Martin Blank is an American playwright, screenwriter, and

theatrical producer A theatrical producer is a person who oversees all aspects of mounting a theatre production. The producer is responsible for the overall financial and managerial functions of a production or venue, raises or provides financial backing, and hire ...

Biography

Martin Blank was born in

Bethesda, Maryland Bethesda () is an unincorporated, census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland. It is located just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House (1820, rebuilt 1849), which in ...

, where he attended Bethesda Chevy Chase High School. He attended the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...

and the

Yale School of Drama The David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University is a graduate professional school of Yale University, located in New Haven, Connecticut. Founded in 1924 as the Department of Drama in the School of Fine Arts, the school provides training in e ...

Career

Two of Blank's plays were produced Off Broadway: ''The Law of Return'' at the Fourth Street Theatre, and ''Avenue of Americas'' at The Tank Theater. ''The Law of Return'' is a

political thriller A political thriller is a thriller that is set against the backdrop of a political power struggle, high stakes and suspense is the core of the story. The genre often forces the audiences to consider and understand the importance of politics. The st ...

inspired by the real-life case involving

Jonathan Pollard Jonathan Jay Pollard (born August 7, 1954) is a former intelligence analyst for the United States government. In 1987, as part of a plea agreement, Pollard pleaded guilty to spying for and providing top-secret classified information to Israel. H ...

, a former U.S.

intelligence analyst Intelligence analysis is the application of individual and collective cognitive methods to weigh data and test hypotheses within a secret socio-cultural context. The descriptions are drawn from what may only be available in the form of deliberate ...

who pleaded guilty to charges of spying for

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

. In 2017, he was developing a screenplay of ''The Law of Return'' for producers Rory Koslow and

Gail Berman Gail Berman (born August 17, 1956) is an American producer and television executive. She is co-owner and founding partner of The Jackal Group, a production entity formed in partnership with Fox Networks Group. The Jackal Group develops and produ ...

of The Jackal Group. Blank's comedy ''Driving Green'' was produced at the Journeyman Theater in Washington, D.C. Blank's comedy ''Read My Lips'' was produced by New Gate Theater in Providence, R.I. ' In 2018, a one-man musical adapted from talks by

Booker T. Washington Booker Taliaferro Washington (April 5, 1856November 14, 1915) was an American educator, author, orator, and adviser to several presidents of the United States. Between 1890 and 1915, Washington was the dominant leader in the African-American c ...

titled ''Character Building'' was produced at Capital Hill Arts Workshop. Blank was Founding Artistic Director of

Theater J Theater J is a professional theater company located in Washington, DC, founded to present works that "celebrate the distinctive urban voice and social vision that are part of the Jewish cultural legacy". Organization Hailed by ''The New York ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blank, Martin Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Screenwriters from Maryland American dramatists and playwrights American male dramatists and playwrights University of Maryland, College Park alumni Yale School of Drama alumni