Ahead of His Time: A Reading and Discussion of Eugene O’Neill’s One-Act Play “Abortion”
Date & Time: Tuesday, November 12, 2024
6:30-8 pm
Location: Kilachand Hall, Common Rm, 101
91 Bay State Road, Boston, MA
Event Description: Eugene O’Neill Society Members Steven Bloom and Beth Wynstra join us at Kilachand Hall (where O’Neill lived for 2 years and died) as we present a staged reading of O’Neill’s one-act play Abortion followed by a discussion of O’Neill’s work and its continued relevance today.
Content Warning: suicide and references to abortion (and subsequent death).
Attendance: (For Kilachand Honors College Students) At the event, a QR will be posted for you to check-in. This QR will expire so please complete the check-in form immediately. You must check-in to earn co-curricular attendance credit for this event.
Meet the Cast of the Staged Reading
Jack Townsend: Ethan Mostoslavsky (Class of 2027, Linguistics)
John Townsend, his father: Demian Choi (Class of 2025, Religious Studies)
Mrs. Townsend, his mother: Shriya Jonnalagadda (Class of 2028, Data Science)
Lucy Townsend, his sister: Roni Lakin (Class of 2025, English & Spanish)
Evelyn Sands, his fiancee: Vaishnavi Vatsal (Class of 2028, Biomedical Engineering)
Donald (Bull) Herron, his room-mate: Ariana Velasquez (Class of 2028, Theatre Performance)
Joe Murray, a machinist: Lucas Gibbons (Class of 2027, Physics)
Stage Directions are being read by: Dasha Ucko (Class of 2028, Data Science)
Learn more about the Eugene O'Neill Society
The Eugene O’Neill Society is a nonprofit international association formed in 1978 to promote the study of the life and works of Eugene O’Neill, America’s greatest playwright. The Society also celebrates the drama and theatre for which his work was in large part the catalyst and model for American Theatre in the 20th Century and beyond. Eugene O’Neill was awarded four Pulitzer Prizes and is the only American playwright to have received the Nobel Prize.
Our Mission
Because of the scope of O’Neill’s impact on the theatre and because of his stature and importance as an American intellectual and artist, the Society’s members unite in the exploration of O’Neill’s life and works by means of:
- historical and critical writing;
- the creation of artistic performances on stage, film, television, radio, and recordings;
- the amassing of historical documentation;
- advocating for the preservation of important historic sites associated with O’Neill’s life and work, and;
- promoting publications devoted to topics relating to O’Neill
The subjects of study include not only Eugene O’Neill and his works, but also all aspects of American and world theatres. For these purposes, members of the Society select times and appropriate occasions to hold international conferences (typically every three years), to meet at theatrical performances of his works, and to gather at historic sites related to the O’Neill legacy. The Society also fosters panels, discussions, and literary works generated specifically to further understanding of O’Neill as an artist, innovator, and world figure. Society members include theatre professionals (directors, actors, designers, producers, dramaturgs), academics (teachers, students, administrators), collection curators, and all those directly and tangentially concerned with preserving Eugene O’Neill’s legacy.
