To begin at the beginning ...
A play about a day in the life of a Welsh fishing village had been rattling around in Dylan Thomas’ head for some time — a ‘play for voices.’ By 1950, Thomas was a famous poet, and he was determined to finish the play — the now-iconic Under Milk Wood. But there would be several twists and turns before it would make its US premiere on the stage of The 92nd Street Y.
The back story of Under Milk Wood and Thomas’ time in New York is a fascinating one — and it was all set into motion by a letter Thomas received years earlier from the 92nd Street Y’s Poetry Center Director.
On May 14, 2024, 71 years after Dylan Thomas premiered his masterpiece play Under Milk Wood, 92NY presents that back story in a one-night only special event — a dramatic reading of the new one-act Christopher Monger play, Dear Mr. Thomas: A New Play for Voices, starring acclaimed actors Matthew Rhys (as Dylan Thomas), and Keri Russell, among others. The event will take place on International Dylan Thomas Day.
The play, commissioned for 92NY’s 150th anniversary celebration, is an intimate portrait of an iconic poet struggling to remain dedicated to his craft and bring a masterpiece to life — and how that struggle impacted those around him, including Caitlin and the man who brought him to New York via that fateful letter, John Malcolm Brinnin, 92NY’s Poetry Center Director at the time.
Dear Mr. Thomas: A New Play for Voices is an interpretation of events and not a definitive biography.
The play includes several works by the great poet, and it highlights a seminal moment in his history — and ours.
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