A.R. Gurney on WASPs, "Later Life" & Writing About His Tribe (1993)

Описание: We take a look at the past to shape our future.

In 1993, playwright A.R. Gurney sat down with Charlie Rose to discuss his acclaimed play "Later Life," now playing Off-Broadway, and his 30-year career exploring the world of upper-class White Anglo-Saxon Protestants.

On what "Later Life" explores: "It's about a man who has an opportunity late in his life to make decisions he didn't make the last time around. Three years ago, he met a woman and didn't make his move. As far as he's concerned, his whole later life depends on this. If he can make his move, he will live happily ever after."

On writing about WASPs: "In the early 80s, I discovered this group I came from was simply another tribe. It wasn't the base by which America defined itself. The way I was raised, we were American and everybody else was trying to be like us. Wrong."

On what distinguishes his tribe: "Upper middle class Americans, primarily east of the Mississippi and north of the Mason-Dixon line. Civility. A certain fear of not being troubled on the surface. Less passionate expression. They don't like to let the world know. The showing of emotion within the family is discouraged. George Bush is very much an example."

On whether people can change: "I just kind of raise the question. Some people are capable of change, some people can't. My protagonist says, 'We are who we are.' But the woman he meets constantly changes her life, constantly makes decisions."

On family reactions to his work: "I had a major confrontation with my father over a play. He felt I had displayed elements in our family for all the world to see. We were estranged for a while. He wasn't at home with the fact that I was a playwright."

GUEST: A.R. Gurney, Playwright

Interview from 1993

0:00 Introduction: 30-year career
0:28 What is "Later Life" about?
1:17 "He didn't make his move"
1:48 Developing characters
2:28 "Culturally bereft"
2:59 Civilization's advantages and inhibitions
3:26 Can you change?
3:50 "We are who we are"
4:19 Why write about WASPs?
4:47 "Simply another tribe"
5:21 Tribal identity vs American identity
5:57 "Upper middle class, east of the Mississippi"
6:26 Less passionate expression
6:53 George Bush as example
7:25 Can people change?
7:54 Where the plays have been performed
8:20 "Total disaster in England"
8:54 Why it works in this country
9:23 Family reactions
9:46 Confrontation with father
10:30 "We had to agree to disagree"
10:54 MIT teaching position
11:40 Most influential books
12:12 Cheever, O'Hara, Fitzgerald, Wharton
12:43 "Later Life" at West Side Theatre

This interview captures one of America's premier chroniclers of WASP culture explaining why his tribe is just another American minority. History offers the clearest roadmap for our future.

Playwright Discussion is a curated archive of interviews with the great voices of theater, literature, and stagecraft. From Broadway icons to emerging playwrights, we explore the artistry and ideas shaping dramatic storytelling.

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