“At the O’Neill, we were all engaged with full-hearted passion in sometimes the silliest of exercises, and all in service of finding that wiggly, elusive creature, a new play.”—Meryl Streep

The Eugene O’Neill Theater Center is celebrating its 50th anniversary with  an exhibit by the New York Public Library and The O’Neill: The Transformation of Modern American Theater by Jeffrey Sweet, author of Something Wonderful Right Away. Sweet’s book introduces a key player in the history of American theater, showing how what began as a place to workshop plays instead of testing them on the road grew into much, much more. With a wide variety of classes, workshops, conferences, and programs the theater has attracted, fostered, and encouraged many of the most talented and influential forces in American drama, including Meryl Streep, August Wilson, John Patrick Shanley, and many others. Find out what’s happening at the O’Neill at the center’s website, and learn about the organization’s remarkable history with the timeline below.