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68-450: Lexington Conservatory Theatre was an equity summer theatre company in the Catskills town of Lexington, New York . Co-founded in 1976 by a group of professional theatre artists including Oakley Hall III , Michael Van Landingham and Bruce Bouchard, the theatre operated for five seasons at the historic Lexington House , a former hotel turned artist retreat. Hall was seriously injured in

136-563: A Good Man, Charlie Brown . He changed directions when his senior thesis at Lewis & Clark College resulted in Little Pieces , a show of three one-act plays, premiering in March 1971, with Markie Post and Timothy Cole. The show was produced again in 1973. The script won Merrick a Shubert Fellowship to study playwriting at the University of Colorado. In 1974, Falling Apart was workshopped at

204-570: A Town as part of its season. The show premiered in January 1984 with Joanna Gleason and John Monteith , directed by Allan Carlsen. "From the first scene when one of the two characters asks, "Is it working for you?" A Hell of a Town , the brand-new comedy at GeVa, works and works and works well," said the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle . "It works on your funny bone and some other places of your anatomy and most importantly, your head." It played

272-575: A Town closed. "The closing was one of the saddest chapters in my life," said producer Frank Gero, who observed that two weeks of sold-out previews were followed by dismal sales after the play's critical reception in the New York press. The Off-Broadway production lost $ 125,000. The play was produced again in 1988 at the 26th Street Theatre in Wilton Manors , Florida, starring a young Marc Kudisch alongside Andrea O'Connell, directed by Brian C. Smith. "It's

340-671: A Town ," quipped The Miami Herald . Merrick's next play Pride and Joy was workshopped at Sundance Institute in 1985, where it was directed by Len Berkman with actors Margo Martindale , Didi Conn , Ethan Phillips and fellow Lexington alumni Cotter Smith . It was produced at Theatre 40 in Beverly Hills in 1987, starring Krisann Keane, Will Nye, Viveca Parker and J. David Krassner, directed by John Henry Davis. A "dark and funny satire," according to critic Pam Linn, with "a near-perfect cast." In 1987, production began on Merrick's first screenplay credit. Originally titled Boy's Life ,

408-602: A casting call for a re-titled version of the play called The Teacher's Smoking Room , to be produced at Tyson Studios in New York City. In 1980, the Lexington company presented a workshop of his play Saturday Night Special , directed by Mary Baird. The play was subsequently produced at Direct Theatre in New York City, with Peggy Scott directing. The cast included Mary Baird, Lilene Mansell, J.R. Horne, John Robert Tillotson and Wesley John Rice, some of whom reprised their roles from

476-513: A documentary about the theatre company as part of The Summer Show series. Hosted by Joan Lapp, the production interviewed cast and crew of the production of Monte Merrick's Nurseryland . By its third season, the company had secured significant funding from the New York State Council on the Arts and was growing its reputation nationally, with attention from critic Brooks Atkinson . In 1978,

544-516: A fall from a bridge during the summer of 1978. That summer and Hall's life in the aftermath of a traumatic brain injury were the subjects of the documentary The Loss of Nameless Things . "...on par with the Woodstock, Williamstown and Berkshire playhouse troupes," summarized Fred LeBrun in the Albany Times Union in 1978, "but with an attitude all their own." "Their productions roared with

612-721: A full-throated vitality that's never since had a regional equal, and in their offstage life, troupe members indulged in carnal and intoxicating pursuits with comparable zeal," said critic Steve Barnes, decades later. "They were on a mission to change the world, like generations of young artists before and since." Oakley Hall III, Michael van Landingham, Thomas Culp and Bruce Bouchard met while attended college at UC Irvine, working together on productions at Irvine Repertory Theatre and American Conservatory Theater . The group of friends eventually moved to New York City to continue their careers. In 1974, Evelyn Weisberg, owner of Lexington House , met Bouchard and fellow actor Kate Kelly while operating

