Editing E. E. Cummings (section)

===Plays===
During his lifetime, Cummings published four plays. ''[[Him (Cummings play)|HIM]]'', a three-act play, was first produced in 1928 by the [[Provincetown Players]] in New York City. The production was directed by James Light. The play's main characters are "Him", a playwright, portrayed by [[William Johnstone (actor)|William Johnstone]], and "Me", his girlfriend, portrayed by [[Erin O'Brien-Moore]].

Cummings said of the unorthodox play:{{sfnp|Kennedy|1994|p=295}}
{{blockquote|1=Relax and give the play a chance to strut its stuff—relax, stop wondering what it is all 'about'—like many strange and familiar things, Life included, this play isn't 'about,' it simply is. ... Don't try to enjoy it, let it try to enjoy you. <small>DON'T TRY TO UNDERSTAND IT, LET IT TRY TO UNDERSTAND YOU.</small>"}}

''Anthropos, or the Future of Art'' is a short, one-act play that Cummings contributed to the anthology ''Whither, Whither or After Sex, What? A Symposium to End Symposium''. The play consists of dialogue between Man, the main character, and three "infrahumans", or inferior beings. The word ''[[Greek language|anthropos]]'' is the [[Greek language|Greek]] word for "man", in the sense of "mankind".

''Tom, A Ballet'' is a ballet based on ''[[Uncle Tom's Cabin]]''. The ballet is detailed in a "synopsis" as well as descriptions of four "episodes", which were published by Cummings in 1935. It remained unperformed until 2015.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://faculty.gvsu.edu/websterm/cummings/Tom.html |title=''Tom: A Ballet'' (1935) |last=Webster |first=Michael |website=Spring: The Journal of the E. E. Cummings Society |access-date=December 14, 2023}}</ref>

''[[Santa Claus: A Morality]]'' was probably Cummings's most successful play. It is an allegorical Christmas fantasy presented in one act of five scenes. The play was inspired by his daughter Nancy, with whom he was reunited in 1946. It was first published in the Harvard College magazine, ''Wake''. The play's main characters are Santa Claus, his family (Woman and Child), Death, and Mob. At the outset of the play, Santa Claus's family has disintegrated due to their lust for knowledge (Science). After a series of events, however, Santa Claus's faith in love and his rejection of the materialism and disappointment he associates with Science are reaffirmed, and he is reunited with Woman and Child.