The sixth annual Eugene O’Neill Festival, sponsored by the Eugene O’Neill Foundation, Tao House and the National Park Service, is being held Sept. 28 to Oct. 2. The foundation has put together six events for this celebration. Four are at Tao House, and transportation will be provided from the Museum of the San Ramon Valley, 205 Railroad Ave., Danville. There is a $5 charge at boarding for the seminar and discussion.
Wednesday, Sept. 28 (11:30 a.m.): dedication of O’Neill Commemorative at Front Street Park, across from the Danville library, 400 Front St.
Thursday-Sunday, Sept. 29-Oct. 1 (8 p.m.) and Oct. 2 (4 p.m.): performances of Eugene O’Neill’s “Hughie” by the Namaste Theatre Company of Los Angeles in the Old Barn at Tao House. Tickets ($26) are available at Dean Lesher Regional Center for the Arts, 1601 Locust St., Walnut Creek; telephone 943-7469 or visit www.dlrca.org.
“Hughie,” which focuses on a small-time gambler who has just come off a four-day drinking binge, has particular significance for the Eugene O’Neill Foundation. It was performances of this play by Jason Robards Jr. and Jack Dodson in 1975 that raised funds which allowed the foundation to make a down payment and secure title to Tao House, saving it from destruction by developers.
The ticket price includes dessert reception prior to performance and transportation to and from Tao House. Private vehicles are not allowed. The 8 p.m. performances include the Living History and pre-show reception.
Saturday, Oct. 1 (1 p.m.): “Seminars at Tao House,” featuring authorities on O’Neill. Reservations are required. Make them through the National Park Service: 838-0249.
Sunday, Oct. 2 (1 p.m.): A discussion, “O’Neill’s ‘Hughie’ and His Other Danville Plays,” with Eileen Hermann Miller, an O’Neill scholar and educator; Steven Black, author of “Eugene O’Neill: Beyond Mourning and Tragedy” and “File on O’Neill.” Reservations required: 838-0249.
Friday, Sept. 30 (2 p.m. and 4 p.m.) and Saturday, Oct. 1 (4 p.m.): Join actor Kurt Gravenhorst playing Eugene O’Neill, actress ej Ndeto, playing Carlotta, and others in a “Living History at Tao House.” For those planning to attend the 8 p.m. performances of “Hughie,” the Living History and pre-show reception will be included, with van departure at 6 p.m.
Oct. 1-2 (1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.): 45-minute walking tour: “Secrets of the O’Neills in Danville,” departing from Museum of the San Ramon Valley. Tour is free but donations to the museum are welcomed.
Exhibits of memorabilia and other items relating to O’Neill’s life in Danville will be on display in Danville and San Ramon at the following dates and times.
* Art in the Park: An Artist’s View of Eugene O’Neill
Town Green, 400 Front St., Danville
10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday-Sunday, October 1-2
* Eugene O’Neill: A Memorial
Museum of the San Ramon Valley, 205 Railroad Ave., Danville
Sept. 21-Oct. 2
Regular Hours: 1-4 p.m.; Tuesday through Friday; 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday. Closed Sunday and Monday.
Special festival hours: 6-7:30 p.m., Thursday-Saturday; 1-4 p.m. Sunday.
* Hepburn, Robards and Helen Hayes Visit Eugene O’Neill’s Tao House in Danville
Danville Library, 400 Front St., Danville; Aug. 30-Oct. 3
Hours: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday-Saturday; 1-5 p.m. Sunday
* Commemorating Eugene O’Neill: America’s Only Nobel Prizewinning Playwright
San Ramon Library, 100 Montgomery St., San Ramon; Aug. 30-Oct. 3
Hours: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 1-5 p.m. Sunday.
* Art From the Solitude of O’Neill’s Tao House
Danville Fine Arts Gallery, 233 Front St., Danville; Sept. 9-Oct. 2
Hours: noon-5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.
* Rakestraw Books, 409 Railroad Ave., Danville; Sept. 19-Oct. 1
To learn more about these events, go to http://www.eugeneoneill.org/index.htm. Join your neighbors and guests from around the country as they celebrate Eugene O’Neill’s life and work.
–B. Lynn Goodwin
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