Meryl F. Vladimer (1951-2022) was an artist, theatrical producer and political activist. Born in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, Vladimer began her career as a noted and critically reviewed

sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable ...

, and was featured on the cover of Artforum Magazine. Disenchanted by the art world, by the late 80's she left art for Multi-Media Design where she worked for Fannon and Osmond, Doug Mesney and the fifth Bartok and Staging Techniques. Still not satisfied artistically she left corporate Audio-Visual to do multi-media design for theater, working first at

Theater for the New City Theater for the New City, founded in 1971 and known familiarly as "TNC", is one of New York City's leading off-off-Broadway theaters, known for radical political plays and community commitment. Productions at TNC have won 43 Obie Awards and the ...

and later at

La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club (La MaMa E.T.C.) is an Off-Off-Broadway theatre founded in 1961 by Ellen Stewart, African-American theatre director, producer, and fashion designer. Located in Manhattan's East Village, the theatre began in th ...

where she tried a variety of fields including stage management. This lead her to

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

to stage manage "Haarlem Nocturne" a musical review created by

André DeShields André — sometimes transliterated as Andre — is the French and Portuguese form of the name Andrew, and is now also used in the English-speaking world. It used in France, Quebec, Canada and other French-speaking countries. It is a variation o ...

and arranged and composed by

Marc Shaiman Marc Shaiman (; born October 22, 1959) is an American composer and lyricist for films, television, and theatre, best known for his collaborations with lyricist and director Scott Wittman. He wrote the music and co-wrote the lyrics for the Br ...

. Returning to La MaMa, she resumed stage managing "The Club" cabaret theater created by

Ellen Stewart Ellen Stewart (November 7, 1919 – January 13, 2011) was an American theatre director and producer and the founder of La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club. During the 1950s she worked as a fashion designer for Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodma ...

in the style of the original La MaMa Theater, where one was required to become a member. Working there for several years, first under the direction of Rick Richardson and then Liz Dunn, Vladimer received the artistic directorship of The Club upon Dunn's departure. In 1990 while she was artistic director of The Club, Meryl was approached by

, Founder and Artistic Director of La MaMa E.T.C., and asked if she would join the management staff as associate director of the entire complex after the departure of Wickie Boyle; she accepted. From 1990 to her departure in 1998, she worked tirelessly for La MaMa E.T.C. Through creative fundraising and critical and commercial success producing in The Club, she was able to reduce an over half a million dollar deficit from the previous administration to just over fifty thousand dollars. During her tenure as Artistic Director of The Club at La MaMa she produced two OBIE Award and ten

Bessie Award The New York Dance and Performance Awards, also known as the Bessie Awards, are awarded annually for exceptional achievement by independent dance artists presenting their work in New York City. The broad categories of the awards are: choreography, ...

winning productions, including: *

Blue Man Group Blue Man Group is an American performance art company formed in 1987. It was purchased in July 2017 by the Canadian company Cirque du Soleil. Blue Man Group is known for its stage productions, which incorporate many kinds of music and art, b ...

"TUBES" - which, in the last 20 years, has garnered La MaMa E.T.C. over two million dollars in royalties from the Astor place and subsequent productions. * "Stump the Host", "Stitches", One Woman Shoe", "The Little Frieda Mysteries" - plays co-authored by

David Sedaris David Raymond Sedaris (; born December 26, 1956) is an American humorist, comedian, author, and radio contributor. He was publicly recognized in 1992 when National Public Radio broadcast his essay "Santaland Diaries.” He published his first co ...

and

Amy Sedaris Amy Louise Sedaris (; born March 29, 1961) is an American actress, comedian, and writer. Most recently, she has appeared in both '' The Mandalorian'' (2019–2020) and '' The Book of Boba Fett'' (2022) as Peli Motto. She played Jerri Blank in the ...

under the name "The Talent Family". * "The Hospital", "The Haunted Mansion" - works written and created by composer John Moran * "Champagne" Written and created by

Jackie Curtis Jackie Curtis (February 19, 1947 – May 15, 1985) was an American actress, writer, singer, and Warhol superstar. Early life and career Jackie Curtis was born in New York City to John Holder and Jenevive Uglialoro. She had one sibling, half-b ...

*"Lesbians who Kill," written by

Deb Margolin Deb Margolin is an American performance artist and playwright. She came to prominence in the 1980s in the feminist political theatre troupe Split Britches, which she co-founded with Lois Weaver and Peggy Shaw. Margolin has since created a string ...

in collaboration with

Peggy Shaw Peggy Shaw (born July 27, 1944) is an actor, writer, and producer living in New York City. She is a founding member of the Split Britches and WOW Cafe Theatre, and is a recipient of several Obie Awards, including two for Best Actress for he ...

and

Lois Weaver Lois Weaver (born 1949, Roanoke, Virginia) is a Guggenheim-winning artist, activist, writer, director, and Professor of Contemporary Performance at Queen Mary University of London. She is currently a Wellcome Trust Fellow in Engaging Science. ...

, and "You're Just like My Father", written and created by "Split Britches" Peggy Shaw and Lois Weaver. *"Belle Reprieve" written and created by "Split Britches" Peggy Shaw and Lois Weaver in collaboration with "BLOOLIPS"

Bette Bourne Bette Bourne (born Peter Bourne, 22 September 1939) is a British actor, drag queen, campaigner, and activist. His theatrical career has spanned six decades. He came to prominence in the mid-1970s onwards after joining the New York-based alterna ...

and Paul Shaw *Invitation to the beginning of the end of the world" and Based on a True Story" written and created by

Penny Arcade (performer) Penny Arcade (born Susana Carmen Ventura, July 15, 1950) is an American performance artist, actress, and playwright based in New York City. She is known for her comedic wit, forthright delivery, and stage presence. Her performances explore topics ...

*"Triplets in Uniform" book and lyrics by Jeffrey Essmann music by

Michael John LaChiusa Michael John LaChiusa (born July 24, 1962) is an American musical theatre and opera composer, lyricist, and librettist. He is best known for musically esoteric shows such as '' Hello Again'', '' Marie Christine'', '' The Wild Party'', and '' Se ...

*"Black Water" - created and choreographed by Alice Farley

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vladimer, Meryl American theatre managers and producers People from Brooklyn Living people 1950s births Date of birth missing (living people) Artists from New York City Activists from New York (state) Sculptors from New York (state)