William Strauss
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

William Strauss (December 5, 1947 – December 18, 2007) was an American author, playwright, theater director, and lecturer. As an author, he is known for his work with
Neil Howe Neil Howe (born October 21, 1951) is an American author and consultant. He is best known for his work with William Strauss on social generations regarding a theorized generational cycle in American history. Howe is currently the managing direct ...
on social generations and for
Strauss–Howe generational theory The Strauss–Howe generational theory, devised by William Strauss and Neil Howe, describes a theorized recurring generation cycle in American history and Western history. According to the theory, historical events are associated with recurring g ...
. He is also known as the co-founder and director of the satirical musical theater group the
Capitol Steps The Capitol Steps was an American political-satire group that performed from 1981 to 2020. Most of the Capitol Steps' material parodied well-known contemporary songs, usually introduced with a short skit. The songs were interspersed with other ro ...
, and as the co-founder of the
Cappies The Cappies (Critics and Awards Program) is an international program for recognizing, celebrating, and providing learning experiences for high school theater and journalism students and teenage playwrights. There are currently 13 Cappies programs i ...
, a critics and awards program for high school theater students.


Biography

Strauss was born in
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...
and grew up in
Burlingame, California Burlingame () is a city in San Mateo County, California. It is located on the San Francisco Peninsula and has a significant shoreline on San Francisco Bay. The city is named after diplomat Anson Burlingame and is known for its numerous eucalyp ...
. He graduated from
Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
in 1969. In 1973, he received a JD from
Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...
and a master's in public policy from Harvard's
John F. Kennedy School of Government The Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), officially the John F. Kennedy School of Government, is the school of public policy and government of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school offers master's degrees in public policy, public ...
, where he was a member of the program's first graduating class. After receiving his degrees, Strauss worked in Washington, DC as a policy aid to the Presidential Clemency Board, directing a research team writing a report on the impact of the Vietnam War on the generation that was drafted. In 1978, Strauss and Lawrence Baskir co-authored two books on the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
, ''Chance and Circumstance'', and ''Reconciliation after Vietnam''. Strauss later worked at the U.S. Department of Energy and as a committee staffer for Senator Charles Percy, and in 1980 he became chief counsel and staff director of the Subcommittee on Energy, Nuclear Proliferation, and Government Processes. In 1981, Strauss organized a group of senate staffers to perform satirical songs at the annual office Christmas party of his employer, Senator Percy. The group was so successful that Strauss went on to co-found a professional satirical troupe, the
Capitol Steps The Capitol Steps was an American political-satire group that performed from 1981 to 2020. Most of the Capitol Steps' material parodied well-known contemporary songs, usually introduced with a short skit. The songs were interspersed with other ro ...
, with Elaina Newport. The Capitol Steps was a $3 million company with more than 40 employees who performed at venues across the country until shutting down in 2021. As director, Strauss wrote many of the songs, performed regularly
off Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...
, and recorded 27
albums An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records coll ...
. During the 1990s, Strauss developed another career as an historian and pop sociologist, examining how generational differences shape attitudes, behaviors, and the course of history. He wrote seven books on social generations with
Neil Howe Neil Howe (born October 21, 1951) is an American author and consultant. He is best known for his work with William Strauss on social generations regarding a theorized generational cycle in American history. Howe is currently the managing direct ...
, beginning with ''
Generations A generation is "all of the people born and living at about the same time, regarded collectively." Generation or generations may also refer to: Science and technology * Generation (particle physics), a division of the elementary particles * Gen ...
'' in 1991. In 1997, Strauss and Howe founded LifeCourse Associates, a publishing, speaking, and consulting company built on their generational theory. As a partner at LifeCourse, Strauss worked as a corporate, nonprofit, education, and government affairs consultant. In 1999, Strauss received a diagnosis of
pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of t ...
. This prompted him to found the
Cappies The Cappies (Critics and Awards Program) is an international program for recognizing, celebrating, and providing learning experiences for high school theater and journalism students and teenage playwrights. There are currently 13 Cappies programs i ...
, a program to inspire the next generation of theater performers and writers. Now an international program including hundreds of high schools, Cappies allows students to attend and review each other's plays and musicals, publish reviews in major newspapers, and hold Tonys-style Cappies award Galas, in which Strauss acted as MC for the Fairfax County program. Strauss also founded Cappies International Theater, a summer program in which top Cappies winners perform plays and musicals written by teenagers. In 2006 and 2007, Strauss advised creative teams of students who wrote two new musicals, ''Edit:Undo'' and ''
Senioritis Senioritis is the colloquial name for the decreased motivation toward studies displayed by students who are nearing the end of their high school, college, and graduate school careers, or the end of the school year in general, though is mostly sa ...
''. ''Senioritis'' was made into a movie that was released in 2007.


