Something to check out during the end of break: Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf. The 1966 film is based on a play written by Edward Albee, who briefly attended our very own Trinity College in 1946, but was expelled (I think for failing too many classes).

I read the play first in high school and it became one of my favorites. The story centers on two professors and their wives—even if this doesn’t immediately grab you, the characters are rumored to be based on Trinity faculty, so that gives it a whole new element. The film was highly acclaimed; all four main actors were nominated for Oscars (Elizabeth Taylor and Sandy Dennis won for best actress and best actress in a supporting role). All in all the film was nominated for thirteen Oscars, and won five categories.

With its controversy and memorable portrayal of complicated relationships, Albee’s play has been referenced many times. My personal favorites can be found in lyrics from Of Montreal’s “The Past Is a Grotesque Animal” as well as in an episode of Gilmore Girls. Read the play and check out the film’s page on Wikipedia for a longer list of references you might recognize.