Inge school biography poster

The small town of Independence had a profound influence on the young Inge, and he would later attribute his understanding of human behavior to growing up in this environment.

Inge would later use this knowledge of small town life in many of his plays, most of which revolve around characters who are clearly products of Midwestern towns.

William Inge house. Courtesy William inge Center for the Arts

Inge earned a degree in Speech and Drama from the University of Kansas in 1935.

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He did physical labor, was a radio announcer in Wichita, a high school teacher in Columbus, and, eventually got a Masters degree at Peabody College in Nashville. When he became a drama and music critic for the St. Louis Times, he met Tennessee Williams.

One evening he accompanied Williams to a production of The Glass Menagerie, which so inspired Inge that he decided to become a playwright.

It took several years of hard work, but Inge went on to win many awards and