Glengarry Glen Ross

Glengarry Glen Ross
Poster for 1983 National Theatre production
Written by	David Mamet
Characters	Richard Roma Shelly Levene James Lingk John Williamson George Aaronow Dave Moss Baylen
Date premiered	1983
Place premiered	London, England, United Kingdom
Original language	English
Genre	Drama
Setting	A Chinese restaurant and a sales office

Glengarry Glen Ross is a play by David Mamet that won the Pulitzer Prize in 1984. The play shows parts of two days in the lives of four desperate Chicago real estate agents who are prepared to engage in any number of unethical, illegal acts—from lies and flattery to bribery, threats, intimidation and burglary—to sell undesirable real estate to unwitting prospective buyers. It is based on Mamet's experience having previously worked in a similar office.

The title comes from two real estate properties mentioned in the play: Glengarry Highlands, which is currently the prime real estate everyone is attempting to sell, and Glen Ross Farms, which is mentioned by several characters as having been very lucrative for those selling it several years ago.

The world premiere was at the National Theatre in London on September 21, 1983, where Bill Bryden's production in the Cottesloe Theatre was acclaimed as a triumph of ensemble acting.

The play opened on Broadway on March 25, 1984, and closed on February 17, 1985. The production was directed by Gregory Mosher and starred Joe Mantegna, Mike Nussbaum, Robert Prosky, Lane Smith, James Tolkan, Jack Wallace and J. T. Walsh. The production was nominated for four Tony awards including Best Play, Best Director, and two Best Featured Actor nominations for Robert Prosky and Joe Mantegna, who won the production's one Tony.

Setting: a Chinese restaurant

Scene 1: Shelly Levene tries to convince office manager John Williamson to give him some of "the Glengarry leads" (names and phone numbers of promising potential clients for expensive properties). Williamson is willing to sell some of the prime leads, but demands cash in advance. Levene cannot come up with the cash and must leave without any good leads to work with.