History Plays

A well established historian, Charles Mee is known in different circles as an avant-garde playwright whose caustic, anarchic plays are often based on historical events. Mee’s plays combine wickedly witty dialogue with slapstick comedy, seeking not so much to explain historical events as to show the mindlessness of those who make history. His characters range from Hecuba to Wittgenstein to Claire Booth Luce to Joe Pesci; the settings from Carthage to Palm Beach. Mee’s plays have been produced at theaters including the Steppenwolf Theater in Chicago; the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles; and the Public Theater in New York City. His collaboration with the choreographer Martha Clark, Vienna: Lusthaus, won the Obie Award for Best Play in 1986.