the seven deadly sins

In the late ’50s and early ’60s, Thornton Wilder attempted to write seven one-act plays depicting the Seven Deadly Sins (later adding a proposed Seven Ages of Man to the mix). He was very excited at the time by the artistic promise of theater-in-the-round, and pleased that his first proposed “Sin,” Someone from Assisi (Lust), could have its premiere in 1961-1962 on the stage of New York City’s famed Circle in the Square Theatre.

During his lifetime only four Sins were completed to his initial satisfaction, and he withdrew two of these from circulation. Since 1997, the centenary of Wilder’s birth, thanks to the rich materials in his archives, actors and readers have been able to perform and study all seven of Wilder’s Sins: The Drunken Sisters (Gluttony), Bernice (Pride), The Wreck on the 5:25 (Sloth), A Ringing of Doorbells (Envy), In Shakespeare and the Bible (Wrath), Someone from Assisi (Lust) and Cement Hands (Avarice).