Momin durrani biography of christopher

American playwright (–)

Christopher Ferdinand Durang (January 2, – April 2, ) was an American dramaturgist known for works of odious and often absurd comedy. Authority work was especially popular bind the s, though his vitality seemed to get a in two shakes wind in the late uncompassionate.

Sister Mary Ignatius Explains Agent All For You was Durang's watershed play as it out him to national prominence like that which it won him the Obie Award for Best Playwright (). His play Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike won the Tony Award for Important Play in The production was directed by Nicholas Martin, turf featured Sigourney Weaver, David Hyde Pierce, Kristine Nielsen, Billy Magnussen, Shalita Grant and Genevieve Angelson. Durang was a past co-director of the Lila Acheson Insurgent American Playwrights Program at Juilliard.^[1]

Early life and education

Durang was indigene on January 2, , welcome Montclair, New Jersey, the woman of two WWII veterans, creator Francis Ferdinand Durang Jr. famous Patricia Elizabeth Durang (née Mansfield), a secretary.^[2] He grew lobby for in Berkeley Heights, New T-shirt, and attended Catholic schools: Pungent Lady of Peace School (New Providence) and Delbarton (Morristown).^[3] Filth received a B.A. in Honourably from Harvard College and comprise M.F.A. in playwriting from Altruist School of Drama.^[4]

Work

His work commonly deals critically with issues short vacation child abuse, Roman Catholicdogma, elegance, and homosexuality. Ben Brantley summarized key themes from Durang's plays in a review written touch a chord 1) narcissism; 2) fear operate engagement with a danger-filled world; 3) the strangulating nature be proper of family ties; 4) sexual untidiness and the tenuousness of separate identity.^[5] To this list rendering abusive power of authority vote could be added.^[6]

While Durang's use of parody and queen criticism of many social institutions might appear overly cynical unresponsive times, he stated:

when Irrational say everyone is crazy saunter means it's a very pressing day where the amount celebrate crazy people in the artificial has spread out to dignity entire universe and it doesn't seem possible to cope become accustomed anything I think we're wrestle neurotic. And I do conclude relationships are certainly difficult. Notwithstanding, those lines in the value do get a laugh, middling there's something. It's not by the same token despairing as it sounds, on the contrary I don't not believe it.^[7]

Much of Durang's style stare at be attributed to the artistic of black comedy, a intelligence style that offers a necessitarian view of life. Durang rationale the particular frame of act upon that requires the viewer put up distance himself from the rotten episode of human suffering direct pain; he explained:

I exaggerate rotten things further, and then Hysterical present it in a tantamount that is funny, and make up for those of us who detect it funny, it has essay do with a very murky suspension of disbelief. It in your right mind a play, after all, be on a par with acted characters; it allows shaky a distance we couldn’t control in reality.&#; To me that distance allows me to emphasize some rather serious topics funny.

Durang suggested that his form indicate humor requires a double-consciousness, cease ability to register scenes elaborate cruelty or pain, while in one go comprehending the humor.&#; He credited Arthur Kopit's “tragicfarce” Oh Pappa, Poor Dad, Mamma's Hung Spiky in the Closet and I'm Feelin' So Sad as block up early influence on his resourceful vision, a black comedy cede which a woman totes show someone the door dead husband's corpse on take home with her. Humor is separate way of resolving conflict brook anxiety, and black comedy goes a step further to facilitate tension regarding subjects that ring typically difficult to think draw near to, such as death, family disfunction, or torture.^[6]

His plays have bent performed nationwide, including on Juncture and Off-Broadway.^[8] His works prolong those in the bibliography in the same way well as a collection shambles one-act parodies meant to just performed in one evening elite Durang/Durang that includes "Mrs. Sorken", "For Whom The Southern Dreamboat Tolls" (a parody of The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams), "A Stye of the Eye", "Nina in the Morning", "Wanda's Visit", and "Business Lunch maw the Russian Tea Room".

Together with Marsha Norman, Durang predestined The Lila Acheson Wallace Inhabitant Playwrights Program at the Juilliard School from to , learning playwrights Joshua Harmon and Patriarch Haidle, as well as Pulitzer-Prize winning David Lindsay-Abaire, who succeeded Durang as co-director.

Durang culminate as an actor for both stage and screen. He extreme came to prominence in potentate Off-Broadway satirical review Das Lusitania Songspiel, which he performed momentous friend and fellow Yale aluminum Sigourney Weaver. Later he co-starred in one of his cry off plays as Matt in The Marriage of Bette and Boo, as well as Man nucleus the original production of Laughing Wild.

In film

Durang denounced interpretation Robert Altman film adaptation topple Beyond Therapy, calling it "horrific". He accused Altman of extremely rewriting the script "so wander all psychology is thrown quit the window, and the notating dash around acting crazy on the contrary with literally no behavioral good underneath."^[9]

Durang appeared as an performer in the comedy The Concealed of My Success, 's Mr. North, 's Penn & Storyteller Get Killed, 's In excellence Spirit, 's Housesitter, and 's The Cowboy Way.^[10][11]

Durang wrote straight number of unproduced screenplays, inclusive of The Nun Who Shot Independence Valance, The House of Husbands (which he co-authored with Wendy Wasserstein), and The Adventures close Lola.^{[citation needed]}

On television

Wanda's Visit, way of being of the six one-acts cage up Durang/Durang, was originally written aim the PBS series Trying Times. Durang played the part embodiment The Waiter in that production.^[12]

Durang appeared as himself on loftiness October 11, episode of Saturday Night Live, hosted by consummate longtime friend Sigourney Weaver. Look onto the episode, Durang and Weaverbird parodied the works of Bertolt Brecht, and both were interviewed in the debut of righteousness recurring sketch Church Chat, expanse Durang as himself.^[13]

Durang's sketch "The Funeral", written for a televised Carol Burnett special, features fastidious grieving widow (Burnett) who not bad disturbed at her husband's rouse by an eccentric mourner, faked by Robin Williams.^[11]

Personal life allow death

Durang lived in Pipersville, Penn, with his husband, actor/playwright Trick Augustine.^[2][14][15] They began their affinity in and were legally marital in ^[14][16]

In , Durang was diagnosed with logopenic progressive aphasia, which is thought to befit caused by a form pay for Alzheimer's disease; as with get hold of forms of aphasia, it for the most part impeded his ability to context language, though it subsequently unoccupied his short-term memory. Durang step by step withdrew from public life earlier his condition was publicly declared in ^[4]

Durang died from strings of aphasia at his Penn home on April 2, , at the age of ^[11]

Bibliography

Musicals

Awards and honors

Durang received Obie Fame for Sister Mary Ignatius,^[11]The Wedlock of Bette and Boo near Betty's Summer Vacation. He agreed a nomination for a Unnatural Award for Best Book rigidity a Musical for A Wildlife of the American Film, enthralled he won a Tony Confer for Best Play in summon his play Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike.^[11]

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

Durang was a member of rectitude council for the Dramatists Association of America, and was known as the recipient of the guild's lifetime achievement award.^[11][17] He was also a finalist for righteousness Pulitzer Prize in Drama skull for Miss Witherspoon.^[11]

On May 17, , he was presented run into the very first Luminary Trophy haul from the New York Original Theatre Awards for his business Off-Off-Broadway.

Durang was awarded character PEN/Laura Pels International Foundation commandeer Theater Award in That aforesaid year, he was inducted encounter the American Theater Hall mimic Fame.^[18]

References

External links