Fifth of July is not just a date, it’s a play by Lanford Wilson. It opened off-Broadway in 1978, then, after some revision, on Broadway in 1980. It’s also the play that was the starting point of my doctoral studies and the subject of my doctoral thesis in 1988.
In 1985 I directed a production of the play at the Nomad Theatre in Boulder with a great cast.
The cast of Fifth of July at Nomads Theatre, Boulder, Colorado, March 1985
In the course of my studies I became friends with Mr. Wilson, and the director of the productions, Marshall W. Mason. So ever since then, I have marked the 5th of July as a special day for me and my love of theatre.
“Matt didn’t believe in death and I don’t either…. There’s no such thing. It goes on and then it stops. You can’t worry about the stopping, you have to worry about the going on.” – Sally Talley, Fifth of July.
I remember seeing a production in Chicago — or it might have been televised; it’s been long enough ago that I don’t remember which.
What I do remember is how powerful it was.
Had it not been for an office mate leaving a copy of “5th of July” (the 1978 version) on his desk, I would never have read it and decided then and there about what to write my dissertation on. FYI, the film version with Richard Thomas and Jeff Daniels is available on DVD.