Editing Lanford Wilson (section)

==Early work (1962–1968)==
In 1962, Wilson moved to [[Greenwich Village]] in New York City. He worked in odd jobs, such as a temporary typist, a reservations clerk at [[Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel|Americana Hotel]], at the complaint desk of a furniture store, and at a dishwashing job where a co-worker incorrectly called him "Lance".<ref>Dean, p.&nbsp;17</ref> After that, Wilson's friends all called him by that name.<ref name="donshewey.com"/> Wilson eventually worked for the subscription office of the [[Shakespeare in the Park (New York City)|New York Shakespeare Festival]].<ref name="Dean, p.18">Dean, p.&nbsp;18.</ref>

Wilson first encountered the [[Caffe Cino]] when he went to see [[Eugène Ionesco]]'s ''[[The Lesson]]''. The experience left him thinking that theatre "could be both dangerous and funny in that way at the same time".<ref name="Dean, p.18"/> After the show, Wilson introduced himself to Cino co-founder and producer [[Joe Cino]], a pioneer of the off-off-Broadway movement.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://caffecino.wordpress.com/1939/01/01/lanford-wilson/|title=Lanford Wilson: The Mozart From Missouri|work=Caffe Cino Pictures|access-date=August 27, 2018|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>Williams, p.&nbsp;17.</ref><ref>Barnett, p.&nbsp;4.</ref> Cino encouraged Wilson to submit a play to the Cino. In Cino, Wilson found a mentor who would not only critique his plays, but also stage them.<ref name="Dean, p.18"/>

Wilson's first play to premiere at Cino was ''So Long at the Fair'', in August 1963.<ref name="Dean, p.18"/> His works for Caffe Cino include ''[[Ludlow Fair]]'' (originally titled ''Nail Polish and Tampons''), ''[[Home Free!]]'', and ''[[The Madness of Lady Bright]]''. He continued working odd jobs to support himself during these early years.<ref>Busby, p.&nbsp;8.</ref> ''The Madness of Lady Bright'' premiered at Caffe Cino in May&nbsp;1964. The play concerns "Lady" Bright, who is a forty-year-old "screaming preening queen". On a sultry summer day in the 1960s, while in his apartment on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, "Lady" Bright slowly loses his mind. It is a complex and comic tragedy of striking originality, and one of Wilson's most notable and finest works. At its heart, the work is a penetrating study of loneliness and isolation. It was one of off-off-Broadway's first significant successes, running for over 200 performances.<ref>Barnett, p.&nbsp;14.</ref><ref name="Barnett5">Barnett, p.&nbsp;5.</ref> ''The Madness of Lady Bright'' set a record as the longest-running play at Caffe Cino.<ref name="Busby, p">Busby.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.glreview.org/article/1964-the-birth-of-gay-theater/|title=1964 – The birth of gay theater|last=Blaney|first=Darren|date=December 29, 2013|website=[[Gay & Lesbian Review]]|access-date=August 27, 2018}}</ref>

In 1965, Wilson began writing plays for [[Ellen Stewart]]'s [[La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club]] in the [[East Village, Manhattan|East Village]].<ref name=Barnett5/> His first full-length plays premiered at La MaMa, including ''[[Balm in Gilead]]'', which depicted a doomed romance in an urban greasy spoon diner inhabited by junkies, prostitutes and thieves.<ref name=Barnett5 /><ref>Barnett, p.&nbsp;19.</ref> ''Balm in Gilead'' premiered at La MaMa in 1965, directed by [[Marshall W. Mason]].<ref>La MaMa Archives Digital Collections. [https://catalog.lamama.org/Detail/Occurrences/144 "Production: ''Balm in Gilead'' (1965)".]</ref> The play was revived in 1984 by [[Circle Repertory Company]] and the [[Steppenwolf Theatre Company]], and directed by [[John Malkovich]].<ref>[[Henry Schvey|Schvey, Henry I]]. "Heathcliff in Manhattan: Fire and Ice in Lanford Wilson's ''Burn This''" in {{harvnb|Bryer|1994|pp=151–160}}</ref><ref>La MaMa Archives Digital Collections. [https://catalog.lamama.org/Detail/Occurrences/182 "Production: ''Balm in Gilead'' (Circle Rep)".]</ref> Later in 1965, Wilson wrote and directed ''Miss Williams'' for a [[benefit performance]] at La MaMa called "BbAaNnGg!".<ref>La MaMa Archives Digital Collections. [https://catalog.lamama.org/Detail/Occurrences/250 "Special Event: 'BbAaNnGg!'".]</ref>

