Dick Scanlan (born 1960) is an American writer, director, and actor.

Early life

Scanlan was born on April 14, 1960, in

Washington D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...

and grew up in suburban

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

Career

Publications

Scanlan has written articles that have appeared in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' "Arts & Leisure" section, ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, th ...

'', ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

'', '' Vanity Fair'', and ''

Playboy ''Playboy'' is an American men's Lifestyle magazine, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from H ...

''."About Dick Scanlan"
masterworksbroadway.com, accessed February 4, 2010 His short stories have been published in many magazines and are included in ''Best American Gay Fiction'' (1996). His critically acclaimed novel ''Does Freddy Dance'' was published in 1995.

Theatre

He is an accomplished actor, best known for his portrayal of Miss Great Plains in the 1991 musical ''Pageant''. He is the co-book writer (with Richard Morris) and lyricist of the musical ''

Thoroughly Modern Millie ''Thoroughly Modern Millie'' is a 1967 American musical- romantic comedy film directed by George Roy Hill and starring Julie Andrews. The screenplay, by Richard Morris based on the 1956 British musical ''Chrysanthemum'', follows a naïve you ...

'', which premiered on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

in 2002, with music by

Jeanine Tesori Jeanine Tesori (known earlier in her career as Jeanine Levenson) is an American composer and musical arranger best known for her work in the theater. She is the most prolific and honored female theatrical composer in history, with five Broadway m ...

and starring a then unknown

Sutton Foster Sutton Lenore Foster (born March 18, 1975) is an American actress, singer and dancer. She is known for her work on the Broadway stage, for which she has won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical twice, in 2002 for her role as Millie Di ...

. ''Millie'' won the 2002 Tony Award for Best Musical. Scanlan and Tesori also wrote the song "The Girl in 14G" for

Kristin Chenoweth Kristin Dawn Chenoweth (; born Kristi Dawn Chenoweth; July 24, 1968)Kristin Cheno ...

's debut CD, ''Let Yourself Go''. He is the co-writer, with

Sherie Rene Scott Sherie Rene Scott (born February 8, 1967)Some sources give 1969, but Scott herself, at thOfficial Sherie Rene Scott Myspace Pageand at Lovece, Frank"Sherie Rene Scott is caught up in the 'Rapture'", ''Newsday'', May 6, 2010, gives 1967 is an Ame ...

, of the musical ''

Everyday Rapture ''Everyday Rapture'' is a musical with a book written by Sherie Rene Scott and Dick Scanlan and music by various composers. It ran Off-Broadway in 2009 and opened on Broadway in 2010. The musical is a loose autobiography of Scott herself, showing ...

'', which opened Off-Broadway in May 2009 and again on Broadway on April 29, 2010. He and Scott also co-wrote ''

Whorl Inside a Loop ''Whorl Inside a Loop'' is a play written by Dick Scanlan and Sherie Rene Scott. The playwrights spent several weeks working with inmates at a medium-security prison on a theater project, and then subsequently wrote a play depicting similar event ...

'', inspired by their experiences teaching inside a men's correctional facility. ''Whorl'' was produced Off-Broadway in 2015, co-directed by Scanlan and Michael Mayer (Scanlan's best friend for 40 years) and was named one of the best plays of the year by ''

New York Magazine ''New York'' is an American biweekly magazine concerned with life, culture, politics, and style generally, and with a particular emphasis on New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to ''The New Yorker' ...

''. In 2011, it was announced that Scanlan is reworking the 1960

Meredith Willson Robert Reiniger Meredith Willson (May 18, 1902 – June 15, 1984) was an American flutist, composer, conductor, musical arranger, bandleader, playwright, and writer. He is perhaps best known for writing the book, music, and lyrics for the 19 ...

musical '' The Unsinkable Molly Brown'' to change the fanciful non-fiction plot (originally written by Richard Morris) to a more factual one. The show received its world premiere at the Denver Center Theatre Company in 2014, starring

Beth Malone Elizabeth Ann "Beth" Malone (born January 2, 1969) is an American actress and singer known for her work in Broadway, off-Broadway and regional theatre. She originated the role of Alison Bechdel in the musical ''Fun Home'', for which she was nomin ...

