Reinaldo Povod (1960 - July 30, 1994

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Kings County is the most populous Administrative divisions of New York (state)#County, county in the State of New York, ...

) was 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 ...

Life

Reinaldo Povod, known to his friends as Rei (Ray) grew up on the

Lower East Side The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal to Houston streets. Traditionally ...

. The son of a Puerto Rican mother and a Cuban father of

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

descent. In 1977, his play ''Cries and Shouts'' played at the

Nuyorican Poets Café The Nuyorican (Puerto Rican New Yorkers) Poets Cafe is a nonprofit organization in Alphabet City, on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. It is a bastion of the Nuyorican art movement in New York City, and has become a forum for poetry, music, hip ...

, where Mr. Povod was a protege of

Miguel Piñero Miguel Piñero (December 19, 1946 – June 16, 1988) was a playwright, actor and co-founder of the Nuyorican Poets Café. He was a leading member of the Nuyorican literary movement. Early years Piñero was born on December 19, 1946, in Gur ...

. Bill Hart brought Mr. Povod to the attention of

Joseph Papp Joseph Papp (born Joseph Papirofsky; June 22, 1921 – October 31, 1991) was an American theatrical producer and director. He established The Public Theater in what had been the Astor Library Building in Lower Manhattan. There Papp created a y ...

, who invited him to become a resident playwright at the

Public Theater The Public Theater is a New York City arts organization founded as the Shakespeare Workshop in 1954 by Joseph Papp, with the intention of showcasing the works of up-and-coming playwrights and performers.Epstein, Helen. ''Joe Papp: An American L ...

. In 1986, ''Cuba and His Teddy Bear'' opened on

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 ...

, with

Robert De Niro Robert Anthony De Niro Jr. ( , ; born August 17, 1943) is an American actor. Known for his collaborations with Martin Scorsese, he is considered to be one of the best actors of his generation. De Niro is the recipient of various accolades ...

in the lead, for which Mr. Povod received the George Oppenheimer/Newsday Award (The Oppy). In 2009, ''Cuba and His Teddy Bear'' received its Chicago premiere by the Urban Theater Company and People's Theater of Chicago. Reinaldo Povod co-authored the play ''Super Fishbowl Sunday'' with longtime friend and collaborator Richard Barbour, which was produced in 2001 at the Krane Theater in Manhattan, directed by Mr. Barbour. The play ''Super Fishbowl Sunday'' has since been adapted into a screenplay by Richard Barbour and Joseph Barbour and is in pre-production at Bergen Street Ent. Mr. Povod died at the age of 34 from TB and complications from AIDS.

Awards

* 1987 Whiting Award

Works

* ''Cries and Shouts'' * * * ''Nijinsky Choked His Chicken'', 1987 * ''Poppa Dio!'' * ''South of Tomorrow'' * Super Fishbowl Sunday * A Brownsville Archipelago * Miami Vice "Everybody's in Showbiz"

References

External links

"REINALDO POVOD ", ''doollee''"Cuba & His Teddy Bear", ''IBDB''
*
Whiting Foundation Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Povod, Reinaldo Writers from New York City American people of Cuban descent American people of Puerto Rican descent American people of Russian descent 1960 births 1994 deaths 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights