Charles L. Mee

Charles Louis Mee Jr. was born on September 15, 1938, in Evanston, Illinois, and grew up in the Chicago suburb of Barrington. At the age of fourteen, he contracted polio, an experience that would later become central to his memoir A Nearly Normal Life. This early encounter with physical adversity deeply influenced his perspective as both a person and a playwright. He went on to attend Harvard University, graduating with a B.A. in 1960, and later immersed himself in New York’s experimental theater scene during the 1960s before shifting into a successful career as a historian and editor.

In the 1990s, Mee returned to playwriting with a bold, unconventional style. Rather than relying on traditional narrative and dialogue, he embraced a collage technique—piecing together found texts, classical literature, philosophical musings, pop culture, and historical documents. His goal was to reflect the fragmented nature of modern life, creating plays that were intentionally disjointed, visually rich, and emotionally surprising. This method became his signature, challenging audiences to engage with theatre in a new and visceral way.

Mee’s most celebrated works include Big Love, True Love, First Love, bobrauschenbergamerica, The Trojan Women: A Love Story, Orestes 2.0, Wintertime, and Summertime. Many of these plays are contemporary adaptations of classical Greek dramas, reimagined through a modern lens and filtered through Mee’s unique artistic sensibility. Big Love, based on Aeschylus’s The Suppliants, is one of his most frequently produced plays and showcases his ability to merge mythic structure with current themes like gender, violence, and identity.

A passionate advocate for open access to art, Mee made the radical decision to publish all of his plays online, free for anyone to use, adapt, or remix. Through what he calls “The (re)making Project,” he invites others to view theatre as a communal, evolving art form. Rather than guarding his work through copyright restrictions, he encourages reinterpretation and reinvention. This openness has made his work particularly popular among students, emerging artists, and experimental theatre companies around the world.

Charles L. Mee has received numerous awards for his contributions to American theatre, including Obie Awards and recognition from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He also teaches at Columbia University, where he mentors young playwrights and continues to develop new work. With a body of plays that challenges convention while embracing deep emotional truths, Mee has established himself as one of the most original and generous voices in contemporary theatre.