Heaven" which was later included in his play "The Dark at the Top of the Stairs." The play was sent to Tennessee Williams who had it produced.
Inge’s next stop was in St. Louis at Washington University to teach for three years. Even though Inge hated the teaching job, he continued to write and finished his second play, "Come Back, Little Sheba." Again, Inge sent it to Tennessee Williams and it was eventually produced on Broadway in February, 1950. Inge’s next big piece, "Splendor in the Grass," won an Academy Award in 1961 for best original screenplay. However, after this great achievement, Inge wrote two plays that were criticized greatly. Inge could not deal with it. As he once said,
"The playwright comes to realize, maybe with considerable shock, that the play contains something very vital to him, something of the very essence of his own life. If it is rejected, he can only feel that he is rejected, too. Some part of him has been turned down, cast aside, even laughed at or scorned. If it is accepted, all that becomes him to feel is gratefulness, like a man barely escaping a fatal accident that he has survived."
Finally, one day Inge shut the garage door and turned on the motor of his car. William Inge was dead at the age of 60. Inge was brought back to Independence where he is now buried. Inge’s tombstone reads
WILLIAM MOTTER INGE
May 3, 1913
June 10, 1973
PLAYWRIGHT
The life of William Inge is celebrated, along with other selected playwrights, every year at the William Inge Theater Festival. The festival is held each year in the spring. The year 2001 is the 20th Anniversary of the William Inge Theatre Festival. The festival is held at Independence Community College in Independence, Kansas. The festival is held over a four day period. Not only does it honor William Inge, but every year a new honoree is selected. Past honorees have been: Jerome Lawrence, William Gibson, Robert Anderson, John Patrick, Garson Kanin, Sidney Kingsley, Robert E. Lee, Horton Foote, Betty Comden, Adolph Green, Edward Albee, Peter Shaffer, Wendy Wasserstein, Terrence McNally, Arthur Miller, August Wilson, Neil Simon, Stephen Sondheim, John Guare, and A. R. Gurney. The honorees are chosen by a National Advisory Board during a meeting at the end of the festival. The advisory board is made up of all the playwrights that have been honored, and actors and actresses that come the festival each year. Members of the Inge family are also involved, as well as different people who have a vested interest in the festival. The group is made up of about twenty-five people who meet the last day of the festival. The advisory board submits names of outstanding theatre persons in New York and LA. The person selected travels to Independence for the festival. As an indication of how well known the festival has become, all honorees have always said, "Yes."
The main purpose of the festival is to celebrate the life of William Inge; but it is also to celebrate the art of playwrighting and the playwrights themselves. There are many awards out there for actors, actresses, directors, etc. There are not a lot of kudos out there for playwrights. The festival's purpose is to celebrate the art of being a playwright and also the American theatre.
The William Inge Theatre Festival is made possible through grants and donations. Four or five grants are written every year to help with the funding. There is also a small portion of the funding obtained from the previous years ticket sales. Also, there is an annual foundation drive. The Foundation was set up in 1987 to help in case there is not enough grant money or donations one year. It also helps to keep the Inge home in good shape. The hope is to use the Foundation so that the festival can be self-sustaining some day. For information about the William Inge Theatre Festival contact: Jill Warford at Independence Community College or visit http://www.ingefestival.org/
Researched and recorded by Ashley Huerter from an interview with Jill Warford conducted on October 27, 2000.
Sources
McClure, Arthur F. Memories of Splendor: The
Midwestern World of William Inge. Kansas: Kansas State Historical Society,
1989.
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