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Richard Vetere (born January 15, 1952, in New York City) is an American
playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes play (theatre), plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between Character (arts), characters and is intended for Theatre, theatrical performance rather than just Readin ...
,
screenwriter A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...
,
television writer A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...
,
poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...
and
actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...
.


Career

Born in 1952, Vetere grew up in
Maspeth, Queens Maspeth is a residential and commercial community in the Borough (New York City), borough of Queens in New York City. It was founded in the early 17th century by Dutch and English settlers. Neighborhoods sharing borders with Maspeth are Woodside ...
, a setting that appears in a number of his plays. He graduated from
Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...
with a master's degree in Comparative Literature and has written and published various books on poetry of which include ''Memories of Human Hands'' and ''A Dream of Angels''. Vetere's plays have been produced
Off Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...
, regionally and internationally, such as ''The Engagement'', ''Coupla Bimbos Sittin' Around Talkin'', ''Gangster Apparel'', ''Caravaggio'', ''Machiavelli'', and ''One Shot, One Kill'' and all have been published by Dramatic Publishing. In 1983 his play ''Rockaway Boulevard'' was reviewed by Michiko Kakutani in ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' and she wrote,"Vetere demonstrates the ability to mix the poetic with the colloquial." In 1983, Vetere's screenplay ''Vigilante'' was made into a feature film starring
Robert Forster Robert Wallace Foster Jr. (July 13, 1941 – October 11, 2019), known professionally as Robert Forster, was an American actor. He made his screen debut as Private L.G. Williams in John Huston's '' Reflections in a Golden Eye'' (1967), followed ...
and Carol Lynley and was the 20th grossing film for that year. In 1994, his play ''Hale the Hero!'' was aired on television by A&E General Motors Plays' Theater Series, starring
Elisabeth Shue Elisabeth Shue (born October 6, 1963) is an American actress. She has starred in films such as '' The Karate Kid'' (1984), '' Adventures in Babysitting'' (1987), ''Cocktail'' (1988), ''Back to the Future Part II'' (1989), '' Back to the Future P ...
and Kevin Anderson with an introduction by
Lauren Bacall Betty Joan Perske (September 16, 1924 – August 12, 2014), professionally known as Lauren Bacall ( ), was an American actress. She was named the AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars, 20th-greatest female star of classic Hollywood cinema by the America ...
Vetere's Off Broadway production of ''The Marriage Fool'' was made into a CBS television movie starring Walter Matthau,
Carol Burnett Carol Creighton Burnett (born April 26, 1933) is an American comedian, actress, singer and writer. Burnett has played dramatic and comedic roles on stage and screen. She has received List of awards and nominations received by Carol Burnett, nu ...
, John Stamos, and Teri Polo and it was the highest rated TV movie in 1998. Then released in Europe under the title of ''Love After Death'' in 2004. Veter's Off Broadway production of ''How To Go On A Date In Queens'' was made into a movie with a cast of comedic actors such as:
Jason Alexander Jay Scott Greenspan (born September 23, 1959), known professionally as Jason Alexander, is an American actor and comedian. Over the course of his career he has received an Emmy Award and a Tony Award as well as nominations for four Golden Globe ...
, Kimberly Willams,
Ron Perlman Ronald N. Perlman (born April 13, 1950) is an American actor. His credits include the roles of Amoukar in ''Quest for Fire (film), Quest for Fire'' (1981), Salvatore in ''The Name of the Rose (film), The Name of the Rose'' (1986), Vincent in th ...
, and Rob Estes. Vetere has written for various TV series including ''Delaventura'' for CBS starring
Danny Aiello Daniel Louis Aiello Jr. () (June 20, 1933 – December 12, 2019) was an American actor. He appeared in numerous motion pictures, including ''The Godfather Part II'' (1974), ''The Front'' (1976), ''Once Upon a Time in America'' (1984), ''Hide in ...
, also as Story Editor on''Threat Matrix'' for ABC and
Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
, and sold a TV pilot ''The Wonder'' to CBS with Executive Producer
George Clooney George Timothy Clooney (born May 6, 1961) is an American actor, filmmaker, and philanthropist. Known for his leading man roles on screen in both blockbuster and independent films, Clooney has received numerous accolades, including two Ac ...
. His novel ''The Third Miracle'' was published in hardcover in 1997 by Carroll & Graf and in paperback by
Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster LLC (, ) is an American publishing house owned by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts since 2023. It was founded in New York City in 1924, by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. Along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group US ...
and was translated into several languages. The novel was selected for The Book of The Month Club in Spain and Poland. Followed by a film produced by
