[2] The series has a completion date of December 10, 2036, the 100th anniversary of O'Neill winning the Nobel Prize for Literature.
[3] Murphy is founder of the Eugene O'Neill Festival in New York City in which the stage performances take place.
[4][5] He staged the first productions of two O'Neill plays, Bread and Butter and The Personal Equation (with Ralph Waite).
[6] Murphy began his work on Eugene O'Neill's plays as a researcher for Arthur and Barbara Gelb, pre-eminent biographers of O'Neill and producing an event at Broadway's Roundabout Theater for which Murphy read special remarks written by Arthur Miller featuring Mrs. Gelb, Julie Harris, Philip Bosco, Allison Janney and Peter Gallagher.
Notable students include Lortel Award Honoree Tracee Chimo (Bad Jews) and Kristoffer Polaha (Mad Men, Life Unexpected).