Michael Warren Powell (January 22, 1937 – July 17, 2016) was an American artistic director, director, actor and designer involved in the
Off-Off-Broadway
Off-off-Broadway theaters are smaller New York City theaters than Broadway and off-Broadway theaters, and usually have fewer than 100 seats. The off-off-Broadway movement began in 1958 as part of a response to perceived commercialism of the pro ...
movement,
Off-Broadway and in the development of new American plays.
Early career
Originally from Martinsville, Virginia, Powell attended the Goodman Memorial Theater School at the
Art Institute of Chicago. In the early 1960s, he moved to New York City with his friend,
Lanford Wilson
Lanford Wilson (April 13, 1937March 24, 2011) was an American playwright. His work, as described by ''The New York Times'', was "earthy, realist, greatly admired ndwidely performed." Fox, Margalit"Lanford Wilson, Pulitzer Prize-Winning Playwright ...
, both aspiring theater artists. The two lived together and formed a personal and professional partnership that lasted for many years.
In New York, Powell worked as a design assistant for a home decorator, Leona Kahn, and became involved with the
Caffe Cino as an actor and designer.
Actor and designer
Powell acted in several productions at the Caffe Cino, the coffeehouse theater in the West Village that was founded by
Joe Cino
Joseph Cino (November 16, 1931 – April 2, 1967), was an Italian-American theatre producer. The Off-Off-Broadway theatre movement is generally credited to have begun at Cino's Caffe Cino in the West Village of Manhattan.
Caffe Cino and off-off ...
and is often described as the birthplace of
Off-Off-Broadway
Off-off-Broadway theaters are smaller New York City theaters than Broadway and off-Broadway theaters, and usually have fewer than 100 seats. The off-off-Broadway movement began in 1958 as part of a response to perceived commercialism of the pro ...
.
Plays in which Powell acted include the 1964 debut of ''
The Madness of Lady Bright'' by Lanford Wilson and directed by Denis Deagan, one of the early plays of the gay theater movement. Powell appeared in ''So Long at the Fair'' by Wilson, and the revivals of ''The Futz'' and ''The Clown'', for which he also made the costumes.
[ For Wilson's one-act play '']Home Free!
''Home Free!'' is a one-act play by American playwright Lanford Wilson. The play is among Wilson's earlier works, and was first produced Off-Off-Broadway, off-off-Broadway at the Caffe Cino in 1964.
Production history
The play premiered at Joe ...
'' at the Cino, Powell originated the lead role of "Lawrence" alongside Joanna Miles
Joanna Miles (born March 6, 1940) is an American actress. She received two Emmy Awards for her portrayal of Laura Wingfield in the 1973 film production of Tennessee Williams' ''The Glass Menagerie''.
Early life and education
Miles was born in Ni ...
in the other central role, and under the direction of Neil Flanagan.
When ''Home Free!
''Home Free!'' is a one-act play by American playwright Lanford Wilson. The play is among Wilson's earlier works, and was first produced Off-Off-Broadway, off-off-Broadway at the Caffe Cino in 1964.
Production history
The play premiered at Joe ...
'' was offered a production as part of the New Playwright Series at the Off-Broadway Cherry Lane Theatre
The Cherry Lane Theatre is the oldest continuously running off-Broadway theater in New York City. The theater is located at 38 Commerce Street between Barrow and Bedford Streets in the West Village neighborhood of Greenwich Village, Manhattan, ...
, Powell again co-starred with Miles, but this time directed by another Caffe Cino regular, Marshall W. Mason
Marshall W. Mason (born February 24, 1940) is an American theater director, educator, and writer. Mason founded the Circle Repertory Company in New York City and was artistic director of the company for 18 years (1969–1987). He received an Obie ...
. For the Cherry Lane production, Powell designed and constructed an eye-catching set and props. The play, which was on a bill with Sam Shepard
Samuel Shepard Rogers III (November 5, 1943 – July 27, 2017) was an American actor, playwright, author, screenwriter, and director whose career spanned half a century. He won 10 Obie Awards for writing and directing, the most by any write ...
’s ''Up to Thursday'' and Paul Foster’s ''Balls'', opened in February 1965. It launched Wilson's career. ''Home Free!
''Home Free!'' is a one-act play by American playwright Lanford Wilson. The play is among Wilson's earlier works, and was first produced Off-Off-Broadway, off-off-Broadway at the Caffe Cino in 1964.
Production history
The play premiered at Joe ...
'' later toured to England, Powell reprising his role, now with Claris Nelson as his co-star.
After the founding in 1969 of the Circle Theater Company, later to become Circle Repertory Company The Circle Repertory Company, originally named the Circle Theater Company, was a theatre company in New York City that ran from 1969 to 1996. It was founded on July 14, 1969, in Manhattan, in a second floor loft at Broadway and 83rd Street by direc ...
or simply Circle Rep, Powell became closely involved as an actor and designer, helping to develop new plays. He also branched out to other theaters, including La Mama
La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club (La MaMa E.T.C.) is an Off-Off-Broadway theatre founded in 1961 by Ellen Stewart, African-American theatre director, producer, and fashion designer. Located in Manhattan's East Village, the theatre began in the ...
, Stage 73 and Theatre of the Eye Repertory Company. In 1990, he took on the original role of Uncle Fred in the Circle Rep premiere of ''Prelude to a Kiss (play)
''Prelude to a Kiss'' is a 1988 play by Craig Lucas. The play, with a runtime of roughly 70 minutes, tells the story of Peter and Rita, a couple that falls in love despite the woman's pessimistic fear of the world. Shortly after their wedding, a ...
'' by Craig Lucas
Craig Lucas (born April 30, 1951) is an American playwright, screenwriter, theatre director, musical actor, and film director.
Biography
Born on April 30, 1951, he was found abandoned in a car in Atlanta, Georgia. Lucas was adopted when he was ...
. The production, with Alec Baldwin and Mary-Louise Parker
Mary-Louise Parker (born August 2, 1964) is an American actress. After making her Broadway debut as Rita in Craig Lucas' '' Prelude to a Kiss'' in 1990 (for which she received a Tony Award nomination), Parker came to prominence for film roles i ...
, was directed by Norman René
Norman René (1951 – May 24, 1996) was an American theater and film director and film producer who frequently collaborated with playwright Craig Lucas.
Biography
René was born in Bristol, Rhode Island. He studied psychology for a year at J ...
. He also made TV appearances, including in the TV movies ''Kennedy's Children
''Kennedy's Children'' is a 1973 play written by Robert Patrick. It originally opened on Broadway on November 3, 1975, and closed on January 4, 1976.
Synopsis
Five people in a dive bar in the Lower East Side all contemplate their life ten years a ...
'' and ''Isn't It Shocking?
''Isn't It Shocking?'' is a made-for-television comedy-mystery film that aired on the ABC network in 1973 as an ''ABC Movie of the Week''. Written by Lane Slate, it stars Alan Alda, Louise Lasser and Edmond O'Brien, and was directed by John Badha ...
''
Stage director
Powell began directing, as well. In 1987 he directed the revival of William M. Hoffman
William M. Hoffman (April 12, 1939 – April 29, 2017) was an American playwright, theatre director, editor, and professor.
Life and career
Hoffman was born in New York City to Johanna (Papiermeister), a jeweler, and Morton Hoffman, a caterer. ...
’s '' As Is (play)'' at Circle Rep, a production for which he also co-designed the costumes with Susan Lyall. In 1991, he directed ''The Balcony Scene'' by Wil Calhoun
Wil Calhoun is an American television producer and writer.
He is best known for his work on the sitcom '' Friends'' for which he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy in 1999. In 2002, Calhoun along with Dan Schneider created the series '' What I ...
at Circle Rep with Cynthia Nixon
Cynthia Ellen Nixon (born April 9, 1966) is an American actress, activist, and theater director. For her portrayal of Miranda Hobbes in the HBO series ''Sex and the City'' (1998–2004), she won the 2004 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supp ...
in one of the roles.