and directed by Kathleen Marshall. Scanlan was the script consultant to

Berry Gordy Berry Gordy III (born November 28, 1929), known professionally as Berry Gordy Jr., is a retired American record executive, record producer, songwriter, film producer and television producer. He is best known as the founder of the Motown record l ...

for '' Motown: The Musical'' on Broadway in 2013. In 2015 he was the Artistic Advisor for a new musical, ''Invisible Thread'', at

Second Stage Theatre Second Stage Theater is a theater company founded in 1979 by Robyn Goodman and Carole Rothman and located in Manhattan, New York City. It produces both new plays and revivals of contemporary American plays by new playwrights and established wri ...

, directed by

Diane Paulus Diane Marie Paulus (born 1966) is an American theater and opera director who is currently the Terrie and Bradley Bloom Artistic Director of the American Repertory Theater at Harvard University.Colleen Walsh"Paulus reaches beyond boards" ''Harvar ...

. In 2015, Scanlan directed the staged concert of '' Little Shop of Horrors'' at the

New York City Center New York City Center (previously known as the Mecca Temple, City Center of Music and Drama,. The name "City Center for Music and Drama Inc." is the organizational parent of the New York City Ballet and, until 2011, the New York City Opera. and t ...

as part of their Encores! Off-Center Series, starring

Jake Gyllenhaal Jacob Benjamin Gyllenhaal (; ; born December 19, 1980) is an American actor. Born into the Gyllenhaal family, he is the son of director Stephen Gyllenhaal and screenwriter Naomi Foner, and his older sister is actress Maggie Gyllenhaal. He ...

, Taran Killam and

Ellen Greene Ellen Greene is an American actress and singer. She has had a long and varied career as a singer, particularly in cabaret, as an actress and singer in numerous stage productions, particularly musical theatre, as well as having performed in many ...

reprising her signature role of Audrey.Brantley, Ben
"Review: Jake Gyllenhaal sings in 'Little Shop of Horrors'"
nytimes.com, July 2, 2015 The Metropolitan Opera/Lincoln Center Theater New Works Program announced in 2014 that Scanlan and composer Josh Schmidt have been commissioned to write Fallingwater, an opera based on the family for which

Frank Lloyd Wright Frank Lloyd Wright (June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959) was an American architect, designer, writer, and educator. He designed more than 1,000 structures over a creative period of 70 years. Wright played a key role in the architectural movements o ...

designed his most famous building.

Personal life

Scanlan lives in New York City with Alan Effron, his partnerO'Leary, Kevin
"Divinely Driven Dick"
poz.com, May 2002 since 1996. He is the co-founder of artsINSIDEOUT, a group of students and established professionals in the performing arts that works with the young people and mothers at Nkosi's Haven, a home in Johannesburg, South Africa for mothers with HIV/AIDS, their children and other children infected or affected by HIV/AIDS. Scanlan has been HIV-positive since 1983, and was diagnosed with AIDS in 1995. He said: "I never want to imply that I lived because I have a stronger life drive than the people who died. I've lost so many people who I knew to be passionate and committed to their lives." Scanlan emphatically credits his rebound to the anti-HIV drug cocktail, but says, "It is absolutely true that your outlook contributes to your longevity. I chose to keep investing in my future—even when I had no future."

Awards

* 2002

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

Best Book of a Musical, ''

'' ominee* 2002

Best Original Musical Score, ''Thoroughly Modern Millie'' ominee* 2002 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Book of a Musical, ''Thoroughly Modern Millie'' ominee* 2002 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Lyrics, ''Thoroughly Modern Millie'' ominee* 2010

Best Book of a Musical, ''

'' ominee* 2010 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Book of a Musical, ''Everyday Rapture'' ominee

References

External links

*
Production: Thoroughly Modern Millie
- ''Working in the Theatre Seminar'' video at American Theatre Wing.org, April 2002 {{DEFAULTSORT:Scanlan, Dick 1961 births Living people 20th-century American novelists American male novelists American male musical theatre actors American musical theatre composers Broadway composers and lyricists American gay writers People with HIV/AIDS American LGBT novelists American male short story writers 20th-century American short story writers 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American LGBT people