Stephen adly guirgis biography of abraham lincoln

American dramatist (born )

Stephen Adly Guirgis (born ) is an American playwright, screenwriter, director, and actor. He is a member and a former co-artistic director of New York City's LAByrinth Theater Company.^[1] His plays have been produced both Off-Broadway and on Broadway, as well as in the UK.

His play Between Riverside and Crazy won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

Early life

Born in in Kearny, New Jersey,^[2] Guirgis is the son of an Egyptian father and an Irish American mother.^[3] He was raised on New York City's Upper West Side. He attended school in nearby Harlem and graduated from the University at Albany, SUNY in ^[1][3] He studied theatre at HB Studio.^[4]

Career

Writing

Guirgis' play Between Riverside and Crazy premiered Off-Broadway at the Atlantic Theater Company in July and closed on August 23, ^[5] It then was produced by Second Stage Theatre, opening in previews on January 16, , officially on February 11, Directed by Austin Pendleton, the play featured Stephen McKinley Henderson.^[6] The play received a nomination for the Drama League Award, Outstanding Production of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Play.^[7] The play won the Outer Critics Circle Award, Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play.^[8] The play won the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play.^[9] The play won the Lucille Lortel Award, Outstanding Play.^[10]Artists Repertory Theatre, located in Portland, Oregon, staged Between Riverside and Crazy from March 4 to April 1, ^[11] The show had its Broadway debut with previews beginning December 1, , and opening on December 19,

His play The Motherfucker With the Hat was nominated for seven Tony Awards and premiered on Broadway in and featured Bobby Cannavale, Chris Rock, Elizabeth Rodriguez, Annabella Sciorra and Yul Vazquez.^[12] It was also performed in San Francisco at San Francisco Playhouse in January where it received positive reviews.^[13]

His award-winning recent play Halfway Bitches Go Straight To Heaven, directed by John Ortiz in in a LAByrinth Theater/Atlantic Theater co-production, features a cast of 18 plus a goat, and garnered Obie Awards for its two stars, Liza Colón-Zayas and Elizabeth Rodriguez.

The Little Flower of East Orange, starring Ellen Burstyn and directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman, was produced Off-Broadway by the LAByrinth Theater Company at The Public Theater, opening on April 6, , and closing on May 4, ^[14][15] The play was developed at the Manhattan Theatre Club's "6 7" series.^[16]

His play Our Lady of st Street ran originally in an Off-Broadway production by the LAByrinth Theater at Center Stage/NY and then transferred to the Union Square Theatre from March 6, , to July 27, The play was directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman.^[17] The play received: 10 best plays of ; Lucille Lortel, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Best Play nominations.^[18]

Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train, premiered Off-Broadway in a production by LAByrinth Theater Company in ^[19][20] It was produced in London at the Donmar Warehouse in ,^[21] and was nominated for the Olivier Award, Best New Play for ,^[22] as well as the Edinburgh Festival Fringe First Award.^{[citation needed]}

His play In Arabia We'd All Be Kings ran Off-Broadway in ^[23] A production at the Elephant Theatre Company in Hollywood, California in received four LA Drama Critic's Circle Awards: Production, Writing, Scenic Design and Lighting Design.^[24]

His play The Last Days of Judas Iscariot was produced Off-Broadway by LAByrinth at The Public Theatre in and was directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman,^[25][26] and was named one of the year's "10 best" plays by Time magazine and Entertainment Weekly.^{[citation needed]} The play completed a critically acclaimed run in London at the Almeida Theater on May 10, ^[27]

His one-act play, Dominica The Fat Ugly Ho, was directed by Adam Rapp as part of the E.S.T.

Marathon.^[28]

In film, Guirgis has contributed to the work of Halle Berry.

Television writing credits include NYPD Blue,^[27]David Milch's short-lived CBS drama Big Apple,^[1] and Shane Salerno's short-lived NBC series UC: Undercover. Guirgis collaborated with Academy Award nominated director Baz Luhrmann on The Get Down, a Netflix Series about the birth of hip-hop in the s.^[29]

Directing

He developed and directed Liza Colón-Zayas' play Sistah Supreme for Danny Hoch's Hip Hop Theater Festival in ^[30] Marco Greco's award-winning Behind the Counter with Mussolini at the York Theatre ( in New York)^[31] and Los Angeles ( and ),^[32] and directed Melanie Maras' Kiss Me on the Mouth for InViolet Rep in ^[33]

Acting

As an actor, Guirgis is currently a series regular portraying Frank Mariani on HBO's "Winning Time".

He appeared in Brett C. Leonard's stage play Guinea Pig Solo, produced by LAByrinth at The Public Theater in ^[34] He has had supporting roles in films such as Todd Solondz's Palindromes (),^[35] Brett C. Leonard's Jailbait (), and Kenneth Lonergan's Margaret ().^[36] Other credits include the Law & Order episode "Terminal" and films such as Meet Joe Black (),^[37]Blackbird (),^[38]Trainwreck: My Life as an Idiot (),^[39]Noise (),^[40]Synecdoche, New York (),^[41] and Philip Seymour Hoffman's directorial debut Jack Goes Boating ().

Controversy

In Guirgis was embroiled in a publicized debate with a small theater in San Francisco which had produced an edited version of The Last Days of Judas Iscariot.

Stephen adly guirgis biography of abraham lincoln author Arts Educational magazines Guirgis, Stephen Adly. Kearny, New Jersey , U. There was an old revival house in our neighborhood that used to show double features. June 12,

While Guirgis was displeased to learn that his play had been edited without his permission, in violation of the production's licensing contract, he was also sympathetic to the production's cast and crew and did not want to shut down the production as Dramatists Play Service recommended. He requested that the theater place inserts in the show programs explaining that the show was edited without his permission and against his wishes.

When Guirgis saw a copy of the program insert he requested, he deemed the insert unsuitable and had the production shut down. ^[42][43]

Personal life

Guirgis has used improvisational theater to "teach HIV/AIDS prevention, conflict resolution, and leadership" in prisons, schools, shelters, and hospitals.^[44] Guirgis was close professional and personal friends with late actor Philip Seymour Hoffman^[42] with whom he was a frequent collaborator.

Awards, nominations, and honors

Guirgis was awarded a PEN/Laura Pels Theater Award for a playwright in mid-career,^[45] a Whiting Award,^[46] and a TCG fellowship. He attended the Sundance Screenwriter's Lab, ^[47] and was named one of 's 25 New Faces of Independent Film by Filmmaker Magazine.

In , Guirgis was awarded the Steinberg Distinguished Playwright Award.

Guirgis is the recipient of new play commissions from Manhattan Theatre Club, Center Theater Group, and South Coast Repertory. He is a member of New Dramatists, MCC's Playwright's Coalition, New River Dramatists, Primary Stages, and the Actors Studio Playwright/Directors Unit.

He received the Windham–Campbell Literature Prize.^[48]

He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for Between Riverside and Crazy^[49]

Our Lady of st Street received the Lucille Lortel Award nomination, Outstanding Play, Outstanding Director (Hoffman); Outer Critics Circle Award nomination, John Glassner Award; Drama Desk Award nomination, Director (Hoffman) and Outstanding Play^[50]

He received a Literature Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters in May

Plays written by Guirgis

Filmography

As an actor:

Notes

External links