William Inge biography

William Inge

At Writers Theatre: Bus Stop, Picnic

Born in Independence, Kansas in 1913, was a graduate of the University of Kansas. He was a teacher and newspaper critic before he won recognition as a dramatist. lnge's plays portray sympathetically the aspirations and frustrations of small-town life in the Midwest. COME BACK, LITTLE SHEBA (1950) established his reputation. It was followed by PICNIC (1953, Pulitzer Prize), BUS STOP (1955) and THE DARK AT THE TOP OF THE STAIRS (1957). After the unsuccessful production of A LOSS OF ROSES (1959) lnge's reputation as a dramatist declined; he turned to writing novels, notably Good Luck, Miss Wyckoff (1970). His death in 1973 was believed to have been a suicide.