The theater at the time of Eugene O’Neill was dominated by American expressionism and realism (Rea). European style art theatre made appearance in the United States, which led to the creation of groups such as the Washington Square Players and more notably the Provincetown Players (Rea). These groups were often done in provincial cities and their memberships were subscription-based, which allowed for such groups to be experimental (Rea). Eugene O’Neill’s writing as a whole didn’t seem to follow a single theatrical style as plays like Emperor Jones reflected American expressionism whereas the play Long Day’s Journey into Night seemed to resemble a modern tragedy (Rea). Furthermore, the formation of the Theatre Guild became the most important platform for American Drama (Rea).
The two most important aspects or events that defined the society at the time between O’Neill’s birth and death were war and industrialization. O’Neill lived during a time where both World War I and World War II took place, which essentially changed the world order with the United States becoming a major, global superpower. Furthermore, industrialization led to a culture of consumerism as goods were now able to be mass-produced (Marty). As a result, the standards of living for most Americans increased as goods and service became cheaper and improved such as education (Marty). Mechanization of products also led to more leisure time, which allowed for plays, sports, and films to fill this time as a mode of entertainment (Marty).