The Fellows Gazette Volume 52 Published by the College of Fellows of the American Theatre Spring 2010
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The Fellows Gazette Volume 52 Published by the College of Fellows of the American Theatre Spring 2010 Roger L. Stevens Speaker: Our New Dean-Elect: Jack O’Brien Milly Barranger Jack O’Brien will deliver the next Roger L. Stevens Last April, Milly S. Barranger was elected to become Address. He is acclaimed for his numerous credits the College’s next Dean. She is an author, educator, on Broadway, off- producer, and Distinguished Broadway, at regional Professor Emerita of Dramatic theatres, and for his Art at the University of North direction of a variety of Carolina, Chapel Hill, where genres, from she served concurrently as Shakespeare to opera to chairwoman of the musical comedy. Department of Dramatic Art and producing director of O’Brien’s direction can PlayMakers Repertory currently be seen in Company, a member of the London’s West End League of Resident Theatres production of Hairspray, (LORT). She recently received which won the 2008 an award from the Olivier Award for Best Musical after being nominated Association of Theatre in for an unprecedented eleven awards, including Best Higher Education as the 2009 Outstanding Teacher Director. He was the recipient of the 2007 Tony of Theatre in Higher Education. Award for Best Direction of a Play for his work on Tom Stoppard’s trilogy The Coast of Utopia, which She has also served as past presidents of the won a total of seven Tony Awards. In addition to National Theatre Conference and the American garnering consecutive Tony Awards for his direction Theatre Association and is currently on the boards of the acclaimed Broadway productions of Henry IV of directors/trustees of the Paul Green Foundation, (2004) and Hairspray (2003), O’Brien received the the National Theatre Conference, and the League of 2002 “Mr. Abbott” Award from the Stage Directors Professional Theatre Women. She is author of and Choreographers Foundation, one of the Margaret Webster: A Life in the Theatre; Unfriendly country’s most prestigious directorial honors. He Witnesses: Gender, Theater, and Film in the also received the 2001 Drama Desk Award and a McCarthy Era; A Gambler’s Instinct: The Story of Tony Award nomination for his direction of Tom Broadway Producer Cheryl Crawford (forthcoming Stoppard’s The Invention of Love. O’Brien was 2010); Theatre: A Way of Seeing (six editions); inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame in 2008. Understanding Plays (three editions); Theatre: Past Additionally, he was honored with the John and Present (two editions); and reference works on Houseman Award from the Acting Company in 2005; Jessica Tandy and Margaret Webster. She is also co- the Julia Hansen Award for Excellence in Directing editor with Fellow Vera Mowry Roberts of Notable from the Drama League in 2001, and in 1994 was Women in the American Theatre: A Biographical inducted into the prestigious College of Fellows of Dictionary. the American Theatre and received an honorary doctorate from the University of San Diego. She lives in New York City where she has lectured at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts He was the Artistic Director of The Old Globe on the 1943 production of Othello with Paul Robeson Theatre from 1981-2007 and captivated San Diego and Uta Hagen, and is working on a book on Audrey audiences with over sixty provocative productions, Wood and the Playwrights. O’Brien continued on page 2 See p. 8 for information about our meeting in April. The Fellows Gazette 1 O’Brien continued from page 1 IN MEMORIAM including world premieres, musicals, adaptations PAUL BAKER and classical works. Recent productions include the world premieres of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, by 1911-2009 David Yazbek and Jeffrey Lane, which opened to rave reviews on Broadway in March of 2005; Paul Baker, theatre Stephen Metcalfe’s Loves & Hours; and Nora director, innovator, Ephron’s Imaginary Friends, with Swoosie Kurtz and educator, passed away at Cherry Jones; Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, with the age of ninety-eight at Paxton Whitehead and Harry Groener; the world- his ranch home near premiere of The Full Monty; Chekhov’s The Seagull Gonzales, Texas on th (a new version by Tom Stoppard); and Brendan October 25 , 2009. He Behan's The Hostage. He is responsible for was born July 24, 1911, originally creating and now supervising the Globe’s in Hereford, Texas, the popular annual musical, Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch fifth child of Rev. Morgan Stole Christmas!, which has not only continued over Baker and Retta the past eleven years at the Globe, but has also been Chapman Baker. successfully transferred to Broadway, and has Throughout his life, he expanded to other national markets. took inspiration from the utterly open and flat land that had surrounded him He received additional praise for his premiere of A.R. as a