Eugene O’Neill’s Ah, Wilderness! at Tao House

Sep 17–20 (Thu–Sat 7:30pm, Sun 1:30pm)

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Experience Ah, Wilderness! like never before in this imaginative, fully staged radio play.

Presented as a fully staged 1930s-style radio broadcast, this production invites audiences behind the scenes of a live radio performance. As the lights come up, you’ll meet a troupe of actors, in O’Neill’s Tao House barn, gathered around vintage microphones, sound effects at the ready, preparing to broadcast O’Neill’s only comedy. Before your eyes, they’ll transform into the beloved Miller family and the colorful characters who populate this warm-hearted coming-of-age story—moving seamlessly between the world of the radio studio and the world of the play itself.

This unique production celebrates his enduring legacy while offering audiences a fresh and engaging way to experience one of America’s great playwrights. Written by Eugene O’Neill as a nostalgic reflection on the youth he wished he’d had, Ah, Wilderness! is a funny, touching, and deeply human portrait of family, first love, youthful idealism, and the bittersweet journey toward adulthood. Overflowing with warmth, wit, and hope, it stands as a remarkable companion to O’Neill’s more familiar dramatic works.

Performed at both the historic Eugene O’Neill National Historic Site (Tao House) and the Village Theatre in Danville, this special production celebrates the playwright’s enduring legacy while reimagining one of America’s classic comedies through the timeless charm of live radio theater. Whether you’re discovering O’Neill for the first time or returning as a longtime admirer, this inventive staging offers a delightful new way to experience one of his most cherished plays.

Radio play adaptation by Eric Fraisher Hayes and Titian Lish.

About the Director: Titian Lish is a director, producer, actor, and arts educator; work emphasizes bold storytelling and actor-centered collaboration. She currently serves as the Interim Dean of the Business, Social Science, and Learning Resources Division and is the longtime Theater Arts Coordinator and Director of the Actors Conservatory at Las Positas College, where she has produced and directed dozens of productions while mentoring the next generation of theater artists.

As a director and producer, Titian’s recent credits include Macbeth, The Government Inspector, The Book of Will, Arcadia, Escape to Margaritaville, Footloose, Heathers, and numerous other plays and musicals. Titian recently returned to the stage, appearing with Lucky Penny Productions as Silda Grauman in Other Desert Cities, Amanda Wingfield in The Glass Menagerie, Williamina Fleming in Silent Sky, and as Essie Miller in Having Her Say and Carlotta Monterey in Into Night, both with the Eugene O’Neill Foundation.

Titian holds both Bachelor and Master of Arts degrees in Drama from SFSU and professional training at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York, the British American Dramatic Academy in Oxford, and Shakespeare’s Globe Education Academy in London. She is forever grateful for her husband David and daughter Alexandria.