How I Learned to Drive is a play written by American playwright Paula Vogel. The play premiered on March 16, 1997 off-broadway at the Vineyard Theatre. Vogel received the 1998 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for the work.
The story follows the strained, sexual relationship between Li'l Bit and her aunt's husband, Uncle Peck, from her adolescence through her teenage years into college and beyond. Using the metaphor of driving and the issues of pedophilia, incest, and misogyny, the play explores the ideas of control and manipulation.
ContentsIn 1962, when Li'l Bit is 11, Uncle Peck gives her a driving lesson, during which he molests her. Li'l Bit is too young to understand what has happened and, while her mother suspects that Peck has an unhealthy interest in his niece, she does nothing about it.
Years pass and Li'l Bit enters puberty. Though she is quite intelligent, her classmates recognize her only for her large breasts. Peck continues to molest her, at one point using his amateur photo studio to take provocative pictures of her. Though he makes her uncomfortable, Peck is the only member of her family who is nice to her and supportive of her plans to go to college. He continues to give Li'l Bit driving lessons, and when she drives she develops a feeling of control that she does not have in her home life.
Peck attempts to convince Li'l Bit to have sex with him, but Li'l Bit rejects his advances, albeit reluctantly; since they are both "outsiders" in their family, she feels an odd kinship with him. Li'l Bit goes to college, and is surprised to receive gifts from Uncle Peck in the mail, along with letters counting down to her eighteenth birthday.
When she turns eighteen, she confronts Uncle Peck. He has been hoping to finally have sex with her now that she is a legal adult, but more than that, he wants her to marry him. Li'l Bit refuses and permanently severs their relationship.
Narrating as an adult, Li'l Bit reveals that she was eventually expelled from college and that Uncle Peck drank himself to death. However, looking back on her experiences, she has learned to forgive Peck for his wrongdoings. She concludes that he did give her something valuable: the freedom she feels only when she drives.
ProductionsHow I Learned to Drive was first produced by Vineyard Theatre (Douglas Aibel, Artistic Director; Jon Nakagawa, Managing Director) in New York City in February 1997. It was directed by Mark Brokaw, the set design was by Narelle Sissons, the costume design was by Jess Goldstein, the lighting design was by Mark McCullough, the original sound design was by David van Tieghem, and the production stage manager was Thea Bradshaw Gillies. The cast was as follows:The Vineyard Theatre production, in association with Daryl Roth and Roy Gabay, moved to the Century Theatre in April, 1997. The Male Greek Chorus was played by Christopher Duva.
A 1998/99 season production at the Arena Stage in Washington DC directed by Molly Smith
A 1999 production at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles featured Molly Ringwald and Brian Kerwin.
L.A. Theatre Works has produced an audio performance of the play, starring Glenne Headly, Randall Arney, Joy Gregory, Paul Mercier, and Rondi Reed. Published on CD, ISBN 1-58081-188-4.
Awards and nominations[1]what is a genre
the genre is fiction the genre is fiction
Whatever genre the song/parody happens to be.
Generally, the genre of pantomime is of love, comedy and tragedy.
The genre of The Crucible by Arthur Miller is trajedy, drama.
what is the plot of paula vogel's play how i learned to drive
no. he has never learned how to drive.
He doesn't drive,never learned it,
Have learned how to drive, have passed a test and have a valid license to drive and have motor insurance when you drive.
parkway drive are a "heavy metal band"
have you played sonic drift?well,that was how sonic learned to drive.
1. He learned to drive a car. + 2. She went with him. = 3. He learned to drive a car and she went with him.
Any genre you want, moron. That's like asking which roads can you drive a Vauxhall car on...
Classical music is a genre full of specialized training
The antagonist in "How I Learned to Drive" by Paula Vogel is Uncle Peck, who is a predator and abuser in the story. He manipulates and preys on his young niece, Li'l Bit, throughout the play.
It is a young adult drama, concerning lessons learned by an adolescent girl at a boarding school.
"The houston calls, a band that signed with drive-thru records label, played music that can be categorized under the genre of american power pop or punk."