Richard Nelson (playwright)
Richard Nelson | |
---|---|
Born | Richard John Nelson October 17, 1950 Chicago, Illinois |
Notable works |
|
Notable awards | PEN/Laura Pels Award |
Spouse | Cynthia Blair Bacon (m. 1972) |
Children | 2 |
Richard John Nelson (born October 17, 1950) is an American playwright and
Personal life
Nelson was born in Chicago, Illinois to Viola, a dancer, and Richard Finis Nelson, an accounting-systems analyst and some times sales representative.[2] During Nelson's childhood, the family moved frequently to accommodate his father's work, but they settled for long stretches in Gary, Indiana, the outskirts of Philadelphia, and finally in a suburb of Detroit. Nelson's earliest theatrical influences were in musical theatre, and he estimates that he saw more than twenty-five musicals before ever seeing his first straight play.[3]
He graduated from
He married Cynthia Blair Bacon on May 21, 1972; they have two children, Zoe (b. 1983) and Jocelyn (b. 1988).[2]
Career
He has worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company, and had ten plays produced there. Those plays include: Principia Scriptoriae (1986), Some Americans Abroad (1989), Two Shakespearean Actors (1990),[5] Columbus and the Discovery of Japan (1992), Misha's Party (1993),[6] New England (1994),[7] [8]The General From America (1996)[9] and Goodnight Children Everywhere (1997).[10][11]
In November 2006, Frank's Home, about two days in the life of
The Apple Family plays
From 2010 to 2013, Nelson wrote and directed four plays centered around the Apple Family, a fictional household set in
The first play in the series, That Hopey Changey Thing, focused on the
The cast of That Hopey Changey Thing, Sweet and Sad, and Sorry featured Jon DeVries as Benjamin Apple, Maryann Plunkett as Barbara Apple, Jay O. Sanders as Richard Apple, Shuler Hensley as Tim Andrews, Laila Robins as Marian Apple Platt and J. Smith-Cameron as Jane Apple Halls.[20] The cast of Regular Singing included the first three casts with the exceptions of Steven Kunken as Tim Andrews and Sally Murphy as Jane Apple Halls.[21]
On April 29, 2020, the Public live-streamed a new Apple Family play, What Do We Need to Talk About?. Again directed by Nelson, it reunited the cast from Regular Singing. The characters, now seven years older, meet by video during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Gabriels
Nelson has written a new trilogy, titled The Gabriels: Election Year in the Life of One Family, focusing on the Gabriel family during the 2016 presidential election year. The same cast appears in all three plays: Meg Gibson (Karin Gabriel), Lynn Hawley (Hannah Gabriel), Roberta Maxwell (Patricia Gabriel), Maryann Plunkett (Mary Gabriel), Jay O. Sanders (George Gabriel), and Amy Warren (Joyce Gabriel). The first play, Hungry, opened off-Broadway at the Public Theatre on February 27, 2016 (previews), and officially on March 4, directed by Nelson.[22] The next play in the trilogy, What Did You Expect?, opened on September 10, 2016, in previews, officially on September 16 and closed on October 9.[23][24] The final play, Women of a Certain Age, opened on election night, November 8, 2016. and ran to December 4.[25][26][27] The three plays ran in repertory December 10 to 18.[28]
Hungry is set in
The Gabriels played an engagement at the
The Michaels
In 2019 Nelson added to the Rhinebeck Panorama with The Michaels, which ran at the Public October 19 – December 1, 2019. As with the Apple and Gabriel family plays it takes place around a meal, this time in the kitchen of Rose Michael, a celebrated choreographer.
Nelson directed a cast made up of Charlotte Bydwell as Lucy Michael, Haviland Morris as Irenie Walker, Maryann Plunkett as Kate Harris, Matilda Sakamoto as May Smith, Jay O. Sanders as David Michael, Brenda Wehle as Rose Michael, and Rita Wolf as Sally Michael.
