PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

As we go to press this year, Chris Hudgins and I are fine tuning plans for “Mamet at 50,” an international conference in honor of David Mamet, which promises to be a memorable event. Our intention to recognize Mamet’s extraordinary contribution to the arts and celebrate his milestone birthday by convening a scholarly conference in Las Vegas, a natural for the master of the con, has been extremely well received. Presenters hail from Belgium, France, Canada, Great Britain, and all regions of the United States. Additionally, we look forward to welcoming several of the playwright’s close friends and collaborators associated with filmic and theatrical productions, who will be joining us at the Tropicana Hotel and Casino in late October to toast—and no doubt, to roast—the playwright.

Panels on a wide range of subjects, many taking their cue from the venue of Las Vegas, such as “Liar’s Poker,” “The Players: Mamet In/on Hollywood,” “Masculinity, Prophecy, and Parody,” and “Gender and Deviance” will provide us with provocative intellectual inquiry by day. The celebration will begin with a cocktail hour and banquet on Thursday evening, Nov. 30, followed by a keynote address by Robert Brustein. Additionally, lunch with William H. Macy, and a plenary panel comprised of gifted performers Felicity Huffman, Natalija Nogulich and Lionel Smith promises a fascinating afternoon of perspectives and retrospectives on the work of Mamet in performance. Screenings of Mamet’s films will run throughout the conference. By night, the gaming, glitz, and spectacle of Las Vegas offer entertainment and theater for every taste. For those of you who are unable to join us in Vegas, I will send a post-conference letter to share the highlights well in advance of next year’s newsletter. Moreover, Chris and I intend to publish a collection of selected essays from the conference to share with an even broader audience scholarship that will immeasurably enhance our understanding of Mamet’s classics, as well as the most timely criticism of the playwright’s recent work for stage and screen. As always much of the work of the David Mamet Society is completed by others. And, that has been especially true in this unusually hectic year of multiple mailings and elaborate planning for “Mamet at 50.” Of those who have worked with us to coordinate conference materials and contributed their time and effort to the conference, we especially thank graduate students at UNLV. Moreover, we thank Debbie Geis and Bob Vorlicky for assisting in planning of conference sessions. We are especially grateful to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, to Westfield State College, and to Las Vegas attorney Steve Morris for their sponsorship of “Mamet at 50.” And to the reviewers and contributors to this issue of DMR, Chris and I are appreciative of your professionalism.

The Fifth Annual Meeting of the David Mamet Society at the MLA Convention in Toronto has all the markings of another MLA highlight. We are pleased to offer a Special Session, “Mamet and Shepard: Writers in Tension,” which will take place in the Algonquin Room, Royal York Hotel, on Sunday, December 28, from 10:15-11:30 A.M. I am delighted that Robert Vorlicky has agreed to moderate the session in which he will also deliver a paper. Profs. David Mikics, Ann C. Hall, and Robert Vorlicky will be presenting: “Theatrical and Filmic Modes in Shepard and Mamet”; “Beating the Odds: American Romance in Shepard’s Fool for Love and Mamet’s House of Games”; and “Pigs, Dogs, Ducks, Coyotes and Horses: Sam and Dave Meet Generation X,” respectively. As we have had such a warm reception to including theater professionals in our previous panels, we are delighted that this year’s special guest, Josephine LeGrice, who has directed Mamet’s work in Toronto, will be on hand to speak and take questions from the audience. Based on last year’s turnout of more than 95, I trust you’ll want to mark you calendars for what we hope will once again be a stimulating and provocative Special Session.

As usual, a business meeting for Board members and interested members of the society will be held at MLA on the day of the “Special Session,” December 28, at 5:15 P.M. for a discussion of current issues and future planning. We will hold this year’s meeting in Chris Hudgins’s Royal York Hotel room. An announcement will also be made at the Special Session. If you are unable to attend but would like to chair or present a paper in a Special Session at the 1998 convention, please do let me know as soon as possible (413 572-5685; email: davidmamet@aol.com).

As many of you are aware, Chris Hudgins and I are editing David Mamet: Gender and Genre Transformations which I am pleased to report is, at long last, close to submission after numerous delays. Hence, we can finally turn our attention to pursuing, as we envisioned earlier, a hard-bound expanded version of The David Mamet Review which would be able to accommodate the publication of critical essays and interviews, in addition to our annual offerings of performance and book reviews and bibliography. When information, tentative timetable, and format are available in the coming year, members will, of course, receive notification. In the meanwhile, please do let me know about conferences that would be of interest to our members, or of your intention to present a paper or publish on Mamet in another venue.

A final note. Chris joins me in expressing our gratitude for your confidence expressed in electing us to a second term as president and vice-president/treasurer of the David Mamet Society. It is an honor and pleasure to work with you.

I look forward to welcoming you at the conference in Las Vegas and to seeing you in Toronto.

LESLIE KANE Westfield State College