HISTORY OF THE PLAY

Stephen Bergman, M.D. and Janet Surrey, Ph.D.

 Twenty years ago, we decided that we wanted to work on something together.  We chose two projects, one from Janet’s expertise—doing dialogues between men and women to use their differences to create good connections—and one from mine—a play.  Both of us had treated alcoholics in our therapy practices, and had insisted that they attend meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous.  One day twenty years ago we read the biographies of Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith, and were overwhelmed: here was a great American story of two men who, alone, were going to die, but who together not only found a way to live, but created a program for healing that has spread throughout the world.

We immediately knew that the play had to be framed as if it were a meeting.  It would begin with Bill W. standing up onstage and speaking to the audience: “My name is Bill W. and I’m an alcoholic,” and then on the other side of the stage, “Dr. Bob, alcoholic.  Good to be here sober.”  The play would be the story of their relationship that led to the founding of AA.  The second thing we knew right away was that this would not be the story of “a great man,” but rather of “a great relationship,” of two people coming together.  Neither of them could have done it alone.

We contacted AA World Services, to make sure they had no objections to us writing this story.  True to their traditions, they took no stance on this matter, but asked that in published versions we footnote any quotes from their literature, and that we have a disclaimer on all public notices, that the play does not imply affiliation with nor endorsement by AA World Services—which, of course, we have done. Writing the play we have had two goals: to tell this great story as a great drama, and to be as true as possible to the events.

We then did all the research we could, reading everything, visiting the historical sites, meeting everyone who had known the men and their wives and children and any others who were still alive who might help us.  We spent a lot of time in Akron, where the two men first met, and we became friends with Dr. Bob’s daughter, Sue Windows.  She was delighted that we would be writing about both men, because she, like many others, felt that Bill had gotten too much credit, and Bob too little.  Sue also told us that in her opinion the real hero of the founding of AA was her mother Anne, a devout, solid woman who took Bill in and fostered the talks that led to the program’s birth.  Anne Smith and Lois Wilson are major characters in the play.

At the first public reading, a man came up to us and said, “I knew Bill Wilson.” Hungry for details, we asked what he could tell us about him.  “About Bill?  Well, Bill was a man who could talk a dog off a meat wagon!”  The line is in the play.

The first production was in Gloucester Massachusetts, sponsored by a local addiction network.  Years later there was an equity production at the Emerson College Majestic Theatre in Boston, sponsored by Harvard Medical School and the Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency.  In 1995 the Cambridge Theatre Company produced the show at the Hasty Pudding Theatre in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and took it out to the Lyceum Theatre in San Diego for the 60th International Convention of the Founding of AA.  It was named one of the best plays of the season there.  Over the years we have constantly revised, and there were amateur productions all over the country.  The 68-Cent Crew Theatre in Los Angeles has done the show as part of their season for the past five years. 

Last March there was a full-scale equity production at the 400-seat New Repertory Theatre, directed by Rick Lombardo.  Albert Poland, Executive Producer and General Manager who has helped with the play for several years, suggested that we bring it to Off Broadway, and here we are.