Henry Murray (May 30, 1948 – December 16, 2014) was an American

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 ...

who lived in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, California. He is survived by his husban
Lewin Wertheimer.

Early life

Born Henry Darwin Murray, Jr. in New Castle Delaware, he studied theatre at

Middle Tennessee State University Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU or MT) is a Public university, public research university in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Founded in 1911 as a normal school, the university consists of eight Undergraduate education, undergraduate colleges as ...

. He was hired by

Nashville Children's Theatre Nashville Children's Theatre (NCT) is one of the oldest continually operating professional children's theatre company in America. It is a member of the Theatre for Young Audiences, the ASSITEJ, and is affiliated with the Actors' Equity Associati ...

as an actor and teacher of dance and mime. He was also a founding member of Nashville's Ensemble Theatre Company.

Career

Murray's first performed play, ''The Skeletal Remains of an American Indian by the Light of the Harvest Moon'', was presented at the Back Alley Theatre in Los Angeles. It starred James Leo Herlihy, actor and author of the novel, ''

Midnight Cowboy ''Midnight Cowboy'' is a 1969 American drama film directed by John Schlesinger, adapted by Waldo Salt from the 1965 novel by James Leo Herlihy. The film stars Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight, with supporting roles played by Sylvia Miles, J ...

''. In 2009, award-winning

Rogue Machine Theatre Rogue Machine Theatre (RMT) is a Los Angeles based theatre company dedicated to the production of new plays and plays new to Los Angeles. They currently run a seven- to eight-month season at The Electric Lodge in Venice, having moved there after sev ...

produced and Artistic Director John Perrin Flynn directed Murray's play ''Treefall'' to great critical acclaim. It was named one of the ten best plays of the year by the ''

LA Weekly ''LA Weekly'' is a free weekly alternative newspaper in Los Angeles, California. The paper covers music, arts, film, theater, culture, and other local news in the Los Angeles area. ''LA Weekly'' was founded in 1978 by Jay Levin (among others), ...

'', is published by

Dramatists Play Service Dramatists Play Service is a theatrical-publishing and licensing house imprint of Broadway Licensing Global. Established in 1936 by members of the Dramatists Guild of America and the Society for Authors' Representatives, DPS publishes English-la ...

, and is being taught in the MFA playwriting classes at the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

. Also in 2009, Murray's play ''Monkey Adored'' was honored with a reading at The

Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, commonly known as the Kennedy Center, is the national cultural center of the United States, located on the eastern bank of the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. Opened on September 8, ...

's Page to Stage Festival. Subsequently, it was workshopped by The Inkwell Theater in

Washington, DC Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...

and in 2011 was produced at Rogue Machine Theatre in Los Angeles, with John Perrin Flynn directing. It received high praise critically, garnering a Critic's Pick from ''

Backstage Backstage may refer to: * Backstage (theatre), the areas of a theatre that are not part of the house or stage Film and television * ''Back Stage'' (1917 film), a silent film starring Oliver Hardy * ''Back Stage'' (1919 film), a silent film starri ...

'' and a "GO" from the LA Weekly. Based on Murray's short play ''Down For The Count'', which was a finalist for the

Heideman Award The Heideman Award is given each year to the winner of the National Ten-Minute Play Contest, a competition hosted by Actors Theatre of Louisville. The $1,000 cash prize award was established in 1979 by Louisville, Kentucky native Ted Heideman. Pa ...

, Murray's full length, ''Three Views of the Same Object'', won the 2011-2012 Woodward Newman Drama Prize. It premiered in April 2012 at The Bloomington Playwrights Project to critical accolades and sold-out houses. A Co-Premiere production opened in Los Angeles in Rogue Machine Theatre to rave reviews, including the LA Times "Critics Choice" and the LA Weekly's Pick of the Week. Henry Murray's writing is persistently experimental in form and tone, yet thematically returns to the tension between the isolation of the individual and need for connection.

Works

* ''The Skeletal Remains of an American Indian by the Light of The Harvest Moon'' (1982) * ''Snake Dances'' (1984) * ''The Hearing Trumpet'' (adaptation 2001) * ''Down For The Count'' (2006) * ''Treefall'' (2009) * ''Dog Is Dead'' (2010) * ''Monkey Adored'' (2011) * ''Three Views of the Same Object'' (2012)

References

External links

ProPlay: ''The Hearing Trumpet''
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Murray, Henry American dramatists and playwrights Middle Tennessee State University alumni Writers from Los Angeles 1948 births 2014 deaths