AMERICAN THEATRE

Cathedrals Made of Bricks

MY HOUSE IS FULL OF BOOKS AND THEY ARE BADLY organized. So as I prepared to write this speech about the recipient of tonight’s special award, I set aside time just to find my collections of Caryl Churchill’s plays, thinking it might take a while.

It didn’t. There, right at the top of one pile, was Plays: Three. On top of another, Plays: Two. Plays: One, and Plays: Four were also in easy reach, in dog-eared copies already on my desk. I’m not sure why I was surprised: Like so many other playwrights, I keep her works as close as I keep the tea bags and the emergency cigarettes. They are necessary.

To anyone working in the theatre today, the outstanding contribution of Caryl Churchill is beyond question, to the extent that the word “contribution” doesn’t quite seem up to the job. Her invention is ceaseless. Her influence is profound.. She’s even changed the way we write them down.

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