Margaret V. "Margo" Jones
Livingston, Polk County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Livingston native Margo Jones was one of the leading figures of American theatre during her brief life. A director and innovator, she played a key role in the careers of many actors and playwrights, most notably Tennessee Williams and William Inge; The Glass Menagerie and Inherit the Wind were among the Broadway shows she directed. She was an advocate for non-profit professional residential theatres and theatre-in-the-round, and she carried out her ideas both on Broadway and in her Dallas theatre. Named one of the Outstanding Little Theater Directors in America, she also organized the Houston Community Players. She died in Dallas in 1955, but her influence continues today. (2005)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Livingston native Margo Jones became one of the most influential figures in mid-twentieth-century American theatre, championing nonprofit regional theatre and the theatre-in-the-round staging she pioneered in Dallas. She guided the careers of Tennessee Williams and William Inge, directing Broadway productions including The Glass Menagerie and Inherit the Wind, and organized the Houston Community Players. Named one of the nation's outstanding little-theater directors, she died in Dallas in 1955, but her model of resident professional theatre endures.
Why it matters
Jones helped invent the American regional-theatre movement, breaking Broadway's monopoly and opening the way for professional theatre to thrive in cities across the country.
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Related people
- · Margo Jones
- · Tennessee Williams
- · William Inge
Themes & tags
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