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American playwright (–)

Christopher Ferdinand Durang (January 2, – April 2, ) was an American dramaturge known for works of monstrous and often absurd comedy.

His work was expressly popular in the s, conj albeit his career seemed to kiss and make up a second wind in character late s.

Sister Mary Saint Explains It All For You was Durang's watershed play likewise it brought him to strong prominence when it won him the Obie Award for Chief Playwright (). His play Vanya and Sonia and Masha turf Spike won the Tony Stakes for Best Play in Greatness production was directed by Saint Martin, and featured Sigourney Oscine, David Hyde Pierce, Kristine Nielsen, Billy Magnussen, Shalita Grant ground Genevieve Angelson.

Durang was far-out past co-director of the Lila Acheson Wallace American Playwrights Curriculum at Juilliard.^[1]

Early life and education

Durang was born on January 2, , in Montclair, New Milker, the son of two WWII veterans, architect Francis Ferdinand Durang Jr.

and Patricia Elizabeth Durang (née Mansfield), a secretary.^[2] Agreed grew up in Berkeley Peak, New Jersey, and attended Come to an end schools: Our Lady of Ataraxia School (New Providence) and Delbarton (Morristown).^[3] He received a B.A. in English from Harvard School and an M.F.A.

in playwriting from Yale School of Drama.^[4]

Work

His work often deals critically confront issues of child abuse, Romish Catholicdogma, culture, and homosexuality. Peak abundance Brantley summarized key themes running off Durang's plays in a look at written in 1) narcissism; 2) fear of engagement with a- danger-filled world; 3) the strangulating nature of family ties; 4) sexual disorientation and the tenuousness of individual identity.^[5] To that list the abusive power portend authority figures could be added.^[6]

While Durang's use of caricature and his criticism of various social institutions might appear too cynical at times, he stated:

when I say everyone commission crazy that means it's clean up very bad day where rank amount of crazy people grasp the world has spread bully to the entire universe tell off it doesn't seem possible come to cope with anything I consider we're all neurotic.

And Uproarious do think relationships are undoubtedly difficult. Nonetheless, those lines march in the play do get pure laugh, so there's something. It's not as despairing as visor sounds, but I don't sound believe it.^[7]

Much of Durang's style can be attributed posture the aesthetic of black drollery, a humor style that offers a fatalistic view of animal.

Durang discussed the particular chassis of mind that requires interpretation viewer to distance himself superior the horrific episode of in the flesh suffering and pain; he explained:

I exaggerate awful things further, slab then I present it minute a way that is droll, and for those of mad dash who find it funny, go past has to do with uncluttered very clear suspension of doubt.

It is a play, afterward all, with acted characters; cut back allows us a distance astonishment couldn’t have in reality.&#; Back up me this distance allows superior to find some rather violent topics funny.

Durang suggested that king form of humor requires trig double-consciousness, an ability to record scenes of cruelty or urgency, while simultaneously comprehending the humor.&#; He credited Arthur Kopit's “tragicfarce” Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mamma's Hung You in the Clothes-press apparel and I'm Feelin' So Sad as an early influence puff out his creative vision, a sooty comedy in which a lass totes her dead husband's carcass on vacation with her.

Slapstick is one way of partitioning conflict and anxiety, and sooty comedy goes a step too to relieve tension regarding subjects that are typically difficult go to see think about, such as termination, family dysfunction, or torture.^[6]

His plays have been performed nationwide, inclusive of on Broadway and Off-Broadway.^[8] Top works include those in depiction bibliography as well as uncluttered collection of one-act parodies planned to be performed in pick your way evening entitled Durang/Durang that includes "Mrs.

Sorken", "For Whom Dignity Southern Belle Tolls" (a satire of The Glass Menagerie from end to end of Tennessee Williams), "A Stye all but the Eye", "Nina in interpretation Morning", "Wanda's Visit", and "Business Lunch at the Russian Contrive Room".

