Henry Murray (May 30, 1948 – December 16, 2014) was an American
playwright
A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays.
Etymology
The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...
who lived in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
, California. He is survived by his husban
Lewin Wertheimer.
Early life
Born Henry Darwin Murray, Jr. in New Castle Delaware, he studied theatre at
Middle Tennessee State University
Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU or MT) is a public university in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Founded in 1911 as a normal school, the university consists of eight undergraduate colleges as well as a college of graduate studies, together off ...
. He was hired by
Nashville Children's Theatre
Nashville Children's Theatre (NCT) is one of the oldest continually operating professional children's theatre company in America. It is a member of the Theatre for Young Audiences, the ASSITEJ, and is affiliated with the Actors' Equity Associatio ...
as an actor and teacher of dance and mime. He was also a founding member of Nashville's Ensemble Theatre Company.
Career
Murray's first performed play, ''The Skeletal Remains of an American Indian by the Light of the Harvest Moon'', was presented at the Back Alley Theatre in Los Angeles. It starred
James Leo Herlihy
James Leo Herlihy (; February 27, 1927 – October 21, 1993) was an American novelist, playwright and actor.
Herlihy is known for his novels ''Midnight Cowboy'' and '' All Fall Down'', and his play ''Blue Denim'', all of which were adapted ...
, actor and author of the novel, ''
Midnight Cowboy
''Midnight Cowboy'' is a 1969 American drama (film and television), drama film, based on the 1965 Midnight Cowboy (novel), novel of the same name by James Leo Herlihy. The film was written by Waldo Salt, directed by John Schlesinger, and stars ...
''.
In 2009, award-winning
Rogue Machine Theatre Rogue Machine Theatre (RMT) is a Los Angeles based theatre company dedicated to the production of new plays and plays new to Los Angeles. They currently run a seven- to eight-month season at The Electric Lodge in Venice, having moved there after sev ...
produced and Artistic Director John Perrin Flynn directed Murray's play ''Treefall'' to great critical acclaim. It was named one of the ten best plays of the year by the ''
LA Weekly
''LA Weekly'' is a free weekly alternative newspaper in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1978 by Jay Levin, who served as president and editor until 1991. Voice Media Group sold the paper in late 2017 to Semanal Media LLC, whose paren ...
'', is published by
Dramatists Play Service
Dramatists Play Service (also known as The Play Service) is a theatrical-publishing and licensing house, established in 1936 by members of the Dramatists Guild of America and the Society for Authors' Representatives. DPS publishes English-language ...
, and is being taught in the MFA playwriting classes at the
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...
.
Also in 2009, Murray's play ''Monkey Adored'' was honored with a reading at The
Kennedy Center
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...
's Page to Stage Festival. Subsequently, it was workshopped by The Inkwell Theater in
Washington, DC
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, 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 ...
and in 2011 was produced at Rogue Machine Theatre in Los Angeles, with John Perrin Flynn directing. It received high praise critically, garnering a Critic's Pick from ''
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 ...
'' and a "GO" from the LA Weekly.
Based on Murray's short play ''Down For The Count'', which was a finalist for the
Heideman Award
The Heideman Award is given each year to the winner of the National Ten-Minute Play Contest, a competition hosted by Actors Theatre of Louisville. The $1,000 cash prize award was established in 1979 by Louisville, Kentucky native Ted Heideman.
P ...
, Murray's full length, ''Three Views of the Same Object'', won the 2011-2012 Woodward Newman Drama Prize. It premiered in April 2012 at The
Bloomington Playwrights Project
The Bloomington Playwrights Project (BPP) is a not-for-profit arts organization in Bloomington, Indiana. The BPP's mission states that it is "dedicated to the furthering of new original plays and theatre." The BPP only produces original work. It ...
to critical accolades and sold-out houses. A Co-Premiere production opened in Los Angeles in Rogue Machine Theatre to rave reviews, including the LA Times "Critics Choice" and the LA Weekly's Pick of the Week.
Henry Murray's writing is persistently experimental in form and tone, yet thematically returns to the tension between the isolation of the individual and need for connection.
Works
* ''The Skeletal Remains of an American Indian by the Light of The Harvest Moon'' (1982)
* ''Snake Dances'' (1984)
* ''The Hearing Trumpet'' (adaptation 2001)
* ''Down For The Count'' (2006)
* ''Treefall'' (2009)
* ''Dog Is Dead'' (2010)
* ''Monkey Adored'' (2011)
* ''Three Views of the Same Object'' (2012)
References
External links
* ProPlay: ''The Hearing Trumpet'', http://www.singlelane.com/proplay/hearingtrumpet.html
* Eye Spy LA, Playwright Henry Murray Breaks The Mold With His New Play by M.R. Hunter, October 7, 2011, http://eyespyla.com/www/phlog.nsf/8682a96d363481e28825767c005eafd4/7eac275b2fda915f88257922004a9b50!OpenDocument
* The Playwright's Database, Henry Murray, doollee.com, http://www.doollee.com/PlaywrightsM/murray-henry.html
{{DEFAULTSORT:Murray, Henry
American dramatists and playwrights
Middle Tennessee State University alumni
Writers from Los Angeles
1948 births
2014 deaths