Francis Ford Coppola Francis Ford Coppola ( ; born April 7, 1939) is an American filmmaker. He is considered one of the leading figures of the New Hollywood and one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. List of awards and nominations received by Francis Ford Coppo ...
, directed by Agnieska Holland, starring
Ed Harris Edward Allen Harris (born November 28, 1950) is an American actor and filmmaker. His performances in '' Apollo 13'' (1995), '' The Truman Show'' (1998), '' Pollock'' (2000), and '' The Hours'' (2002) earned him critical acclaim and Academy Awa ...
and
Anne Heche Anne Celeste Heche ( ; May 25, 1969August 11, 2022) was an American actress, known for her roles across a variety of genres in film, television, and theater. She was the recipient of Daytime Emmy, National Board of Review, and GLAAD Media Awards ...
, released in April 2000. In 2008 ''The Third Miracle'' was presented at the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York City, highlighting Agnieszka Holland's body of directorial work. Vetere has been a long-time member of the New York Playwrights Lab founded by
Israel Horovitz Israel Horovitz (March 31, 1939 – November 9, 2020) was an American playwright, director, actor and co-founder of the Gloucester Stage Company in 1979. He served as artistic director until 2006 and later served on the board, ex officio and ...
in 1975. Horovitz quoted in the ''
Newsday ''Newsday'' is a daily newspaper in the United States primarily serving Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, although it is also sold throughout the New York metropolitan area. The slogan of the newspaper is "Newsday, Your Eye on LI" ...
'' that, "Vetere is a man with a writer's soul." Vetere's professional teaching credits include NYU ''(A Master's Screenwriting)'',
Queens College Queens College (QC) is a public college in the New York City borough of Queens. Part of the City University of New York system, Queens College occupies an campus primarily located in Flushing. Queens College was established in 1937 and offe ...
and
Montclair State Montclair State University (MSU) is a Public university, public research university in Montclair, New Jersey, with parts of the campus extending into Clifton, New Jersey, Clifton and into Little Falls, New Jersey, Little Falls. As of fall 2018, ...
''(An Introduction to Screenwriting)'', and created a playwright's class at The Lang College at
The New School The New School is a Private university, private research university in New York City. It was founded in 1919 as The New School for Social Research with an original mission dedicated to academic freedom and intellectual inquiry and a home for p ...
, along with participating in the Mentoring Program at
Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...
. In 2005,
Stony Brook University Stony Brook University (SBU), officially the State University of New York at Stony Brook, is a public university, public research university in Stony Brook, New York, United States, on Long Island. Along with the University at Buffalo, it is on ...
archived Vetere's works and letters from 1967 until 2001. In October 2007, Vetere's musical ''Be My Love: The Mario Lanza Story'', about the life of singer
Mario Lanza Mario Lanza ( , ; born Alfredo Arnold Cocozza ; January 31, 1921 – October 7, 1959) was an American tenor and actor. He was a Hollywood film star popular in the late 1940s and the 1950s. Lanza began studying to be a professional singer a ...
, premiered at The Tilles Center for the Performing Arts in Greenvale, NY. It was directed by Charles Messina and produced by Sonny Grosso and Phil Ramone. In 2012, Richard Vetere was elected to the Writers Guild of America East as a Freelance Council Seat member and made a Lifetime Member of the WGA East. His third volume of poetry ''The Other Colors in a Snow Storm'' was just published by Bordighera Press. His new play ''Last Day'' was produced at Gloucester Stage and his play ''Caravaggio'' was translated into Italian and produced in Rome, Porto Ercole and Capri. His young adult play ''Bird Brain'' was recently published and he performed his one-person story-telling ''Love the Night'' at DR Lounge. He also was artist in residence at ''Culture Project'' in the summer of 2012 for ''IMPACT 2012''. He wrote a book, ''The Writers Afterlife'', that was published by Three Rooms Press in 2014. His play The Kids Menu made into a movie starring Vincent Pastore. His new novel is ''Champagne and Cocaine'', published by Three Rooms Press, and set in NYC in 1981.


References


External links


Richard Vetere Collection
at
Stony Brook University Stony Brook University (SBU), officially the State University of New York at Stony Brook, is a public university, public research university in Stony Brook, New York, United States, on Long Island. Along with the University at Buffalo, it is on ...

Notice for "An Evening with Richard Vetere"
at the
City University of New York The City University of New York (CUNY, pronounced , ) is the Public university, public university system of Education in New York City, New York City. It is the largest urban university system in the United States, comprising 25 campuses: eleven ...
, 2007 * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vetere, Richard 1952 births Living people 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni People from Maspeth, Queens Writers from Queens, New York Novelists from New York (state) 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American dramatists and playwrights 21st-century American novelists American male dramatists and playwrights American male novelists 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American male writers