Jonathan L. Alper (September 14, 1950 – December 3, 1990) was an American actor and theatre director. He graduated from

Amherst College Amherst College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. Founded in 1821 as an attempt to relocate Williams College by its then-president Zephaniah Swift Moore, Amherst is the third oldest institution of higher educatio ...

in 1971. He made his acting debut in ''

The Madness of God ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...

'' in 1974. Alper served as literary manager for the Folger Theatre from 1975 through 1978. In 1979, Alper directed and acted in a tour of ''

The Romance of Shakespeare ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...

''. Jonathan Alper died in 1990 of

AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...

-related causes.

Biography

Jonathan Alper was born in Washington, D.C. on September 14, 1950. He was the son of Jerome M. Alper and Janet Alper (''nee'' Levy). He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from

in 1971 and trained for the stage at the Webber-Douglas Academy in London. On December 3, 1990, Jonathan Alper died of

-related causes at the age of 40 at the Lenox Hill Hospital.

Theatrical career

Jonathan Alper made his professional acting debut in June 1974 in ''

'' at the Arena Stage in his hometown of Washington, D.C.. He served as director and literary manager at the Folger Theatre from 1975 through 1978. While working with the Folger Theatre Group, Alper directed '' The Comedy of Errors'', ''

All's Well That Ends Well ''All's Well That Ends Well'' is a play by William Shakespeare, published in the ''First Folio'' in 1623, where it is listed among the comedies. There is a debate regarding the dating of the composition of the play, with possible dates rangin ...

'', '' Black Elk Speaks'', '' Much Ado About Nothing'', ''

Teeth 'n' Smiles ''Teeth 'n' Smiles'' is a musical play written by David Hare. Performances The play was first performed at the Royal Court Theatre on 2 September 1975. It was subsequently revived at Wyndhams Theatre in May 1976 (directed by the playwright), ...

'', and '' Hamlet''. In 1978, Alper directed '' Safe House'' at the Manhattan Theatre Club, a production which won an

Obie Award The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards originally given by ''The Village Voice'' newspaper to theatre artists and groups in New York City. In September 2014, the awards were jointly presented and administered with the A ...

. In 1979, Alper directed and appeared in a U.S. tour of ''

''. That year he also directed '' Fishing'' at the Actors' Collective in New York and ''

The Eccentricities of a Nightingale ''Summer and Smoke'' is a two-part, thirteen-scene play by Tennessee Williams, completed in 1948. He began working on the play in 1945 as ''Chart of Anatomy'', derived from his short stories "Oriflamme" and the then-work-in-progress "Yellow Bir ...

'' at the Bergen Stage in New Jersey. Alper became literary manager at the Manhattan Theatre Club in 1980. He then became an artistic associate there in 1984. Throughout the 1980s, Alper developed and presented new plays by British and American playwrights, including the New York premieres of works by Brian Friel, Terrence McNally and

Beth Henley Elizabeth Becker Henley (born May 8, 1952) is an American playwright, screenwriter, and actress. Her play ''Crimes of the Heart'' won the 1981 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the 1981 New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best American Play, and a ...

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alper, Jonathan 1950 births 1990 deaths American theatre directors Amherst College alumni