The Sandbox

While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.

Select Citation Style Copy Citation Share to social media Give Feedback External Websites Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites verifiedCite

While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.

Select Citation Style Copy Citation Share to social media External Websites Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Table of Contents

The Sandbox, one-act play by Edward Albee, published in 1959 (with The Death of Bessie Smith) and produced in 1960. It is a trenchant satire on false values and the lack of love and empathy in the American family. For his expanded one-act play The American Dream (1961), Albee used the characters he created for The Sandbox—Mommy, Daddy, and Grandma— as well as some of the play’s dramatic material.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Kathleen Kuiper.