Eugene O’Neill Theater Center
Everybody has to start somewhere, and for many bold-faced names, that place was the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center. Set beach-adjacent in Waterford, Conn., the theater — named in honor of the playwright whose family home, Monte Cristo Cottage, is not far away — hosts actors, writers, directors, musicians, puppeteers, and more each summer to focus on the development of new theatrical works.
In honor of this milestone, many of its notable alumni — whether they performed in workshops, studied at the National Theater Institute, or maintained the facilities — share memories from their summers by the sea.