Awards and honors
- Thomas J. Watson Fellowship
- Rockefeller Foundation Playwright-in-Residence Award, Arena Stage (1979–80)
- PEN/Laura Pels International Foundation for Theater Award, Drama, Master American Dramatist (2008)[33]
- Obie Award for Playwriting, The Vienna Notes (1979)[34]
- Obie Award for Innovative Programming (with David Jones), Brooklyn Academy of Music Theater Company (1979)
- Giles Cooper Award for plays written for BBC Radio, Languages Spoken Here(1987)
- Giles Cooper Award for plays written for BBC Radio, Eating Words(1989)
- Drama Desk Award, Outstanding New Play for Some Americans Abroad (1990)
- Tony AwardNomination for Best New Play, Two Shakespearean Actors (1992)
- Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical, James Joyce's The Dead (2000)
- Tony Award Nomination for Best Musical and Best Original Score, James Joyce's The Dead (2000)
- Drama Desk Award Outstanding New Play Nomination, Franny's Way (2002)
- Drama Desk Award Outstanding Play Nomination, Sorry (2013)
- Drama Desk Award Outstanding Play Nomination, Regular Singing (2014)
Works
Theatre
- The Killing of Yablonski, Los Angeles, Mark Taper Forum/Lab, 1975
- Conjuring an Event, Los Angeles, Mark Taper Forum/ Lab, 1976
- Scooping, Washington, D.C., Arena Stage, February 4, 1977
- Jungle Coup, New York, Playwrights Horizons, June 22, 1978
- The Vienna Notes, Minneapolis, Minn., The Tyrone Guthrie Theater, October 6, 1978
- Bal, Williamstown, Mass., Williamstown Theatre Festival, July 1979
- Rip Van Winkle, or The Works, New Haven, Conn., Yale Repertory Theatre, December 4, 1981
- The Return of Pinocchio, Seattle, Washington, Empty Space, March 1983
- An American Comedy, Los Angeles, Mark Taper Forum, October 13, 1983
- Between East and West, Seattle, Wash., Seattle Repertory Theatre, March 23, 1984
- Principia Scriptoriae, New York, Manhattan Theatre Club, March 25, 1986
- Chess (bookwriter), New York, Imperial Theatre, April 28, 1988
- Roots in Water, Woodstock, N.Y., River Arts Repertory, Summer 1988
- Some Americans Abroad, Stratford-upon-Avon, Royal Shakespeare Company, July 19, 1989
- Two Shakespearean Actors, Stratford-upon-Avon, Royal Shakespeare Company, 1990
- Columbus and the Discovery of Japan, London, Royal Shakespeare Company, July 22, 1992
- Misha's Party, (with Alexander Gelman), London, Royal Shakespeare Company, July 21, 1993
- Life Sentences, New York, Second Stage Theatre, December 1, 1993
- New England, London, Royal Shakespeare Company, November 29, 1994
- Three Sisters (adaptation of Anton Chekhov), Goodman Theatre, 1995[11]
- The General from America, Stratford-upon-Avon, Royal Shakespeare Company, July 17, 1996
- Kenneth's Play, (with Colin Chambers), London, Royal Shakespeare Company, 1997
- Goodnight Children Everywhere, Stratford-upon-Avon, Royal Shakespeare Company, December 11, 1997
- James Joyce's The Dead, (with Shaun Davey), New York, Playwrights Horizons, October 28, 1999
- Madame Melville, London, Vaudeville Theatre, October 18, 2000
- Franny's Way, New York, Playwrights Horizons, March 27, 2002
- My Life with Albertine, New York, Playwrights Horizons, March 13, 2003
- Rodney's Wife, Williamstown, Mass., Williamstown Theatre Festival, July 7, 2004
- The Seagull (adaption of Anton Chekhov)
- The Suicide (adaption of Nikolai Erdman)
- The Wood Demon (adaptation of Anton Chekhov)
- Frank's Home, Goodman Theatre, December 2006[35]
- Conversations in Tusculum, The Public Theater, March 2008[36]
- That Hopey Changey Thing, The Public Theater, November 2010
- Sweet and Sad, The Public Theater, September 2011
- Sorry, The Public Theater, November 2012
- Nikolai and the Others, Lincoln Center Theater, May 2013
- Regular Singing, The Public Theater, November 2013
- Hungry, The Public Theater, March 2016 (Part 1 of The Gabriels)
- What Did You Expect?, The Public Theater, September 2016 (Part 2 of The Gabriels)
- Women of a Certain Age, The Public Theater, November 2016 (Part 3 of The Gabriels)
- Illyria, The Public Theater, October 2017[37]
- The Michaels, The Public Theater, October–December 2019
- What Do We Need to Talk About?, The Public Theater (live stream), April 29, 2020
Nelson's plays are published by
Radio plays
- Languages Spoken Here, BBC Radio 3, December 11, 1987
- Eating Words, BBC Radio 4, October 30, 1989
- Advice to Eastern Europe, BBC Radio 3, December 27, 1990
- The American Wife, BBC Radio 4, January 25, 1996
- Hyde Park-on-Hudson, BBC Radio 3, June 7, 2009
Screenplays
- Sensibility and Sense, television, American Playhouse, PBS, 1990[40]
- The End of a Sentence, television, American Playhouse, PBS, 1991[41]
- Ethan Frome, film, adapted from the novel by Edith Wharton, 1993; PBS American Playhouse, 1994[42]
- Roots in Water, 2011
- Hyde Park on Hudson, film, Daybreak Pictures, 2012
References
- ^ Rich, Frank (April 29, 1988). "In Trevor Nunn's Musical 'Chess', East Faces West Across a Board". The New York Times. Retrieved January 2, 2012.
- ^ a b "Richard Nelson Biography (1950-)". FilmReference.com. Retrieved April 25, 2013.
- ISBN 0313273642.
