Charles Mee
Charles Mee is an American playwright, known for his unique style of writing, which collages many different original texts and inspirations. As a child, Mee had Polio, which controlled and restricted his life. He felt broken and incomplete and he has used those feelings to collage the fragments of others’ work to create a large repertoire of theatre. In the 1960s, Mee attempted a career in theatre that didn't prove successful. He turned his interests instead toward history, working as a historian and author, until his theatre career picked back up in the 1990s. His deep interest and knowledge of history remains present in his work in theatre.
While many playwrights use a collage style of writing, Mee is perhaps unique in his taking from other sources and giving his work out for free to be used by others as they see fit. Mee makes his plays available on the internet without charge. He is able to maintain his lifestyle through the patronage of Richard B. Fisher and Jeanne Donovan Fisher. When Mee approached Fisher, who had become successful in the business field, to be a patron for his work he (with his wife) immediately agreed. Mee's career would not have been possible without them. According to Mee,
None of my work would exist without them. They have given me the life I wanted all my life--to be able to spend my life writing plays, to write whatever I want, whenever I want, with no demands or requirements or restrictions of any kind, but complete, uncensored freedom--and so the work that I stored up for a lifetime has just poured out these past few years, just poured out in a torrent. (E. Mee)
Working freely without censorship has not been taken for granted by Mee. He writes plays that push the envelope, reinvent classics, and challenge the views of his audience. His collage of beautiful theatre continues to push and change the theatre community.
Bibliography
Campbell, Peter A. "Remaking the Chorus: Charles Mee Jr.'s Orestes 2.0." Comparative Drama 45.2 2011): 65-79. International Bibliography of Theatre & Dance with Full Text. Web.
Cummings, Scott T. "Love Among the Ruins." American Theatre 17.10 (2000): 18. International Bibliography of Theatre & Dance with Full Text. Web.
Howe, Tina. "Sources of Inspiration." Dramatist 9.4 (2007): 6-13. International Bibliography of Theatre & Dance with Full Text. Web.
Mee, Charles L. “I like to take a Greek play”. Theatre Journal 59. 3 (October 2007): 361-363, Project Muse. Web.
Mee, Erin B. "Shattered and Fucked Up and Full Of Wreckage: The Words and Works of Charles L. Mee." TDR: The Drama Review 46.3 (2002): 83-104. International Bibliography of Theatre & Dance with Full Text. Web.
"Untitled." Dramatist 10.6 (2008): 25-30. International Bibliography of Theatre & Dance with Full Text. Web.
Wohl, David. "The Curious Case Of Charles Mee 'Feel Free To Take The Plays From This Website'." Southern Theatre 50.4 (2009): 14-15. International Bibliography of Theatre & Dance with Full Text. Web.
Charles Mee is an American playwright, known for his unique style of writing, which collages many different original texts and inspirations. As a child, Mee had Polio, which controlled and restricted his life. He felt broken and incomplete and he has used those feelings to collage the fragments of others’ work to create a large repertoire of theatre. In the 1960s, Mee attempted a career in theatre that didn't prove successful. He turned his interests instead toward history, working as a historian and author, until his theatre career picked back up in the 1990s. His deep interest and knowledge of history remains present in his work in theatre.
While many playwrights use a collage style of writing, Mee is perhaps unique in his taking from other sources and giving his work out for free to be used by others as they see fit. Mee makes his plays available on the internet without charge. He is able to maintain his lifestyle through the patronage of Richard B. Fisher and Jeanne Donovan Fisher. When Mee approached Fisher, who had become successful in the business field, to be a patron for his work he (with his wife) immediately agreed. Mee's career would not have been possible without them. According to Mee,
None of my work would exist without them. They have given me the life I wanted all my life--to be able to spend my life writing plays, to write whatever I want, whenever I want, with no demands or requirements or restrictions of any kind, but complete, uncensored freedom--and so the work that I stored up for a lifetime has just poured out these past few years, just poured out in a torrent. (E. Mee)
Working freely without censorship has not been taken for granted by Mee. He writes plays that push the envelope, reinvent classics, and challenge the views of his audience. His collage of beautiful theatre continues to push and change the theatre community.
Bibliography
Campbell, Peter A. "Remaking the Chorus: Charles Mee Jr.'s Orestes 2.0." Comparative Drama 45.2 2011): 65-79. International Bibliography of Theatre & Dance with Full Text. Web.
Cummings, Scott T. "Love Among the Ruins." American Theatre 17.10 (2000): 18. International Bibliography of Theatre & Dance with Full Text. Web.
Howe, Tina. "Sources of Inspiration." Dramatist 9.4 (2007): 6-13. International Bibliography of Theatre & Dance with Full Text. Web.
Mee, Charles L. “I like to take a Greek play”. Theatre Journal 59. 3 (October 2007): 361-363, Project Muse. Web.
Mee, Erin B. "Shattered and Fucked Up and Full Of Wreckage: The Words and Works of Charles L. Mee." TDR: The Drama Review 46.3 (2002): 83-104. International Bibliography of Theatre & Dance with Full Text. Web.
"Untitled." Dramatist 10.6 (2008): 25-30. International Bibliography of Theatre & Dance with Full Text. Web.
Wohl, David. "The Curious Case Of Charles Mee 'Feel Free To Take The Plays From This Website'." Southern Theatre 50.4 (2009): 14-15. International Bibliography of Theatre & Dance with Full Text. Web.