SOURCE: "Foote's 'Young Man' Wonderfully Detailed," in Chicago Tribune, February 23, 1995, p. 6.

[Christiansen is an American journalist, editor, and critic who frequently writes about Chicago's artistic community. In the following review, he praises Foote's use of characterization and dialogue, and discusses his treatment of family in The Young Man from Atlanta.]

Horton Foote, the master miniaturist of American drama, has created a small but potent domestic tragedy with his new play, The Young Man From Atlanta.

A writer for more than 50 of his 78 years, Foote is perhaps best known for his Academy Award-winning screenplays of To Kill a Mockingbird and Tender Mercies. But he has been a diligent and prolific playwright, as well, turning out over the years a series of low-key, hand-polished family dramas, many of them reflecting his own heritage in southeastern Texas.

In recognition of his work, the enterprising off-off-Broadway Signature Theatre Company this year is...