Danville in Contra Costa County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
Eugene O'Neill: The Tao House Plays
Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, July 18, 2020
1. Eugene O'Neill: The Tao House Plays Marker
He would come out of his study at the end of the day gaunt and sometimes weeping.
Carlotta Monterey O'Neill, 1956
When he moved to Danville in 1937, O'Neill had already begun work on a cycle of eleven plays entitled A Tale of Possessors, Self-Dispossessed, tracing the life of an American family over the span of more than a century. The magnitude of the project was daunting: he completed only A Touch of the Poet and a lengthy draft of its sequel, More Stately Mansions.
He turned his attention from the cycle to the memories of his family's complex emotional life and of the years spent on the waterfront in New York City. He wrote, in quick order, The Iceman Cometh, Hughie, Long Day's Journey into Night, and A Moon for the Misbegotten.
His intense labor was painful, emotionally and physically. Suffering from bouts of depression and a severe tremor of the hands, it was difficult for him to write. Only with Carlotta's assistance was he able to complete what were to be his final plays.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Arts, Letters, Music. A significant historical year for this entry is 1956.
Location. Marker has been reported
this page online
We have been informed that this marker is no longer there and will not be replaced. This page is an archival view of what was.
Regionally, this marker was in California’s San Francisco Bay Area and on the Coast Ranges. It was also on the American Pacific Coast. Globally, it was in North America, on the Ring of Fire, in the Pacific Rim, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere. Historically, it found itself in what was once New Spain and also Mexicos Alta California.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this location: Eugene O'Neill: A Moon for the Misbegotten (a few steps from this marker); Eugene O'Neill: Carlotta and Gene (a few steps from this marker); Eugene O'Neill: O'Neill in Danville (a few steps from this marker);
Photographed by Joseph Alvarado, June 16, 2022
2. Former marker location
Other markers no longer nearby. Eugene O'Neill: The Iceman Cometh (was here, next to this marker but has been permanently removed); Eugene O'Neill: Long Day's Journey into Night (was here, next to this marker but has been permanently removed).
More about this marker. This is one of eight markers strung out along the path in the Eugene O"Neill Commemorative Park. The city has no information about three of the eight markers that are missing.
Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, July 18, 2020
3. Eugene O'Neill: The Tao House Plays Marker - wide view
The marker is the closest on the right.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 24, 2022. It was originally submitted on July 31, 2020, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 331 times since then and 13 times this year. Last updated on June 17, 2022, by Joseph Alvarado of Livermore, California. Photos: 1. submitted on July 31, 2020, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. 2. submitted on June 18, 2022, by Joseph Alvarado of Livermore, California. 3. submitted on July 31, 2020, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.