child. That inspiration, integral to his life as a Gurney's The Cocktail Hour (1988), which went on to theatrical artist, led him into a world far from the a celebrated run at the Promenade Theatre in New dust of the West Texas prairie. York as well as engagements in Los Angeles and the Kennedy Center; and Stephen Metcalfe's Emily Baker received a B.A. in drama from Trinity (1986). His thirst for a new look at American classics University in 1932 followed by a study of theatre in has brought audiences revivals of Philip Barry's England, Germany, Russia and Japan before Holiday, George Kelly's The Torch Bearers and The completing his Master’s of Fine Arts at Yale Show Off, and Thornton Wilder's The Skin of Our University on a Rockefeller Foundation Scholarship. Teeth, which was televised live from the stage of the In 1940, Baker established the first drama Old Globe Theatre as the opening of the 1983 department in the Southwest at Baylor University season of PBS's "American Playhouse" series. and was appointed Chair of the department. In 1942, he was selected to join General George Marshall’s In 1976, O'Brien staged (for Houston Grand Opera) newly-formed U.S. Army as a Special Services George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess, which ten years Entertainment Officer. In 1944, Baker established the later, was revived as a tour by a consortium of entertainment branch for the U.S. Army, was fourteen American regional opera houses as well as promoted to Major, and named Chief of some in Europe. Originally in its Broadway run, the Entertainment for the European Theater of production garnered a Tony Award for Most Operations. In 1945, he was awarded the prestigious Innovative Revival in 1977, and a Tony Award Legion of Merit Award for this service in World War nomination for O'Brien for Best Direction. His II. television credits include An Enemy of the People, I After the war, Baker returned to Baylor and “Studio Never Sang For My Father, All My Sons, and Painting One”, the dynamic theatre he had designed with Churches. His production of Street Scene was swivel seats and stages surrounding the audience. televised on "Live from Lincoln Center," and his He explored innovative concepts in staging and Broadway revival of Most Happy Fella and staging of communication. His WWII connections brought The Good Doctor, were produced for PBS. prominent European artists to Waco. In the summer of 1952, Baker and his wife Kitty took twenty-five drama students to Paris to perform Green Grow the Lilacs and to study art history in Paris. The synthesis of ideas applied from abstract art emerged into a legendary production of Othello. In 1959, as part of the emerging movement to create regional professional theatre across the United States, Baker founded the Dallas Theater Center and Graduate School of Drama. He worked closely with architect Frank Lloyd Wright in the design and Springtime in DC Baker continued on page 3 The Fellows Gazette 2 Baker continued from page 2 Zoe, Ruby, Lucas, Sophia, Tommy, Sam, Ferrell, Beau, Jacob, and Madison; beloved friends Elroy construction of a theatre space which would be and Luella Wilson; and countless family members unique and definitive. For twenty-four years, Baker and friends around the world. was the founding director and guiding force for the Dallas Theater Center’s development into one of the Lisa Schreiner leading professional resident theatres in America. PR Director, Dallas Children’s Theater Rooted in a philosophy of freedom, growth and individual creative potential, his iconoclastic approach to theatre earned wide acclaim. Baker IN MEMORIAM established a professional theatre company that produced internationally recognized work for HORACE W. ROBINSON twenty-four years. In 1961, Baker received the first 1909-2009 Rodgers and Hammerstein Award for Outstanding Contribution to Theater in the Southwest. In 1963, he Horace W. Robinson, invested as a Fellow in 1966, resigned from Baylor and became Chairman of the died on October 13 in Eugene, Oregon. He was Drama Department at Trinity University where he ninety-nine years of age, oversaw the design and construction of the Ruth and was associated with Taylor Theater, patterned after “Studio One” at the theatre in that city as Baylor. well as the University of Oregon for seventy-six In 1972, Baker published his groundbreaking book, years, where he served Integration of Abilities. This work clearly delineates as Director of Theatre for the sequence of exercises Baker utilized to inspire twenty-four years. creative growth during thirty years of teaching. These exercises became known as the “Baker Those who were Philosophy” and became integral to his members of AETA/ATA development of Dallas’ Booker T. Washington High remember Horace as one School for the Performing and Visual Arts. The same of the most active approach to creative exploration was also the members of that primary inspiration for the recently-created Baker Association, serving in a Idea Institute at Dallas Children’s Theater.