Paul Roose-Evans Foster (October 15, 1931 – March 5, 2021) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

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 ...

, theater director, and

producer Producer or producers may refer to: Occupations *Producer (agriculture), a farm operator *A stakeholder of economic production *Film producer, supervises the making of films **Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...

born in

Penns Grove, New Jersey Penns Grove is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Salem County, New Jersey, Salem County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States census, the borough's population was 5,147,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 the ...

Early life

Foster studied journalism at Rutgers University then moved to Manhattan at the age of 21 to study law at New York University School of Law. After serving in the Navy for two years, Foster developed an interest in theatre. While living in New York, he met Ellen Stewart, a fashion designer planning to open her own boutique. In 1962, Foster agreed to help Stewart with her boutique in exchange for using the basement space as a theater in the evenings. "...Stewart's enthusiasm for the theater project quickly eclipsed her own initial idea for the boutique", and La MaMa was born. The theater moved around Manhattan's East Village multiple times before settling into its current space at 74A East Fourth Street in 1969.

Career

Foster has written eighteen plays, including ''Elizabeth I'' and ''Satyricon'' (1972), as well as the libretto and lyrics for the musical ''Silver Queen Saloon'' (1978). Fourteen books of his plays have been published. Foster has won numerous awards, including

Rockefeller Rockefeller is a German surname, originally given to people from the village of Rockenfeld near Neuwied in the Rhineland and commonly referring to subjects associated with the Rockefeller family. It may refer to: People with the name Rockefeller fa ...

and

Guggenheim Fellowship Guggenheim Fellowships are grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the ar ...

s, National Endowment for the Arts, and a British Arts Council Award.

Selected works and credits

* ''Before Breakfast'' (1962; La MaMa) * ''Hurrah for the Bridge'' (1963, 1965; La MaMa) * ''The Recluse'' (1964; La MaMa) * ''Que Viva El Puente'' (1964; La MaMa) * ''Balls'' (1964, 1966; La MaMa) * ''The Recluse'' (1965; La MaMa) * ''Balm in Gilead'' (1965; La MaMa; written by Lanford Wilson and directed by Marshall W. Mason; Foster on tech) * ''The Madonna in the Orchard'' (1965, 1966; La MaMa; written by Foster, directed by Tom O'Horgan) * ''The Hessian Corporal'' (1966; La MaMa; written by Foster, directed by Tom O'Horgan) * ''Tom Paine (Part 1)'' (1967; La MaMa; written by Foster, directed by Tom O'Horgan) * ''Dead And Buried'' (1967) * ''Heimskringla! or The Stoned Angels'' (1968; National Educational Television) * ''Four Noh Plays by Tom Eyen'' (1969; La MaMa; written and directed by Tom Eyen; presented as part of Ruth Yorck Golden Series) * ''Sprint Orgasmics'' (1969; La MaMa) * ''Caution: A Love Story'' (1969; La MaMa) * ''Heimskringla'' (1970; La MaMa) * ''La Reclusa'' (1970; La MaMa) * ''La MaMa Christmas Show'' (1971; La MaMa; directed by

Robert Patrick Robert Hammond Patrick (born November 5, 1958) is an American actor. Known for portraying villains and honorable authority figures, he is a Saturn Award winner with four other nominations. Patrick dropped out of college when drama class sparked ...

) * ''Satyricon'' (1972; La MaMa; written by Foster, performed by John Vaccaro's

Playhouse of the Ridiculous Theatre of the Ridiculous is a theatrical genre that began in New York City in the 1960s.Bottoms, Stephen J. Chapter 11: "The Play-House of the Ridiculous: Beyond Absurdity". ''Playing Underground: A Critical History of the 1960s Off-Off-Broadway M ...

) * ''Thoughts'' (1972; La MaMa) * ''Elizabeth I'' (1972) * ''Play-by-Play'' (1972; Christmas show; La MaMa; directed by

) * ''Silver Queen'' (1973; La MaMa; written by Foster, directed by

) * ''Rags To Riches To Rags'' (1974; La MaMa) * ''Marcus Brutus'' (1975) * ''Zainamoh'' (1976; La MaMa) * ''Da Nutcracker In Da Bronx'' (1977; La MaMa) * ''Silver Queen Saloon'' (1978; La MaMa) * ''Elisabeta I'' (1979; La MaMa; written by Foster, directed by Liviu Cielei) * ''A Kiss Is Just A Kiss'' (1980) * ''Hurrah for the Bridge'' (1981; La MaMa; written by Foster, directed by Tom O'Horgan)La MaMa Archives Digital Collections
"Production: 'Hurrah for the Bridge' (1981)"
Retrieved March 20, 2018. * ''Tom Paine'' (1983; La MaMa) * ''The Dark And Mr. Stone; Part 2, Murder in the Magnolias'' (1985; La MaMa) * ''Faith, Hope and Charity'' (1986) * ''As Straight as a Corkscrew'' (1995) * ''Kisses, Bites and Scratches'' (2010) * ''The Kleenex Planet'' (date unknown)

References

External links

on doollee.com
Foster's page on La MaMa Archives Digital Collections

Video interview with Foster on Primary Stages Off-Broadway Oral History Project (2015)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Foster, Paul 1931 births 2021 deaths American theatre directors American theatre managers and producers People from Penns Grove, New Jersey 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights Grammy Award winners Members of the American Academy of Arts and Letters Writers from New Jersey Writers from New York (state)