Allen Zwerdling (October 12, 1922 – January 12, 2009) was an American journalist who was co-founder of ''
Backstage
Backstage most commonly refers to backstage (theatre), also in motion picture and television production.
Backstage may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''Back Stage'' (1969 film), a silent film starring Oliver Hardy
* ''Back Stage'' (1942 fil ...
'', the "casting bible" for theater performers.
Biography
Zwerdling was born on October 12, 1922, in
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
, New York, and performed with the Players Guild of Manhattan from 1936 to 1941.
[ ] before enlisting in the Army Air Force. In the Army during World War II, Zwerdling directed plays and edited a military newspaper. Following his military service, he established the American Players Theater in
Zurich, Switzerland and became director of the Kansas City Resident Theater.
[
After returning to ]New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
in 1948, he was hired by ''Show Business
Show business, sometimes shortened to show biz or showbiz (since 1945), is a vernacular term for all aspects of the entertainment industry.''Oxford English Dictionary'' 2nd Ed. (1989) From the business side (including managers, agents, produc ...
'' as an editor. Ira Eaker
General (Honorary) Ira Clarence Eaker (April 13, 1896 – August 6, 1987) was a general of the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. Eaker, as second-in-command of the prospective Eighth Air Force, was sent to England to form and ...
was the advertising manager for the publication and the two developed a vision for a publication listing casting notices. The two approached ''The Village Voice
''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the crea ...
'' with the idea of adding a section to that paper listing notices, but were rejected.[
They went out on their own and started ''Back Stage'' in 1960 with a run of ten thousand copies per week, reaching a peak circulation of 32,000. The companion '' Back Stage West'' was established in 1994 to reach Los Angeles-area readers and has 24,000 readers. The Backstage.com web site has 20,000 paid subscribers. despite the seemingly small circulation numbers, the various versions of ''Back Stage'' are often passed on between actors and others in related professions looking for work and information about the industry.][
''Back Stage'' was sold to ]Billboard Publications
''Billboard'' (stylized as ''billboard'') is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events, and style related to the music ...
in 1986. His partner, Ira Eaker, died in 2002.[
Zwerdling died at age 86 on January 12, 2009, at his home in ]Rosendale, New York
Rosendale is a town in the center of Ulster County, New York, United States. It once contained a village Rosendale, primarily centered around Main Street, but which was dissolved through vote in 1977. The population was 5,782 at the 2020 census.
...
, where he had retired to a farm there after selling ''Back Stage''. He had been married to Shirley M. Zwerdling who died a month before him. He was survived by two daughters, a son and a grandson.[
]
See also
References
External Resources
NY Times: Allen Zwerdling, Theater Journalist, Dies at 86Back Stage: Allen Zwerdling, Back Stage Co-Founder and Co-Publisher, Dies
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zwerdling, Allen
1922 births
2009 deaths
United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II
American publishers (people)
American male stage actors
Writers from Brooklyn
People from Rosendale, New York
United States Army Air Forces soldiers