Death

Strauss died of
pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of t ...
in his home in
McLean, Virginia McLean ( ) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Fairfax County in Northern Virginia. McLean is home to many diplomats, military, members of Congress, and high-ranking government officials partially due to its proxim ...
. His wife of 34 years, Janie Strauss, lives in McLean and was a member of the
Fairfax County School Board The Fairfax County Public Schools system (FCPS) is a school division in the U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. It is a branch of the Fairfax County government which administers public schools in Fairfax County and the City of Fairfax. FCPS's headqu ...
for 26 years. They have four grown children.


Work

Strauss authored multiple books on social generations, as well as a number of plays and musicals. In 1978, he and Lawrence Baskir co-authored ''Chance and Circumstance'', a book about the Vietnam-era draft. Their second book, ''Reconciliation After Vietnam'' (1978) "was said to have influenced" President
Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he previously served as th ...
's blanket
pardon A pardon is a government decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction. A pardon may be granted before or after conviction for the crime, depending on the laws of the ju ...
of Vietnam draft resisters. Strauss's books with Neil Howe include ''Generations'' (1991) and ''The Fourth Turning'' (1997), which examine historical generations and describe a theorized cycle of recurring mood eras in American history (now described as the Strauss-Howe generational theory). Generations made a deep impression on former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, who called it the most stimulating book on American history he'd ever read. He even sent a copy to each member of Congress. The Fourth Turning made a deep impression on
Steve Bannon Stephen Kevin Bannon (born November 27, 1953) is an American media executive, political strategist, and former investment banker. He served as the White House's chief strategist in the administration of U.S. president Donald Trump during t ...
, who wrote and directed ''
Generation Zero ''Generation Zero'' is a 2010 American documentary film written and directed by Steve Bannon, and produced by David N. Bossie for Citizens United Productions. The documentary features historian David Kaiser as well as author and amateur histor ...
'' (2010), a Citizens United Productions film on the book's theory, prior to his becoming
White House Chief Strategist Stephen Kevin Bannon (born November 27, 1953) is an American media executive, political strategist, and former investment banker. He served as the White House's chief strategist in the administration of U.S. president Donald Trump during the ...
. Howe and Strauss also co-authored ''13th Gen'' (1993) about
Generation X Generation X (or Gen X for short) is the Western world, Western demographic Cohort (statistics), cohort following the baby boomers and preceding the millennials. Researchers and popular media use the mid-to-late 1960s as starting birth years a ...
, and ''Millennials Rising'' (2000) about the
Millennial Generation Millennials, also known as Generation Y or Gen Y, are the Western demographic cohort following Generation X and preceding Generation Z. Researchers and popular media use the early 1980s as starting birth years and the mid-1990s to early 20 ...
. Eric Hoover has called the authors pioneers in a burgeoning industry of consultants, speakers and researchers focused on generations. He wrote a critical piece about the concept of "generations" and the "Millennials" (a term coined by Strauss and Howe) for the Chronicle of Higher Education. Michael Lind offered his critique of Howe's book ''Generations'' for ''The New York Times''. Strauss also wrote a number of application books with Howe about the Millennials’ impact on various sectors, including ''Millennials Go to College'' (2003, 2007), ''Millennials in the Pop Culture'' (2005), and ''Millennials in K-12 Schools'' (2008). Strauss wrote three musicals, ''MaKiddo'', ''Free-the-Music.com'', and ''Anasazi'', and two plays, ''Gray Champions'' and ''The Big Bump'', about various themes in the books he has co-authored with Howe. He also co-wrote two books of political satire with Elaina Newport, ''Fools on the Hill'' (1992) and ''Sixteen Scandals'' (2002).


Selected bibliography


Books

*''Chance and Circumstance'' (1978) *''Reconciliation After Vietnam'' (1978) *''Generations'' (1991) *''Fools on the Hill'' (1992) *''13th-GEN'' (1993) *''The Fourth Turning'' (1997) *''Millennials Rising'' (2000) *''Sixteen Scandals'' (2002) *''Millennials Go To College'' (2003, 2007) *''Millennials and the Pop Culture'' (2006) *''Millennials and K-12 Schools'' (2008)


Plays and musicals

*''MaKiddo'' (2000) *''Free-the-Music.com'' (2001) *''The Big Bump'' (2001) *''Anasazi'' (2004) *''Gray Champions'' (2005)


Notes


External links

* http://www.williamstrauss.com/ * http://www.capsteps.com/ * http://www.lifecourse.com/ * http://www.cappies.com/ * http://www.makiddo.com/index.html * http://www.free-the-music.com/ * {{DEFAULTSORT:Strauss, William 1947 births 2007 deaths American consultants American theatre directors Harvard Law School alumni 21st-century American dramatists and playwrights Deaths from pancreatic cancer Deaths from cancer in Virginia 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights Harvard Kennedy School alumni 21st-century American non-fiction writers