playwright
A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes play (theatre), plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between Character (arts), characters and is intended for Theatre, theatrical performance rather than just
Readin ...
originally from
Ohio
Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...
Robert Altman
Robert Bernard Altman ( ; February 20, 1925 – November 20, 2006) was an American film director, screenwriter, and film producer, producer. He is considered an enduring figure from the New Hollywood era, known for directing subversive and sat ...
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
. Between 1968 and 1973, he lived in
Midland, Texas
Midland is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Midland County with small portions extending into Martin County. The population was 132,524 as of the 2020 census. Located in the Permian Basin in West Texas, Midland is a ...
and wrote children's plays such as ''Aesop's Falables'' and ''Livin' de Life''. He began to develop his stage drama '' Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean'', after driving to the small town of Marfa and researching the customs of the area. The legend of actor
James Dean
James Byron Dean (February 8, 1931September 30, 1955) was an American actor. He became one of the most influential figures in Hollywood in the 1950s, despite a career that lasted only five years. His impact on cinema and popular culture was p ...
, and the closure of
five-and-dime
A variety store (also five and dime (historic), pound shop, or dollar store) is a retail store that sells general merchandise, such as apparel, auto parts, dry goods, toys, hardware, furniture, and a selection of groceries. It usually sells th ...
stores in this place, lent their influences to the play's development. Graczyk went on to say:
After his brief stay in Texas, he moved back to Ohio and served as the artistic director of the Players Theatre in
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus (, ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Ohio, most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 United States census, 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the List of United States ...
; his tenure there lasted from 1973 to 1993. The first version of ''Jimmy Dean'' premiered in September 1976 at Players Theatre; in early 1980, it moved to
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
for a brief run with filmmaker
Robert Altman
Robert Bernard Altman ( ; February 20, 1925 – November 20, 2006) was an American film director, screenwriter, and film producer, producer. He is considered an enduring figure from the New Hollywood era, known for directing subversive and sat ...
directing.:89 He created a filmed theatre version to largely positive reviews.:93 Nonetheless, Altman soon managed to make a low-budget film adaptation financed by
Viacom Enterprises
Viacom Productions (formerly Viacom Enterprises) was a television production arm of Viacom. Viacom Enterprises was also a movie producer, and a sports producer. The division was active from 1971 until 2004, when the company was folded into Par ...
and
Mark Goodson Productions
Mark Leo Goodson (January 14, 1915 – December 18, 1992) was an American television producer who specialized in game shows, most frequently with his business partner Bill Todman, with whom he created Goodson-Todman Productions.
Early life and ea ...
. The film won numerous awards at film festivals, including Best Film at
Chicago
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
; Ed Graczyk won for Best Screenplay at the Belgium International event.
The playwright followed up ''Jimmy Dean'' with ''A Murder of Crows'', which opened at New York's South Side Theater in September 1988. In the early 1990s, he wrote a
one-man show
A solo performance, sometimes referred to as a one-man show, one-woman show, or one-person show, features a single person telling a story for an audience, typically for the purpose of entertainment. This type of performance comes in many varieti ...
with
Keith Carradine
Keith Ian Carradine ( ; born August 8, 1949) is an American actor. In film he is known for his roles as Tom Frank in Robert Altman's ''Nashville'', E. J. Bellocq in Louis Malle's ''Pretty Baby'', and Mickey in Alan Rudolph's '' Choose Me.'' ...
entitled ''My Time Ain't Long''. By 2003, he was living in Ohio's
Miami Valley
The Miami Valley is the land area surrounding the Great Miami River in southwest Ohio, USA, and includes the Little Miami, Mad, and Stillwater rivers as well. Geographically, it includes Dayton, Springfield, Middletown, Hamilton, and other c ...
area and was still writing plays, although in his words, "There are currently several scripts running around in my computer looking for an exit." His most recent work, ''The Blue Moon Dancing'', premiered in
Dallas
Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...
on August 20, 2010.
Throughout his career, Graczyk has also served as a theater designer and administrator. He has worked with various institutions such as the Hartford Stage Company and the
Erie Playhouse
Erie Playhouse is a historic theatre located in Erie, Pennsylvania.
History
The Erie Playhouse was established as the "Peoples Theatre" by 1882, and was incorporated as the Erie Civic Theatre Association in 1916.
The troupe performed at the H ...
.
Selected works
See also
*
List of playwrights from the United States
Notable playwrights from the United States include:
18th century
19th century
20th century
21st century
See also
* Theater of the United States
* List of American plays
* List of playwrights
* List of playwrights by national ...