Linda Chambers is an American

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), lit ...

and college instructor living and working in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; ...

Career

Linda Chambers first began serious writing after becoming involved with

Corner Theatre ETC Corner Theatre E.T.C. (Corner Theatre) was an experimental theater located in Baltimore, Maryland, existing from 1968 to 1987 as a nonprofit cultural organization. The theater provided resources for new playwrights, designers, directors, actors, ...

, an

experimental theatre Experimental theatre (also known as avant-garde theatre), inspired largely by Wagner's concept of Gesamtkunstwerk, began in Western theatre in the late 19th century with Alfred Jarry and his Ubu plays as a rejection of both the age in particular ...

located in Baltimore. Although her first work at Corner was as an actress - she appeared in the lead role of

Steve Yeager Stephen Wayne Yeager (born November 24, 1948) is an American former professional baseball catcher. Yeager spent 14 of the 15 seasons of his Major League Baseball career, from 1972 through 1985, with the Los Angeles Dodgers. His last year, 1986, h ...

's acclaimed 1976 production of ''Marguerite,'' written by C. Richard Gillespie - she became increasing drawn into a circle of playwrights whose work was being produced there. In 1981, Chambers moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

with the intention of pursuing a professional theatrical career. In 1982, an evening of three one-act plays written by Chambers was presented off-Broadway at the Cubiculo Theatre under the direction of

Brad Mays Brad Mays (born May 30, 1955) is an independent filmmaker and stage director, living and working in Los Angeles, California. Background and education Mays was raised in the Edinburg section of West Windsor Township, New Jersey, attending the ...

: ''Requiem,'' a fictionalized drama about Irish hunger striker

Bobby Sands Robert Gerard Sands ( ga, Roibeárd Gearóid Ó Seachnasaigh; 9 March 1954 – 5 May 1981) was a member (and leader in the Maze prison) of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) who died on hunger strike while imprisoned at HM Prison Maz ...

, ''Joan,'' a short meditation on

Joan of Arc Joan of Arc (french: link=yes, Jeanne d'Arc, translit= �an daʁk} ; 1412 – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the corona ...

, and ''Stones,'' a two character piece of religious allegory. In 1983, Ms. Chambers appeared in the off-Broadway production of ''The Water Hen,'' written by

Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz (; 24 February 188518 September 1939), commonly known as Witkacy, was a Polish writer, painter, philosopher, theorist, playwright, novelist, and photographer active before World War I and during the interwar period. ...

also directed by Mays. Theatre critic Mark Matusek praised Ms. Chamber's performance for oozing "seedy pulchritude." Joan - Rain Pryor - Saints Beckoning

Later that year, Ms. Chambers' play ''Requiem'' was picked by the Maryland Center for Public Broadcasting for a series of 30 minute television dramas written by Maryland playwrights. In 1985, Chambers' full-length play ''Avalon'' was produced at New York's Theatre 22, under the direction of Nancy Powichroski. The independent feature film ''On The Block'' was released in 1990. Directed by Steve Yeager, the film was co-written by Yeager and Chambers, and featured Baltimore native

Howard Rollins Howard Ellsworth Rollins Jr. (October 17, 1950 – December 8, 1996) was an American stage, film, and television actor. Howard Rollins was best known for his role as Andrew Young in 1978's ''King'', George Haley in the 1979 miniseries '' Roots: T ...

in a special supporting role. In 1993, an expanded full length version of ''Joan'' was produced in Los Angeles, starring

Rain Pryor Rain Pryor is an American actress and comedian. Her television credits include sitcoms ''Head of the Class'' and '' Rude Awakening''. She is the daughter of comedian Richard Pryor. Early life Pryor was born in Los Angeles, California, the daugh ...

in the role of Joan of Arc.

Notes and references

External links

* *Lincoln Center's Museum & Library of the Performing Arts permanent archiv
The Water Hen
* http://issuu.com/j.broder/docs/elephant_nova {{DEFAULTSORT:Chambers, Linda Living people 1954 births 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights