In 1916, Eugene O'Neill became involved with a group of writers and other theatre artists who founded the Provincetown Players, a theatre company whose primary goal was the production of new and experimental plays. By producing what were generally considered "non-commercial" plays, the Provincetown Players allowed writers to experiment with new ideas and theatrical styles. Freed from the commercial restraints that had typically forced playwrights and directors to take the safe and already trodden path, a truly American theatre began to develop. O'Neill quickly became the group's most prolific and successful playwright, and when, in 1929, he decided to deal directly with Broadway, the group disbanded. Other writers associated with the Provincetown Players include Susan Glaspell, Mary Heaton Vorse, Djuna Barnes, Edna St. Vincent Millay, and e.e. cummings.