 Although playwrights Jerry Caruana, Wilson, Claris Nelson, and David Starkweather had each previously presented numerous well-received works at the Caffe Cino, it was the success of "The Madness of Lady Bright" which convinced Cino to concentrate on works by new playwrights.Caffe Cino was a friendly social center for gay men at a time when most gay life was restricted to bars and bathhouses.Although "The Madness of Lady Bright" is often referred to as the first American play to feature an explicitly gay character, a number of earlier Cino productions also dealt with gay identity, including Wilson's 1961 "Now She Dances!"