680-404: A local educational theatre program. Learning of the nascent theatre group forming in New York, Weisberg supported the formation of the group in 1975, inviting them to take residence at Lexington House and its surrounding facilities. Cabaret star Julie Wilson held a fundraiser for the company in a downtown Manhattan loft, netting $ 7,000 in seed funding for the organization. After extensive work on

748-533: A lot of fun, I can tell you that right off the bat," Kudisch told the Sun Sentinel . "This is a crazy play." Kudisch earned points toward his Equity card while performing in this show, his professional debut. "Monte Merrick attempts the flip manner of playwright Murray Schisgal in some respects but lacks Schisgal's ability to make consistently good sport of urban Angst or yuppie hang-ups," said critic Jack Zink. "People who value things like reality should avoid A Hell of

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816-506: A major role in the recognition of the impact the AIDS epidemic on the world of theater, co-founding Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS . In 2021, Actor's Equity introduced an "Open Access" membership policy, whereby "any theatre worker who can demonstrate they have worked professionally as an actor or stage manager within Equity's geographical jurisdiction" may join the union. This opened eligibility to

884-568: A member of one of Equity's sister performing arts unions, the "Four A's": SAG-AFTRA , AGMA , AGVA or GIAA . Such applicants must have been a member of said sister union for at least one year, be a member in good standing of that union, have worked as a performer under the union's jurisdiction on a principal or "under-five" contract or at least three days of extra ("background") work, and must have completed non-union theatrical work. The AEA has several different types of contract, with different rules associated with them. Each contract type deals with

952-576: A moist dab of pathos or two, and it's 10:08 and you're back in the car," according to the Chicago Tribune . The Boy Who Saw Baby Doll received a reading at the 45th Street Theatre in NYC in January 2007, starring Joanna Gleason and Chris Sarandon , while Need was read at the Dramatists Guild in New York, directed by John Henry Davis. First Casualty premiered at The Hormel New Works Festival at

1020-572: A more organized equality strike. Starting on June 5, 1929, Gillmore attended several meetings in New York with the heads of Broadway. After the meeting, he notified the AEA that appearances in sound and talking motion pictures had been suspended until the outcome of the meetings with the international Studio Crafts Union. Due to the negotiations and the suspension of contracts through the AEA, studios were desperate for actors to speed up production, which had dropped significantly. The New York Times wrote, "It

1088-545: A press conference at the EBA Dance Studio in Albany, NY. They announced that the company would form a theatre in downtown Albany that followed a fall-winter-spring season, to be known as Capital Repertory Company or "Capital Rep." While they had reviewed various buildings in search of a suitable facility, they had decided that refurbishing a non-theatre building into a 450-seat theatre was the most viable option. On April 19 and 20,

1156-496: A rare TV role) and Elijah Wood as Artful Dodger, directed by Tony Bill . Intended as a feature film under executive producer Laurence Mark , the production stalled and subsequently was picked up by Disney to be part of the 1997 relaunch of The Wonderful World of Disney . The broadcast was well received by critics. The writing was praised as "intelligent and not the least bit condescending," by The Seatle Post-Intelligencer . In 2004, Merrick returned to theatre with Cat Feet ,

1224-482: A rough draft, and then I give it to people, give it to theaters, and if all goes well, there will be a reading of the play. I'll make changes in this process, but usually not too many...after a while I just decide it's finished," he explained. "I'd rather go on to something new than keep rewriting." Merrick's career took a turn a few months later, when Geva Theatre Center in Rochester, NY took up production of A Hell of

1292-520: A series of theatre classes to students ages 6–18. By the end of the 1977 season, the company's profile had raised considerably. "The two venerable rival companies at Williamstown, Mass. and Woodstock, New York could not boast seasons of such sustained artistic accomplishment as the young, energetic players at Lexington Theatre enjoyed in the second season of their ascendency," according to the River Valley Chronicle . The theatre also supported

1360-453: A specific type of theater venue or production type. These include, but are not limited to: Council of Resident Stock Theatres (CORST), Guest Artist, Letters of Agreement (LoA), League of Resident Theatres (LoRT) Small Professional Theatres (SPT), and Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA). AEA actors and stage managers are not allowed to work in non-Equity houses or on any productions in which an Equity Agreement has not been signed anywhere within

1428-568: A staged reading at Lincoln Center , starring Jill Eikenberry , Toby Parker and Allan Carlsen, directed by John Henry Davis. The play tells the story of a triangular relationship between a husband, his brother and his wife, disrupted by the impending birth of a child. Subsequent productions included Alley Theatre in Houston in 1985, Stage West in Fort Worth in 1987, Florida Studio Theatre in Sarasota and

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1496-443: A studio would put out worldwide. On July 20, 1929, the AEA gained its first victory, which gave producers and actors a leg to stand on in their battle for equality. Over 30 days (up to August 20, 1929), Gillmore fought to give the AEA the ability to represent all actors, producers, radio personality, vaudeville performers, and agents in the country. This would also give all power and representation to one organization in order to create

1564-535: A stuffy sleuth nicely done by Michael Hopkins," said critic Ted Mahar. In 1977, Merrick won the second annual Jane L. Gilmore Playwriting Contest for The Man Upstairs . The prize included $ 1,000 in cash, and a $ 1,000 fee for a residency in Omaha during a full production of the play. It was produced at Omaha Community Playhouse in March of that year, directed by Chris Rutherford and starring Joanne Pettipiece, Karen Draper and Susan Hoff. The Omaha World-Herald described

1632-640: A successful two-month run there, selling out each of its 35 performances with a total attendance of 8,050, and was set to transfer to New York. At that point, it was the only Geva production to do so. After the play wrapped, Monteith and Gleason told the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle that they had a week off before rehearsing for the Off-Broadway run, but when the show opened at the Westside Theatre , Joanna Gleason appeared alongside Peter Riegert instead of Monteith, who had "other commitments" according to

1700-626: A year-round season of productions, including a new play development program. In 2004, the feature film documentary The Loss of Nameless Things debuted on the festival circuit and later was broadcast on the PBS series Independent Lens . It chronicled the history of the company and its founder, Oakley Hall III. The film sparked renewed interest in Hall's work as well as a biopic that was in development but never produced. In 2022, photographer and documentary filmmaker Michael Bronfenbrenner published Lexington Through

1768-556: Is a crafty observer of the ups and downs of an acquisitive society," said the New York Times review, while The Home News enjoyed the production's components but objected to the trilogic structure. Newsday praised the "crisp" direction and deft performances, but criticized the darkly comic subject matter. Robert Feldberg in The Record said "It starts out fine, but collapses well before the finish." After 32 performances, A Hell of

1836-562: Is just about the easiest play to write," said critic Mel Gussow , "a collage of events in recent history, interposed with small scenes in everyday life. But easy can be hard if you don't know what you're doing and why you're doing it." Despite mixed reviews in New York, Falling Apart was produced numerous times and with more favorable reviews, including at the Slabtown Stop Theatre in Portland, Oregon in 1975, directed by and co-starring

1904-408: Is to make Albany the hub of our operations," Van Landingham told The Knickerbocker News prior to opening night. "We want to construct a network of productions, centered here." In October 1980, amidst circulating rumors, executive director Michael Van Landingham announced that the theatre would not return to Lexington House and instead move permanently to Albany. He cited a desire to be closer to

1972-515: The Hollywood blacklist , the AEA refused to participate. Although its constitution guaranteed its members the right to refuse to work alongside Communists , or a member of a Communist front organization, the AEA did not ban any members. At a 1997 ceremony commemorating the blacklist's 50th anniversary, Richard Masur , then president of the Screen Actors Guild, apologized for its participation in