In 1965, Wilson's plays ''Home Free!'' and ''No Trespassing'' were produced for La MaMa Repertory Troupe's first European tour.<ref>La MaMa Archives Digital Collections. [https://catalog.lamama.org/Detail/Occurrences/3162 "Production: ''Home Free!'' and ''No Trespassing'' (1965)".]</ref> His play ''This is the Rill Speaking'' was produced alongside [[Jean-Claude van Itallie]]'s ''War'' and [[Rochelle Owens]]' ''Homo'' for La MaMa Repertory Troupe's second European tour, in 1966.<ref>La MaMa Archives Digital Collections. [https://catalog.lamama.org/Detail/Occurrences/2994 "Production: ''War'', ''This is the Rill Speaking'', and ''Homo'' in Durham, UK (1966)".]</ref> His play ''Untitled'' was produced with work by [[Sam Shepard]], [[Tom Eyen]], [[Leonard Melfi]], [[Paul Foster (playwright)|Paul Foster]], and Owens, all directed by [[Tom O'Horgan]], for La MaMa Repertory Troupe's third European tour, in 1967.<ref>La MaMa Archives Digital Collections. [https://catalog.lamama.org/Detail/Occurrences/2921 "Production: '6 Pieces from off-off-Broadway' (Frankfurt, 1967)". ]</ref> In addition to writing his own plays at La MaMa, Wilson did set design for work by other playwrights. In 1966, he designed the set for Foster's ''The Madonna in the Orchard'', directed by O'Horgan at La MaMa.<ref>La MaMa Archives Digital Collections. [https://catalog.lamama.org/Detail/Occurrences/334 "Production: ''Madonna in the Orchard, The'' (1966)". ]</ref> He then designed the set for Donald Julian's ''In Praise of Folly'', directed by Mason at La MaMa in 1969.<ref>La MaMa Archives Digital Collections. [https://catalog.lamama.org/Detail/Occurrences/608 "Production: ''In Praise of Folly'' (1969)".]</ref>

Wilson's play ''The Sand Castle'' was first produced at La MaMa in 1965, as directed by Mason,<ref>La MaMa Archives Digital Collections. [https://catalog.lamama.org/Detail/Occurrences/198 "Production: ''The Sand Castle'' (1965)". ]</ref> and was again directed by Mason at La MaMa in 1967.<ref>La MaMa Archives Digital Collections. [https://catalog.lamama.org/Detail/Occurrences/210 "Production: ''The Sand Castle'' (1967)".]</ref> Wilson participated in the inaugural National Playwrights Conference in 1965 at the [[Eugene O'Neill Theater Center]] along with [[Sam Shepard]], [[Edward Albee]], and [[John Guare]]. His 1966 play ''[[The Rimers of Eldritch]]'' addressed hypocrisy and narrow-mindedness in a small town in the rural Midwest and won the 1966/1967 [[Drama Desk Award|Drama Desk Vernon Rice Award]] for contribution to off-Broadway theatre.<ref>Busby, pp.&nbsp;9, 22.</ref> It was first produced at La MaMa in 1966, under Wilson's direction.<ref>La MaMa Archives Digital Collections. [https://catalog.lamama.org/Detail/Occurrences/335 "Production: ''The Rimers of Eldritch'' (1966)".]</ref> Wilson directed a revival of ''The Rimers of Eldritch'' at La MaMa in 1981 in celebration of the theater's 20-year anniversary.<ref>La MaMa Archives Digital Collections. [https://catalog.lamama.org//Detail/Occurrences/2360 "Production: ''The Rimers of Eldritch'' (1981)". ]</ref>

''The Rimers of Eldritch'' was followed by ''The Gingham Dog'' (1968) about the breakup of an interracial couple.<ref>Barnett, pp.&nbsp;42–43.</ref> He returned to the O'Neill Theater Center to develop ''[[Lemon Sky]]'' in 1968. Wilson described ''Lemon Sky'' (1968) as "directly autobiographical". The play's narrator Alan, Wilson's representation of himself, describes his attempt to reconcile with his long-absent father. They fail to meet each other's expectations, and Alan leaves disillusioned by his father's authoritarianism and narrow-mindedness.<ref>Barnett, p.&nbsp;49.</ref>