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About Maria Irene Fornes
About Maria Irene Fornes
Here is a detailed biography published by the Fornes Institute, group founded to preserve and extend Fornes's legacy as a playwright, teacher, and mentor.
Here is another biography of Fornes from the Signature Theatre (where Fornes was the playwright in residence for 1999-2000).
About Springtime
About Springtime
Springtime was originally performed as part of a four-play cycle entitled What of the Night? Springtime is the second of the four plays. Here's a brief summary of the entire cycle and how Springtime connects with the other works:
Nadine - setting: "In an economically depressed place in the Southwest. 1938.. Depicts Rainbow at age 9, with her mother Nadine and brother Charlie and sick baby sister Lucille, struggling to survive in the Depression. Several plot connections with Springtime.
Springtime - setting: In a small Eastern city. 1958.
Lust - setting: In a major city. 1968 to 1983. Depicts Ray marrying Helena and forcibly taking over her father Joseph's business, and tells of him reuniting with his mother Nadine and brother Charlie.
Hunger - setting: After an economic disaster. Some time in the future. Charlie, Ray, and Birdie have a mysterious reunion in a post-apocalyptic world.
This article by Assunta Kent is a thorough and accessible analysis of all four parts of And What of the Night? and how they interconnect. Specific discussion of Springtime can be found on pages 6-7. I've highlighted some statements that seem particularly meaningful to me.
Citation: Assunta Kent, "What of the Night?: Fornes' Apocalyptic Vision of American Greed and Poverty," Journal of Dramatic Theory and Criticism 7, no. 2 (Spring 1993): 133-48.
Note: the cast will read the first installment, Nadine, together in rehearsal.
What's ailing Greta?
What's ailing Greta?
No disease is mentioned in the play. One possibility is emphysema. For more information, see
The Mayo Clinic's overview of emphysyema, including descriptions of symptoms and complications.
The Cleveland Clinic's website provides a thorough description of emphysema.
"My Melancholy Baby" (scene 13)
"My Melancholy Baby" (scene 13)
This is an old standard, first recorded in 1911. There are literally hundreds of recorded versions by all the greatest jazz musicians and some contemporary artists. Here's what's available on Spotify. For more on the song:
Check out this great blog post from cultural writer Brad Weisman with a history of the song.
The song has its own Wikipedia page with lots more info and links.
As best I can tell, based on the setting of the play and the presentation of the lyrics in the script, this may well be the version that Fornes envisioned:
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