Given that David Mamet began writing in the 1970s and continues to write today, there are many events that occurred in theater and society throughout the course of his writing career. One such event that occurred during Mamet’s life is the functioning of the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). While the HUAC was not functional by the time Mamet wrote his first play, the HUAC did play a part in influencing the writing of Mamet and his contemporaries as Mamet admits that he was quite “judgemental” of the committee (Lahr). Another major event that occurred during Mamet’s career was the Vietnam War, which arguably led to a divided country with all the anti-war protests that occurred at the time. Related to the Vietnam War, is the subsequent resignation of President Nixon following the Watergate scandal that further splintered the country. Another important development that is important to consider, especially with the medium of film, is the rise of modern technology from the computer to the current-day smartphone. These technological innovations are important because they further interconnected people from different parts of the world as well as revolutionized the film industry.

The theater at the time continued to include American Realism as well as modern drama and postmodernism. The postmodern plays that occurred at the time included Hamletmachine and Cloud Nine. Modern drama in the form of Harold Pinter also emerged at the same time as David Mamet. Pinter’s work resonated strongly with Mamet as he viewed Pinter’s plays like A Night Out and The Birthday Party as “real to me in a way no drama ever had” (Lahr). Additionally, when Mamet first began writing, it coincided with a decline in the Broadway theatre that led to the increase in regional theaters in places such as Chicago, Mamet’s hometown (Schmidt Lewis). Furthermore, later in his life at the turn of the century, the theater world in the United States began to center around New York City, specifically Broadway. Being on Broadway seemed to the goal of all the aspiring playwrights, which contributed to the decision of Mamet to move from Chicago to New York after he began writing. This coincided with Broadway productions including Wicked, Spring Awakening, and eventually Hamilton (Schmidt and Lewis). Also, during Mamet’s career, an African American theatre renaissance was occurring with the most notable figure being August Wilson with his play Fences (Schmidt and Lewis).