memory to share: the summer of 1962. An 11-year-old Li'l Bit fights with her mother about going on a seven-hour car trip to the beach with Uncle Peck. Mother is wary of him, but finally relents, telling Li'l Bit that she holds her responsible for any misdeeds. Li'l Bit sits in the car with Uncle Peck, only she doesn't speak her lines out loud. The Teenage Greek Chorus, acting as young Li'l Bit, does so. Peck molests his niece for the first time. The script then returns to the present. Li'l Bit reflects on how she is ready to move on with her life, and that despite everything she has been through, she can thank her Uncle Peck for one thing: the freedom she feels when she drives. The final scene has Li'l Bit alone in her car, and as she adjusts her rear view mirror, she notices Uncle Peck in the back. After smiling at him, she steps on the gas pedal and drives away, finally leaving Peck in the past as she drives off to a new chapter of her life. Background Vogel wrote the play at the Perseverance Theatre, Alaska, where she was in residence. The theatre presented a first reading. Vogel was inspired by the novel Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov: "...she was stunned to find herself sympathizing with the narrator, Humbert Humbert, who sexually molests an adolescent girl." Vogel explained: "...she intended the play 'to get the audience to go along for a ride they wouldn't ordinarily take, or don't even know they're taking.'" Productions How I Learned to Drive premiered Off-Broadway in a production by the Vineyard Theatre (Douglas Aibel, Artistic Director; Jon Nakagawa, Managing Director) on May 6, 1997, and closed on April 19, 1998, at the Century Center For The Performing Arts. The play was directed by Mark Brokaw, set design was by Narelle Sissons, costume design was by Jess Goldstein, lighting design was by Mark McCullough, and the original sound design was by David van Tieghem. The play had been presented by the Vineyard Theatre in February to April 1997. The Vineyard Theatre production, in association with Daryl Roth and Roy Gabay, moved to the Century Theatre in April 1997. The original cast: Li'l Bit played by Mary-Louise Parker Uncle Peck played by David Morse Male Greek Chorus played by Michael Showalter Female Greek Chorus played by Johanna Day Teenage Greek Chorus