David Alan Mamet was born November 30, 1947. His parents were of Polish-Russian descent, and Mamet grew up in a Jewish neighborhood on the south side of Chicago. His mother was a teacher and his father a labor lawyer. After his parents divorced, Mamet moved with his mother and sister to the suburbs of Chicago but later lived with his father. He began his association with live theater in high school when he worked as a busboy at Second City, a comedy club, and as a stagehand at Hull House Theater. From 1965 to 1969, Mamet attended Goddard College in Vermont, where he majored in literature. His play Camel was performed at Goddard College while he was still an undergraduate. After graduating from college, Mamet taught drama for a year at Marlboro College in Vermont, where his play Lakeboat was performed by the Marlboro Theater Workshop. From 1971 to 1973, he served...