- ^ "Tony Award-Winning Playwright Richard Nelson to Lecture at Hamilton College" February 21, 2004
- ^ "'Two Shakespearean Actors' Listing" shakespearebirthplacetrust. Retrieved March 4, 2016
- ^ "Production of Misha's Party". Theatricalia. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
- ^ Herman, Jan (May 6, 1996). "A Big Problem : Playwright Richard Nelson, Whose Latest Work Is at SCR, Tends to Pen Unaffordable, Large-Scale Works". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
- ISBN 0-8264-8787-4.
- ^ Jones, Kenneth. "PLAYBILL ON-LINE'S BRIEF ENCOUNTER with Richard Nelson" Playbill, December 3, 2002
- ^ "'Goodnight Children Everywhere' 1997" shakespearebirthplacetrust. Retrieved March 4, 2016
- ^ a b "Richard Nelson". Goodman Theatre. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
- ^ "Frank's Home". Goodman Theatre. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
- ^ Pippa, Cristina (February 2007). "Wrighting Home with Richard Nelson". The Brooklyn Rail.
- ^ Hernandez, Ernio (March 4, 2005). "Richard Nelson Appointed New Playwriting Department Chair at Yale School of Drama". Playbill. Retrieved April 25, 2013.
- ^ a b Stasio, Marilyn (September 14, 2011). "Sweet and Sad". Variety. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
- ^ Sommer, Elyse (2010). "A CurtainUp review. That Hopey Changey Thing". CurtainUp. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
- ^ Healy, Patrick (November 6, 2013). "Hudson Valley Town Is A Playwright's Home and Template". The New York Times. Retrieved November 9, 2013.
- ^ Hetrick, Adam. "Richard Nelson's Four-Play Series, 'The Apple Family Plays', Begins in Repertory at the Public Oct. 22" Playbill, October 22, 2013
- ^ "That Hopey Changey Thing". Lortel Archives Internet Off-Broadway Database. Archived from the original on February 7, 2016.
- ^ "Regular Singing". Lortel Archives Internet Off-Broadway Database. Archived from the original on February 7, 2016.
- ^ Rickwald, Bethany (February 18, 2016). "In Rehearsal for Richard Nelson's Hungry at the Public". TheaterMania. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
- ^ Clement, Olivia. Richard Nelson Returns to The Public Tonight With Part Two of His Election Trilogy" Playbill, September 10, 2016
- ^ a b "What Did You Expect?". TheaterMania. September 19, 2016. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
- ^ Clement, Olivia. "Richard Nelson's Election Trilogy Opens Tonight" Playbill, March 4, 2016
- ^ Clement, Olivia. "Public Theater Opens Third and Final Play of 'The Gabriels' Tonight" Playbill, November 8, 2016
- ^ a b "The Gabriels: Election Year in the Life of One Family Play Three: Women of a Certain Age". Lortel Archives Internet Off-Broadway Database. 2016. Archived from the original on November 10, 2016.
- ^ a b Clement, Olivia. "The Public’s Election Trilogy to Tour D.C., Hong Kong, and Australia" Playbill, November 10, 2016
- ^ Scheck, Frank (March 5, 2016). "'Hungry': Theater Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on November 29, 2021.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
- ^ "The Gabriels Trilogy: Full-Day Marathon". The Kennedy Center. Archived from the original on January 9, 2018. Retrieved January 8, 2018.
- ^ "2008 PEN/Laura Pels Foundation Award for Drama to a Master American Dramatist". PEN America. November 16, 2012. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
- ^ "The Vienna Notes". Lortel Archives Internet Off-Broadway Database. Archived from the original on February 7, 2016. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
- ^ Oxman, Steven (December 6, 2006). "Frank's Home". Variety. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
- ^ "Conversations in Tusculum". TheaterMania. March 11, 2008. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
- ^ Clement, Olivia. "Richard Nelson’s 'Illyria' Opens Off-Broadway" Playbill, October 30, 2017
- ^ Hebert, James (February 7, 2018). "With fresh look at 'Uncle Vanya,' Old Globe bringing something new to the conversation". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
- ^ Clement, Olivia. "Richard Nelson's 'Uncle Vany'a Begins at the Hunter Theater Project September 7" Playbill, September 7, 2018
- ^ "Sensibility and Sense". Turner Classic Movies. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
- ^ "The End of a Sentence". Turner Classic Movies. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
- ^ "Ethan Frome". Turner Classic Movies. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
Further reading
- Andreach, Robert J. (1995). "Creating a Self, Personal and National, in Richard Nelson's Trilogy". University of Mississippi Studies in English: 329–343.
- Berc, Shelley; Rick Davis; Joel Schechter (1982). "Rip Van Winkle Our Contemporary: An Interview with Richard Nelson". Theater. 13 (2): 4–8. . Retrieved April 25, 2013.
- Brown, Blair (2000). "The Tapestry of Living". American Theatre. 17 (September): 50.
- Gholson, Craig (1990). "Richard Nelson". BOMB. 32: 46–49.
External links
- Richard Nelson at the Internet Broadway Database
- Richard Nelson at IMDb
- Richard Nelson at the Internet Off-Broadway Database (archive)