Matthew Spangler is an American playwright, director, and professor of performance studies.

Body of work

Matthew Spangler's plays have been produced on Broadway, in London's West End at

Wyndham's Theatre Wyndham's Theatre is a West End theatre, one of two opened by actor/manager Charles Wyndham (the other is the Criterion Theatre). Located on Charing Cross Road in the City of Westminster, it was designed c.1898 by W. G. R. Sprague, the archit ...

and the Playhouse Theatre, off Broadway at 59E59 Theatres, and at theatres throughout the world. He has written fourteen plays, but is best known for his adaptation of

Khaled Hosseini Khaled Hosseini (;Pashto/Dari ; born March 4, 1965) is an Afghan Americans, Afghan-American novelist, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR goodwill ambassador, and former physician. His debut novel ''The Kite Runner'' (2003) wa ...

’s novel ''

The Kite Runner ''The Kite Runner'' is the first novel by Afghan-American author Khaled Hosseini. Published in 2003 by Riverhead Books, it tells the story of Amir, a young boy from the Wazir Akbar Khan, Kabul, Wazir Akbar Khan district of Kabul. The story is se ...

''. His other plays include ''Operation Ajax'', about the CIA led coup against then Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh in 1953; ''Albatross'', based on the poem "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" and recipient of two Elliot Norton Awards from Boston's theatre critics; ''Tortilla Curtain'' based on the book by T.C. Boyle and recipient of an Edgerton Foundation New American Play Award and finalist for the Best New Play by San Diego's Theatre Critics' Circle; ''The Forgotten Empress'', about the Mughal Empress Noor Jahan, which has been presented in Los Angeles, Pakistan, San Jose, San Francisco, and Houston; and ''Together Tea'' based on the novel by Marjan Kamali. Other plays include one-person shows of

James Joyce James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influential and important writers of ...

’s ''

Dubliners ''Dubliners'' is a collection of fifteen short stories by James Joyce, first published in 1914. It presents a naturalistic depiction of Irish middle class life in and around Dublin in the early years of the 20th century. The stories were writt ...

'' and ''

Finnegans Wake ''Finnegans Wake'' is a novel by Irish literature, Irish writer James Joyce. It is well known for its experimental style and reputation as one of the most difficult works of fiction in the Western canon. It has been called "a work of fiction whi ...

''; ''A Paradise It Seems'', an adaptation of

John Cheever John William Cheever (May 27, 1912 – June 18, 1982) was an American short story writer and novelist. He is sometimes called "the Chekhov of the suburbs". His fiction is mostly set in the Upper East Side of Manhattan; the Westchester suburbs; ...

’s short stories; ''Mozart!'', a musical theatre adaptation of

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition r ...

’s letters; and adaptation of

Jasmin Darznik Jasmin Darznik is the ''New York Times'' bestselling author of three books, ''The Bohemians'', ''Song of a Captive Bird'', a novel inspired by the life of Forugh Farrokhzad, Iran's notorious woman poet, and ''The Good Daughter: A Memoir of My Moth ...

's ''Masquerade.'' He co-writes many of his plays.

Selected awards

Leslie Irene Coger Award for Distinguished Performance from the National Communication Association; Edgerton Foundation New American Play Award for ''Tortilla Curtain''; San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Awards: Best Original Script, Best Overall Production - ''The Kite Runner''; Mary MacMurtrie Award for Best Drama for ''The Kite Runner'', ''Arizona Daily Star''; Best Theatre Production for ''The Kite Runner'', ''Tucson Weekly''; Best Theatre Production Liverpool Post Arts Awards; Elliot Norton Awards from Boston's Theatre Critics.

Education

Matthew Spangler holds a bachelor's degree from Northwestern University in Performance Studies, an M.Phil. in Theatre from Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, and a Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Author credits

Matthew Spangler's writing has been published in ''Theatre Journal, Text and Performance Quarterly, The James Joyce Quarterly, The New Hibernia Review, Theatre Survey, Nineteenth-Century Literature, SIAR: The Journal of the Western Institute of Irish Studies, The '' South Atlantic Review'', The Biographical Dictionary of Southern Writers, The Art of Elizabeth Bishop, ''and'' Performing the Crossroads: Critical Essays in Performance Studies and Irish Culture.'' His book ''Staging Intercultural Ireland: New Plays and Practitioner Perspectives,'' (co-edited with Charlotte McIvor) about immigration and the performing arts in Ireland, is published by Cork University Press. His play ''The Kite Runner'', based on the novel by Khaled Hosseini, is published by Bloomsbury in the UK and Penguin in the US. ''Albatross'' is published by Stage Rights.

Current employment

Matthew Spangler is Professor of Performance Studies at

San Jose State University San José State University (San Jose State or SJSU) is a public university in San Jose, California. Established in 1857, SJSU is the oldest public university on the West Coast and the founding campus of the California State University (CSU) sys ...

in California.

References

External links

Matthew Spangler's official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spangler, Matthew J. Living people American dramatists and playwrights San Jose State University faculty Year of birth missing (living people)