The Skin of Our Teeth
Overview
 
The Skin of Our Teeth is a play by Thornton Wilder
Thornton Wilder
Thornton Niven Wilder was an American playwright and novelist. He received three Pulitzer Prizes, one for his novel The Bridge of San Luis Rey and two for his plays Our Town and The Skin of Our Teeth, and a National Book Award for his novel The Eighth Day.-Early years:Wilder was born in Madison,...

 which won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama
Pulitzer Prize for Drama
The Pulitzer Prize for Drama was first awarded in 1918.From 1918 to 2006, the Drama Prize was unlike the majority of the other Pulitzer Prizes: during these years, the eligibility period for the drama prize ran from March 2 to March 1, to reflect the Broadway 'season' rather than the calendar year...

. It opened on October 15, 1942 at the Shubert Theatre
Shubert Theatre (New Haven)
The Shubert Theatre is a 1600-seat theatre located at 247 College Street in New Haven, Connecticut. Originally opened in 1914, it was designed by Albert Swazey, a New York architect and built by the H.E. Murdock Construction Company...

 in New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...

, before moving to the Plymouth Theatre on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...

 on November 18, 1942. It was produced by Michael Myerberg and directed by Elia Kazan
Elia Kazan
Elia Kazan was an American director and actor, described by the New York Times as "one of the most honored and influential directors in Broadway and Hollywood history". Born in Istanbul, the capital of the Ottoman Empire, to Greek parents originally from Kayseri in Anatolia, the family emigrated...

.

The leading role of Sabina was originated by Tallulah Bankhead
Tallulah Bankhead
Tallulah Brockman Bankhead was an award-winning American actress of the stage and screen, talk-show host, and bonne vivante...

; when she left the production in March 1943, she was replaced by Miriam Hopkins
Miriam Hopkins
Ellen Miriam Hopkins was an American actress known for her versatility in a wide variety of roles.Hopkins was born in Savannah, Georgia, and raised in Bainbridge, a town in the state's southwest near the Alabama border...

. Hopkins was in turn replaced by Gladys George
Gladys George
Gladys George was an American actress.-Early life:She was born as Gladys Clare Evans on September 13, 1904 in Patten, Maine to English parents.-Career:...

.
Quotations

In the midst of life we are in the midst of death.

Inscribed on the wall

...We're all human; who isn't?

Sabina

And my advice to you is not to inquire into why or whither, but to enjoy your ice cream while it's on your plate; that's my philosophy.

Sabina

Children are a thing that only a parent can stand, and a truer word was never said.

Sabina

I can't invent any words for this play, and I'm glad I can't. I hate this play and every word in it.

Sabina

You've let the fire go out.

Mrs. Antrobus

Mrs. Antrobus: Have you milked the mammoth?Sabina: I don't understand a word of this play -- Yes, I've milked the mammoth.

Reading and writing and counting on your fingers is all very well in their way- but I keep the home going.

Mrs. Antrobus

There's that dinosaur on the front lawn again.

Mrs. Antrobus

Yes, any booby can fool with it now, but I thought of it first!

Mr. Antrobus, on the wheel.

 
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