George Herman (playwright)
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George Adam Herman Jr. (April 12, 1928 – June 22, 2019) was an American playwright and writer.


Biography


Early years and Education

George Adam Herman Jr. was born in
Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...
on April 12, 2018. He attended a parochial school and High School in Maryland, and then earned a bachelor's degree in Philosophy from Loyola College. From 1947 to 1949, Herman also spent three summers at the
Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classifie ...
School of Expressional Art on a playwrighting scholarship. In 1954, he earned a Master of Fine Arts from
Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private Roman Catholic research university in Washington, D.C. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by U.S. ...
.


Career

Herman taught playwrighting and was artist-in-residence at numerous American universities. For 16 years he lived and worked in Hawaii on the staff of the State Superintendent of Education. He directed over 200 plays for numerous schools and theaters, served as the Artistic Director for at least one theatre (the Commedia Repertory Theatre in Hawaii), and designed sets and lighting for more than 40 productions. While in Hawaii, Herman also worked for as a theater columnist and drama critic. He turned to writing novels at age 65, and published seven novels and one children's book. As a playwright, Herman won numerous awards from 1953. His best known play is " A Company of Wayward Saints", which has been in print continuously since it was first published in 1963. His plays for radio, television, and the stage have been produced around the world. He had five published plays, and a number of his award-winning unpublished plays are also available through his website. Herman received more than 30 awards for his writing.


Personal life and death

George Herman was married three times and had nine children. He latterly resided in
Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...
, where he died on June 22, 2019, at the age of 91.


Awards

* 1953 Hartke Playwrighting Award - "The Pygmalion Effect" * 1963 McKnight Foundation Humanities Award - "A Company of Wayward Saints" * 1974 Julie Harris-Beverly Hills Theatre Award - "The Man in the Cordoban Hat" * 1976 Ayling Foundation Awards for new plays for children - "Nine Dragons" * 1980 Ayling Foundation Awards for new plays for children - "The Hidden Place" * 1985 Roberts Theatre Institute Award - "The King Has Gone to Tenebrae" * 1993 Julie Harris-Beverly Hills Theatre Award - "Pious Nine is Falling Down"


Work


Published Plays

*'' A Company of Wayward Saints'' (1963) *'' A Smell of Cinnamon'' *'' Devil of the Second Stairs'' *'' Nine Dragons'' (1977) *'' The Hidden Place'' (1978) *'' Little Rome - Iowa'' (2003) ,


Books

*'' Carnival of Saints'' (1994) , *'' A Comedy of Murders (The first adventure of Leonardo da Vinci and Niccolo de Pavia)'' (1994) , *'' The Tears of the Madonna (Second Adventure of Leonardo da Vinci and Niccolo de Pavia)'' (1996) , *'' The Florentine Mourners (Third Adventure of Leonardo da Vinci and Niccolo de Pavia)'' (1999) , *'' The Toys of War (Fourth Adventure of Leonardo da Vinci and Niccolo de Pavia)'' (2001) , # *'' Necromancer: The fifth adventure of Leonardo da Vinci and Niccolo da Pavia'' (2003) *'' The Arno Serpent: The sixth adventure of Leonardo da Vinci and Niccolo da Pavia'' (2007) , # *'' Nine Dragons (2003) , *'' Cardinal Virtues (Seventh Adventure of Leonardo da Vinci and Niccolo da Pavia) (2012)


References


External links

*
George Herman on Playscripts.com

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Herman, George 1928 births 2019 deaths 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights Writers from Portland, Oregon Catholic University of America alumni Loyola University Maryland alumni Boston College alumni