Over the years, Powell took on directing assignments at many venues, including at INTAR Theatre
INTAR Theatre, founded in 1966, is one of the oldest Hispanic Theatre, theater companies in the United States. The INTAR acronym is for International Arts Relations.https://www.nyc-arts.org/organizations/141/intar-international-arts-relations
H ...
, Magic Theatre
The Magic Theatre is a theatre company founded in 1967, presently based at the historic Fort Mason Center on San Francisco's northern waterfront. The Magic Theatre is well known and respected for its singular focus on the development and product ...
, Last Frontier Theatre Conference Renamed in 2021, the Valdez Theatre Conference is an annual conference on American Theatre held in Valdez, Alaska that focuses on playwrighting. Continually held each year since 1993, the conference puts out a call for play submissions, requestin ...
, Wings Theater, Blue Heron Art Center and chashama in New York, and others. In the late 1990s, he directed plays at the Cape Cod Theatre Project
The Cape Cod Theatre Project is a nonprofit organization founded in 1995 by actors Andrew Polk and Jim Bracchitta, with the mission of collaborating with playwrights, actors, directors, and the public in developing new American plays. The perform ...
, including works by Carter W. Lewis, Lanford Wilson
Lanford Wilson (April 13, 1937March 24, 2011) was an American playwright. His work, as described by ''The New York Times'', was "earthy, realist, greatly admired ndwidely performed." Fox, Margalit"Lanford Wilson, Pulitzer Prize-Winning Playwright ...
and Clark Middleton.
Artistic director
In 1985, Powell was named the artistic director of The Lab at Circle Rep. The Lab offered opportunities for writers to shape and develop their work in readings and performances. The Lab "was perhaps the most vibrant element of the theater .... At its peak, The Lab was training ground for more than 300 participants," according to Circle Rep co-founder Marshall W. Mason
Marshall W. Mason (born February 24, 1940) is an American theater director, educator, and writer. Mason founded the Circle Repertory Company in New York City and was artistic director of the company for 18 years (1969–1987). He received an Obie ...
.[ Powell worked with American playwrights including ]Terrence McNally
Terrence McNally (November 3, 1938 – March 24, 2020) was an American playwright, librettist, and screenwriter.
Described as "the bard of American theater" and "one of the greatest contemporary playwrights the theater world has yet produced," ...
, Paula Vogel
Paula Vogel (born November 16, 1951) is an American playwright who received the 1998 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for her play ''How I Learned to Drive.'' A longtime teacher, Vogel spent the bulk of her academic career – from 1984 to 2008 – at Bro ...
, Craig Lucas
Craig Lucas (born April 30, 1951) is an American playwright, screenwriter, theatre director, musical actor, and film director.
Biography
Born on April 30, 1951, he was found abandoned in a car in Atlanta, Georgia. Lucas was adopted when he was ...
and Lanford Wilson. He was the artistic director of The Lab until Circle Rep closed in 1996.
When Circle Rep closed, Powell formed and became the artistic director of the Lab Theater Company, which later became Circle East Theater Company. The company continued the work of The Lab at Circle Rep by developing and producing new plays. Circle East continued until Powell’s death in 2016.
Beginning in 1995, Powell established The Play Lab at the Last Frontier Theatre Conference Renamed in 2021, the Valdez Theatre Conference is an annual conference on American Theatre held in Valdez, Alaska that focuses on playwrighting. Continually held each year since 1993, the conference puts out a call for play submissions, requestin ...
, a summer festival in Alaska, originally known as the Edward Albee Theatre Conference. It worked with playwrights to develop their plays and present readings. At the outset, it worked with six Alaskan writers. By 1999, the conference was holding workshops for 54 playwrights from 35 states.
Powell also became the artistic director of the School of Theater of the New York State Summer School of the Arts
The New York State Summer School of the Arts (NYSSSA) is a series of summer residential programs for New York State high school students. It provides intensive pre-professional training. It is open to all New York State high school age students wh ...
, a program that nurtures young theater artists chosen from across the state.
Other
From 1995 to 2000, Powell was a Professor of Theater on the Directing Faculty at Rutgers University
Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was ...
in New Jersey.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Powell, Michael warren
1937 births
2016 deaths
People from Martinsville, Virginia
Rutgers University faculty
American theatre directors