Study Group Members Takeaways

Howard Barnstone

My class take away is how O’ Neill articulated that the intersection of individual destiny is bent by the fate and circumstances of life and how our decisions in these moments determine our lives.

Sheila Brachfeld

Being able to read and see Thirst while simultaneously studying Long Day’s Journey was very special. It was fascinating to follow how Noone constructed his contemporary play so it not only worked by running alongside O’Neill’s, but also by weaving in and out of it, e.g, the use of the same characters in both. I also liked the interview you did with Noone, which enhanced the experience. 

(P.S. - But one of the biggest take-aways of the course for me was the sheer beauty of O'Neill's play and his use of language. Breathtaking. And learning about his life made it even more powerful.)

Barb Chandler

I found Eugene O'Neill's writing particularly beautiful and compelling. He was able to express so many complicated emotions in his characters. It was a real pleasure examining those emotions and sifting through them with our study group.

Jim Harburger

I have a renewed appreciation of O'Neill's craftsmanship so that while portraying a family consumed by alcohol, narcotics, hatred and love, sniping and griping the audience not only can tolerate the drama but can be captivated by each participant's struggle to find dignity and peace and perhaps save themselves. I want now to find time to read and see more of his plays.

Karen Kafka

When watching or reading a play for the first time the focus is primarily on plot, character development, and tone.  In this study group I’ve appreciated the analysis of the structure of the play: the repetition of phrases and themes, like in a musical composition. Within that structure the reader gains a deepening insight into the complexity and power of emotions within each character. 

Lisa Kamisher

As we moved from page to stage and screen, the range of interpretations for a given scene was striking.  It was compelling to view clips from different productions illustrating how set, lighting, music, acting, and directing could affect the playwright’s original text and impact class members’ response to the characters and story.

Joyce Lazarus

Studying Long Day’s Journey into Night in the context of Eugene O’Neill’s personal history has given me new insight into this play.  I see it now as a modern Greek tragedy, where all the family members are bound together by their mutual love, hate, guilt, blame and forgiveness, and unable to break out of this vicious cycle, just as they are unable to free themselves from their tragic addiction to alcohol and/or morphine.  As in a Greek tragedy, the characters are elevated by their struggle and by their humanity.  They become heroic, and the play becomes a metaphor for our human struggle in life, facing the knowledge that death makes all our noblest efforts futile.

Devorah Meshoulam

Before taking this course I knew very little about Eugene O’Neill and his writings. What impressed me the most was his ability to look at  himself and his family from an outsider perspective and write about it with such understanding, compassion and psychological knowledge. He really was a great master!

Marty Norman

Of the many powerful aspects of Eugene O’Neill’s masterwork, most compelling to me is the Tyrone family’s desperate need to find some degree of connection, acceptance and love in their fractured and ambivalent relationships to one another.

While including “ Thirst” as a companion play was interesting and valuable, it only served to heighten my appreciation for the brilliance of O’Neill and “Long Day’s Journey into Night.”

Ann Reisen

I learned, as I did in the Joe Turner course, how much richer the dramatic experience is when one spends time reading and thinking about the play. The more I consider “Thirst,” the more I’m impressed by how very thoughtful Ronan Noone’s iinterpolation of the servants’ lives is — and how courageous he was to take it on. And as ever, sharing this kind of complex endeavor with a like-minded group enhances it enormously.

Ann Ross

I loved having the two plays to study together. 

Thirst was more hopeful and showed how these Irish immigrants could grow and change.

Long Day's held out no hope that the Tyrone family could change their destructive behavior.

Amy Rubin

Before this class  I knew nothing about Eugene O'Neill other than he was a famous playwright. When I discovered the whole play was about addiction I was unsettled. I spent most of my adult life counseling, researching, and treating people with substance abuse problems. I found myself partially shutting down my emotions and reactions, a reflexive protective mechanism. I missed things because of that reaction.  Nevertheless I learned a lot about how a play can be interpreted, the vast differences between reading it and staging it, and how theater critics gain the perspective they have when writing about a play. 

Mark Seliber

Before this study group, the only O'Neill play I had ever read and/or seen was "Ah, Wilderness."  But I read in school and have seen a fair amount of tragedies and dramas - Shakespeare, Miller and Williams in particular.  I am glad to have read and watched the film of "Long Day's Journey Into Night," as well as reading and seeing "Thirst."  Our discussions and the background reading gave me a solid appreciation of O'Neill, his life and his writing.  The journey has been long, and I think I'm ready for it to end!

Julie Shaw

Reading two plays set in the same house for the same long day was interesting and provided a contrast in how differently the two "families" dealt with their relationships.  But the biggest contrast is between the plays.  LDJN can be studied,  reread and re-watched and still there are more things to consider and discuss.  Thirst was an interesting concept but did not stay with me in that way.

Mark Spiegel

I am struck by the idea of multiple perspectives on the same material or experiences, none of those perspectives necessarily right or wrong. This was illustrated by different actor’s approach to the same material, differing reactions to the same material by members of the class drawing on their own experiences and backgrounds, and the differing perspectives of the characters in Long Day’s Journey to the same events.

Sally Weiner

I truly enjoyed the 'deep dive' into a play I had read long ago. My admiration has only grown once again.

The pairing with "Thirst" was innovative and interesting; an enjoyable detour that enhanced my reading of Long Day's.... this time around.