Chicago Tribune - Opening night was March 30. Tickets, which were free, were heavily reserved; while the 21 playwrights could not be present, many of their family members were planning to attend and report back to the authors. Many members of the Northwestern community wanted to be there. There already was a waiting list. The opening never happened.
Patterson wrote “The Parameters of Closeness" in a playwriting class taught by Rebecca Gilman, the distinguished dramatist who formerly taught at Northwestern University and now teaches at Texas Tech University. In the spring of last year, Gilman was teaching in Stateville as part of Northwestern University's Prison Education Program, which is directed by Jennifer Lackey.