Impossible Ragtime Theater
The Impossible Ragtime Theater, the IRT, was an American theater company founded in 1974 by Ted Story, George Ferencz, Cynthia Crane and Pam Mitchell. It ran 100 productions over 10 years in four different theatre spaces. In its second season, it ran two spaces at once. IRT also had a Director-Playwright Collaboration program, which included authors such as Kevin O'Morrison. Jonathan Frakes and Armin Shimerman were members of the company at the same time. Brian Dennehy and Ray Wise Raymond Herbert Wise (born August 20, 1947) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Leland Palmer in ''Twin Peaks'' (1990–1991, 2017) and its prequel film '' Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me'' (1992), Vice President Hal Gardner in ... were also members. References {{US-theat-stub Defunct Theatre companies in New York City ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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George Ferencz
George Ferencz (February 3, 1947 – September 14, 2021) was an American theater director, producer, and teacher. A major name in American theater, he was renowned for his innovative stagings of plays and musicals by Sam Shepard, Eugene O'Neill, Amiri Baraka. Early life Born in Cleveland, Ohio in February 1947, he was the son of George and Ann Ferencz, the eldest of six children. Wanting to pursue a career as a writer, he became editor of the school newspaper at Padua High, an all-boys school. The first in his family to graduate from college, Ferencz got his degree in theatre from Kent State University. He moved to New York City in 1970 and began studying directing with Gene Frankel and then with Carl Weber. When Ferencz arrived in New York, he and his first wife, Pamela Mitchell, created the Yogi Bear and Huckleberry Hound Roadshow with Tim and Deirdre McDonald, in association with Scollon Productions. Ferencz wrote, directed, and produced the youth theater performances which ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Cynthia Crane
Cynthia Crane (born 1936) is a New York City-born and based jazz and cabaret singer who has performed locally and in Paris L'Express (Paris) for over 50 years. She co-founded and co-produced the IRT, Impossible Ragtime Theater, in NYC's flower district with partners Ted Story, George Ferencz and Pam Mitchell. She has been reviewed by ''The New York Times'', ''Jazz Now'', ''Jazz Times'', ''Daily Variety'' and ''Time Out New York''. John S. Wilson, in ''The New York Times'', called her "Polished and compelling." In 2009 she became a victim in the Bernard Madoff financial fraud scheme and was forced to sell her 1855 Greenwich Village Brownstone and 1909 Steinway Steinway & Sons, also known as Steinway (), is a German-American piano company, founded in 1853 in Manhattan by German piano builder Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg (later known as Henry E. Steinway). The company's growth led to the opening of a ... grand piano as a result. [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Kevin O'Morrison
Kevin O'Morrison (May 25, 1916 – December 11, 2016) was an American playwright and actor. He played the lead actor in the TV series ''Charlie Wild, Private Detective'' (1950–51) for the first seven episodes. The series began on CBS Television, and then moved to ABC, and finally DuMont. He started his career working as a stage, radio, television, and film actor in the 1940s. He began writing plays in the 1960s, including ''A Party For Lovers'' and ''The Long War''. In 1993, O'Morrison played Cliff Reed in ''Sleepless in Seattle'', starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. O'Morrison died on December 11, 2016, in Lynnwood, Washington Lynnwood is a city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. The city is part of the Seattle metropolitan area and is located north of Seattle and south of Everett, near the junction of Interstate 5 and Interstate 405. It is the f ..., at the age of 100. He was survived by his wife, Linda. References External links * * * 1916 birt ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Jonathan Frakes
Jonathan Scott Frakes (born August 19, 1952) is an American actor and director. He is best known for his portrayal of Commander William Riker in the television series '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' and subsequent films and series. Frakes also hosted the anthology series '' Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction'', and was the voice for David Xanatos in the Disney television series '' Gargoyles''. In June 2011, he narrated the History Channel documentary, ''Lee and Grant''. Frakes directed while starring in '' Star Trek: First Contact'' as well as '' Star Trek: Insurrection''. He has directed more than 70 television episodes, including episodes of several ''Star Trek'' television series and '' The Orville''. He is the author of the novel ''The Abductors: Conspiracy''. Early life Frakes was born in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, the son of Doris J. (née Yingling; 1926–2020) and Dr. James R. Frakes (1924–2002). His father was a professor of English literature at Lehigh University ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Armin Shimerman
Armin Shimerman (born November 5, 1949) is an American actor and author. Early life Shimerman was born into a Jewish family in Lakewood, New Jersey, on November 5, 1949, the son of accountant Susan and house painter Herbert Shimerman. When he was 15, he moved with his family to Los Angeles, where his mother enrolled him in a drama group in an effort to expand his social circle. He attended Santa Monica High School and was active in drama. As a senior, he played leading roles in school productions of '' Hamlet'', '' The Crucible'', and '' The Skin of Our Teeth'' before graduating in 1967. After graduating from UCLA, he was selected to apprentice at the Old Globe Theater in San Diego. He began pursuing a career in theater and eventually moved to New York City, where he was a member of the Impossible Ragtime Theater. Returning to Los Angeles, he took roles in two CBS series to launch his television acting career. Career Acting Television Shimerman is known for his work as ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Brian Dennehy
Brian Manion Dennehy (; July 9, 1938 – April 15, 2020) was an American actor of stage, television, and film. He won two Tony Awards, an Olivier Award, and a Golden Globe, and received six Primetime Emmy Award nominations. Dennehy had roles in over 180 films and in many television and stage productions. His film roles included ''First Blood'' (1982), '' Gorky Park'' (1983), ''Silverado'' (1985), '' Cocoon'' (1985), '' F/X'' (1986), '' Presumed Innocent'' (1990), ''Romeo + Juliet'' (1996), ''Ratatouille'' (2007), and ''Knight of Cups'' (2015). Dennehy won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Miniseries or Television Film for his role as Willy Loman in the television film ''Death of a Salesman'' (2000). According to '' Variety'', Dennehy was "perhaps the foremost living interpreter" of playwright Eugene O'Neill's works on stage and screen. He had a decades long relationship with Chicago's Goodman Theatre where much of his O'Neill work originated. He also regularly played Ca ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Ray Wise
Raymond Herbert Wise (born August 20, 1947) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Leland Palmer in ''Twin Peaks'' (1990–1991, 2017) and its prequel film '' Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me'' (1992), Vice President Hal Gardner in '' 24'' (2006), The Devil in ''Reaper'' (2007–2009), and Marvin in ''Fresh Off the Boat'' (2015–2020), as well as his film roles in ''Swamp Thing'' (1982), ''RoboCop'' (1987), and ''Jeepers Creepers 2'' (2003). Early life Wise was born in Akron, Ohio, graduated from Garfield High School in 1965 and attended Kent State University in Kent, Ohio. He is of Romanian descent on his maternal side. He grew up in a religious family; in the past he went to a Romanian Baptist church in Akron and later moved to a Methodist church. Career Television In the late 1960s and 70s, Wise played attorney Jamie Rollins in the soap opera '' Love of Life'' for seven years and nearly 950 episodes. In 1987, Wise played Tom Gunther, Catherine Chandler's boy ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |