A Texas Trilogy

"A Texas Trilogy" (also known as "The Bradleyville Trilogy") is an award winning set of three plays written by Preston Jones. The three plays are set in a mythical West Texas town and employ idiosyncratic language and characters that present an evocative depiction of small town Texas life. [ [http://alkek.library.txstate.edu/swwc/archives/writers/jones.html Preston Jones Papers ] ] The plays in this trilogy are "The Oldest Living Graduate", "The Last Meeting of the Knights of the White Magnolia", and "Lu Ann Hampton Laverty Oberlander".

Performance History

The trilogy was first performed as separate individual pieces during the 1973-1974 season at the Down Center Stage in Dallas, TX. After this, "Knights of the White" and "Lu Ann Hampton" were performed together at the 1974 Playmarket showcase. Literary agent Audrey Wood and director Alan Schneider saw the plays and immediately became interested in bringing them to Broadway. Wood became Preston's agent and Schneider eventually directed the Trilogy in Washington, D. C. and New York City.

In 1975, the three plays were performed together for the first time on the main stage of the Dallas Theater Center under the title, "The Bradleyville Trilogy". That same year the American Playwright's Theater, which promotes the production of new works in theaters around the country, chose "Knights of the White" as one of their offerings. In 1976, the renamed "A Texas Trilogy" played at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. to popular and critical acclaim. [http://alkek.library.txstate.edu/swwc/archives/writers/jones.pdf]

After these initial successes, the Trilogy opened on September 23, 1976 at the Broadhurst Theatre in New York City where it ran until Oct 29, 1976 for a total of 20 performances. The cast included Henderson Forsythe, Fred Gwynne, Kristin Griffith, William LeMassena, John Marriott, Josh Mostel, Diane Ladd, Graham Beckel, and Everett McGill. Although the show received mixed reviews in New York, "A Texas Trilogy" won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play. [ [http://www.ibdb.com/person.asp?ID=8189 Internet Broadway Database: Preston Jones Credits on Broadway ] ]

The first work in the trilogy, "The Oldest Living Graduate" was broadcast on television in 1980, starring Henry Fonda, George Grizzard, Timothy Hutton, Cloris Leachman and John Lithgow and won several Emmys.a

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title=Drama Desk Award for Outstanding New Play
years=1976-1977
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References

External links

* [http://www.ibdb.com/person.asp?ID=8189 Official Broadway Database]