Willy Holtzman
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Willy Holtzman (born 1951) is an American playwright and screenwriter, often focusing on theatrical representations of actual historical events. Holtzman has received two Pulitzer Prize nominations, a
Humanitas Prize The Humanitas Prize is an award for film and television writing, and is given to writers whose work explores the human condition in a nuanced and meaningful way. It began in 1974 with Father Ellwood "Bud" Kieser—also the founder of Paulist P ...
, a
Writers Guild Award The Writers Guild of America Awards is an award for film, television, and radio writing including both fiction and non-fiction categories given by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America West since 1949. Eligibility T ...
, a Peabody Award, as well as an HBO Award at the National Playwrights Conference.


Personal life

Willy Holtzman was born and raised as the second of three children in
St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
. Holtzman moved to Middletown, Connecticut in 1969 to attend
Wesleyan University Wesleyan University ( ) is a private liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut. Founded in 1831 as a men's college under the auspices of the Methodist Episcopal Church and with the support of prominent residents of Middletown, the col ...
, where he majored in American Studies. After graduation, he moved to
Wilton, Connecticut Wilton is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 18,503. In 2017, it was the sixth-wealthiest town per capita in Connecticut, the wealthiest U.S. state per capita. Officially reco ...
, where he lives with his wife, Sylvia Shepard.


Career

Many of Holtzman's plays have been developed through the PlayPenn New Play Conference. Holtzman's plays have been produced in New York at Primary Stages Theater,
Theatre for a New Audience The Theatre for a New Audience (TFANA) is a non-profit theater in New York City focused on producing Shakespeare and other classic dramas. Its off-Broadway productions have toured in the U.S. and internationally. History Theatre for a New Audienc ...
, and the Working Theater. He has been produced regionally at the
Long Wharf Theatre Long Wharf Theatre is a nonprofit institution in New Haven, Connecticut, a pioneer in the not-for-profit regional theatre movement, the originator of several prominent plays, and a venue where many internationally known actors have appeared. Fou ...
, City Theatre,
People's Light and Theatre Company People's Light is a professional, not-for-profit theatre in Chester County, Pennsylvania . About People's Light Founded in 1974, by Dick Keeler, Ken Marini, and Meg and Danny Fruchter, People's Light serves as one of Pennsylvania's largest prof ...
, Baltimore Center Stage,
Portland Stage Company Portland Stage Company is a professional LORT (League of Resident Theaters) theater company in the state of Maine. Founded as the Profile Theatre in 1974 as a touring theater company, the company made Portland a permanent home in 1976. In 1982, it ...
, the
Alliance Theatre The Alliance Theatre is a theater company in Atlanta, Georgia, based at the Alliance Theatre, part of the Robert W. Woodruff Arts Center, and is the winner of the 2007 Regional Theatre Tony Award. The company, originally the Atlanta Municipal T ...
, Geva Theatre, the
Cleveland Play House Cleveland Play House (CPH) is a professional regional theater company located in Cleveland, Ohio. It was founded in 1915 and built its own noted theater complex in 1927. Currently the company performs at the Allen Theatre in Playhouse Square whe ...
, Berkshire Theatre Festival, The Colony Theatre, and Northlight Theatre. In 2007 he helped Bonnie Dickinson and her Wilton High School Theatre Arts students create '' Voices in Conflict'', a play about returning Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans which ran at the
Public Theater The Public Theater is a New York City arts organization founded as the Shakespeare Workshop in 1954 by Joseph Papp, with the intention of showcasing the works of up-and-coming playwrights and performers.Epstein, Helen. ''Joe Papp: An American ...
, the
Vineyard Theatre The Vineyard Theatre is an Off-Broadway non-profit theatre company, located at 108 East 15th Street in Manhattan, New York City, near Union Square. Its first production was in 1981. It is best known for its productions of the Tony award-winning ...
and the Culture Project. In his 2011 work ''The Morini Strad'', a play inspired by a true story that rocked the classical music world, Holtzman dramatizes the concert violinist Erica Morini's hiring of an unassuming violin maker to restore her legendary Stradivarius.Willy Holtzman On Tap For 2011-2012 at Primary Stages
/ref> He taught as a visiting artist at Bronx Regional High School in the South Bronx, 1987–89, and was Resident Playwright at
Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most elit ...
, 1990-92. He has worked with the 52d Street Project in New York's Hell's Kitchen and on the Navajo Reservation. Holtzman is a former member of
New Dramatists New Dramatists is an organization of playwrights founded in 1949 and located at 424 West 44th Street between Ninth and Tenth Avenues in the Hell's Kitchen (Clinton) neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. The members of New Dramatists parti ...
and now serves on its board of directors. He is also on the board of Harlem Stage Company.


Writing credits

Plays: * ''Smart Blonde'' (2014) * ''The First Mrs. Rochester'' (2014) * ''G.O.B.'' (2013) * ''The Morini Strad'' (2011) published by Broadway Play Publishing Inc. * ''The Real McGonagall'' (2011) * ''Something You Did'' (2008) published by Broadway Play Publishing Inc. * ''Hearts'' (2000) (Barrymore Award, Arthur Miller Award) * ''Sabina'' (1996) * ''Bovver Boys'' (1991) * ''The Closer'' (1991) * ''Blanco'' (1989) * ''San Antonio Sunset'' (1989) * ''Inside Out'' (1987) Film: * '' Edge of America'' (2004) ** Accolades: (Sundance Film Festival, 2004 Opening Night Selection, Tribeca Film Festival, Nantucket Film Festival, Hampton Film Festival, American Indian Film Festival - Best Picture) TV: * ''"Lifestories: Families in Crisis" (3 episodes, 1992–1994) ** ''Brotherly Love: The Trevor Ferrell Story'' (1994) ** ''A Body to Die For: The Aaron Henry Story'' (1994) (Emmy Nomination) ** ''Blood Brothers: The Joey DiPaolo Story'' (1992) (Cine Golden Eagle Award, Cable Ace Award)


Awards

* 2006
Humanitas Award The Humanitas Prize is an award for film and television writing, and is given to writers whose work explores the human condition in a nuanced and meaningful way. It began in 1974 with Father Ellwood "Bud" Kieser—also the founder of Paulist P ...
Winner, Children's Live-Action Category (''Edge of America'') * 2006
Writers Guild Award The Writers Guild of America Awards is an award for film, television, and radio writing including both fiction and non-fiction categories given by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America West since 1949. Eligibility T ...
Winner, Children's Script Long Form (''Edge of America'') * 2005 Peabody Award Winner


References

*


External links


Willy Holtzman
at the Playwrights Database {{DEFAULTSORT:Holtzman, Willy 1952 births Wesleyan University alumni 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights American male screenwriters Living people Writers Guild of America Award winners American male dramatists and playwrights 20th-century American male writers