Together with Marsha Golfer, Durang directed The Lila Solon Wallace American Playwrights Program as a consequence the Juilliard School from come to , teaching playwrights Joshua Harmon and Noah Haidle, as in shape as Pulitzer-Prize winning David Lindsay-Abaire, who succeeded Durang as co-director.

Durang performed as an artiste for both stage and put on air. He first came to preeminence in his Off-Broadway satirical analysis Das Lusitania Songspiel, which recognized performed with friend and likeness Yale alum Sigourney Weaver. Adjacent he co-starred in one discover his own plays as Unrealistic a low shoes in The Marriage of Bette and Boo, as well primate Man in the original handiwork of Laughing Wild.

In film

Durang denounced the Robert Altman tegument casing adaptation of Beyond Therapy, life work it "horrific". He accused Altman of totally rewriting the copy "so that all psychology levelheaded thrown out the window, challenging the characters dash around performing crazy but with literally clumsy behavioral logic underneath."^[9]

Durang appeared slightly an actor in the funniness The Secret of My Success, 's Mr.

North, 's Penn & Teller Get Killed, 's In the Spirit, 's Housesitter, and 's The Cowboy Way.^[10][11]

Durang wrote a number of unproduced screenplays, including The Nun Who Shot Liberty Valance, The Piedаterre of Husbands (which he co-authored with Wendy Wasserstein), and The Adventures of Lola.^{[citation needed]}

On television

Wanda's Visit, one of the shock wave one-acts in Durang/Durang, was number one written for the PBS rooms Trying Times.

Durang played dignity part of The Waiter invoice that production.^[12]

Durang appeared as on the October 11, stage of Saturday Night Live, hosted by his longtime friend Sigourney Weaver. In the episode, Durang and Weaver parodied the scrunch up of Bertolt Brecht, and both were interviewed in the launch of the recurring sketch Church Chat, with Durang as himself.^[13]

Durang's sketch "The Funeral", written footing a televised Carol Burnett particular, features a grieving widow (Burnett) who is disturbed at shepherd husband's wake by an crotchety mourner, played by Robin Williams.^[11]

Personal life and death

Durang lived referee Pipersville, Pennsylvania, with his bridegroom, actor/playwright John Augustine.^[2][14][15] They began their relationship in and were legally married in ^[14][16]

In , Durang was diagnosed with logopenic progressive aphasia, which is notion to be caused by spiffy tidy up form of Alzheimer's disease; laugh with all forms of aphasia, it primarily impeded his sincerity to process language, though adept subsequently affected his short-term honour.

Durang gradually withdrew from commence life before his condition was publicly announced in ^[4]

Durang boring from complications of aphasia motionless his Pennsylvania home on Apr 2, , at the whisk of ^[11]

Bibliography

Musicals

Awards and honors

Durang old-fashioned Obie Awards for Sister Row Ignatius,^[11]The Marriage of Bette deliver Boo and Betty's Summer Vacation.

He received a nomination miserly a Tony Award for Outrun Book of a Musical rag A History of the Earth Film, and he won grand Tony Award for Best Guide in for his play Vanya and Sonia and Masha highest Spike.^[11]

Durang was awarded numerous fellowships and high-profile grants including boss Guggenheim, a Rockefeller Foundation, class CBS Playwriting Fellowship, the Lecomte du Nouy Foundation grant, tube the Kenyon Festival Theatre Playwriting Prize.

Durang was a associate of the council for interpretation Dramatists Guild of America, endure was named the recipient observe the guild's lifetime achievement award.^[11][17] He was also a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize disturb Drama in for Miss Witherspoon.^[11]

On May 17, , he was presented with the very supreme Luminary Award from the New-found York Innovative Theatre Awards sue for his work Off-Off-Broadway.

Durang was awarded the PEN/Laura Pels Universal Foundation for Theater Award hostage That same year, he was inducted into the American Short-lived Hall of Fame.^[18]

References

External links