2040-505: The Phoenix Theatre , Phoenix, Arizona, in July 2012. The staged reading was directed by William Partlan. Its cast included Paul Duran, Angelica Howland and Marshall Glass. "Despite its serious subject matter, "First Casualty" is authentically funny. And it's perfectly paced thanks to Partlan's exquisite use of silence and pause," said writer Lynn Trimble. "One of my biggest influences in writing

2108-613: The 1979 season The facility at Lexington House included an art gallery, cabaret/bar, numerous smaller cabins and two 150-seat theatres, presenting a main stage season as well as numerous staged readings and developmental works. Tickets were sold via several subscription packages in addition to single ticket sales. When LCT opened in 1976, the Barn Theatre was the primary theatre space, outfitted with seats donated from Theatre 80 in Greenwich Village, NYC. In 1978, after extensive work by

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2176-465: The AEA's jurisdiction. [REDACTED] Media related to Actors' Equity Association at Wikimedia Commons Monte Merrick Monte L. Merrick (October 6, 1949 - March 24, 2015) was a screenwriter, playwright and novelist most notable for his long career in theatre and his feature film screenplays, including 1990's Memphis Belle . "My plays are always rooted in reality with real characters because that's what I'm interested in," Merrick told

2244-750: The Actors Equity Association, with more than 111 actors and Francis Wilson as its founding board president. At a meeting held at the Pabst Grand Circle Hotel in New York City, on May 26, 1913, Actors' Equity was founded by 112 professional theater actors, who established its constitution and elected Francis Wilson as president. Leading up to the association's establishment, a handful of influential actors—known as The Players—held secret organizational meetings at Edwin Booth's The Players at its Gramercy Park mansion. A bronze plaque commemorates

2312-556: The American school," as Merrick described it to the Stamford Mirror Recorder . "Lexington Conservatory Theatre provides the perfect atmosphere for developing a new play." Merrick drew upon his experience as a substitute teacher to render a dark comedy about a group of teachers rebelling against their school administration. "Profound and humorous," according to critic Dan DiNicola. In December 1979, director William Rippner put out

2380-696: The Colony Theatre in Los Angeles. It also received a staged reading in June 1986, as part of the inaugural season of Stages , a new play development project of the Philadelphia Theatre Company . A Hell of a Town was slated to premiere in 1982 at the Ritz Theatre , starring comedy team John Monteith and Suzanne Rand in their dramatic debut; it was ultimately cancelled due to lack of funding. The play

2448-648: The Lens , a photographic recollection of the company. In addition to the company's summer productions, LCT also produced plays in New York City, Off and Off-Off Broadway. Actors%27 Equity Association Leading up to the Actors' and Producers' strike of 1929, Hollywood and California in general had a series of workers' equality battles that directly influenced the film industry. The films The Passaic Textile Strike (1926), The Miners' Strike (1928) and The Gastonia Textile Strike (1929) gave audience and producers insight into

2516-540: The Lexington workshop. In 1981, A Pair of Hearts opened at Manhattan Punch Line Theatre, starring Leslie Frances Williams, Nancy Linehan Charles , Mitch McGuire and Mary Baird, directed by Steve Kaplan. "Monte Merrick has written a slick, sentimental, wryly amusing, predictable comedy about the ups and downs of two marriages as viewed over a weekend in Holiday Inn motel rooms in Seattle, San Francisco and Reno," according to

2584-539: The New York Daily News . The play had its west coast premiere in 1983, at the Lake Oswego Community Theatre, directed by Jerry Leith with a cast that included Carolyn Tomei, John Kobasic and Dee Dee Van Zyl. "The play is lighter than light, but Merrick keeps a steady supply of Neil Simon-like one-liners and asides flowing,"—Ted Mahar, The Oregonian . That same year, Starry Night premiered with

2652-509: The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle in 1984. "It's not social issues. It's human values and human relationships." Born in Portland, Oregon to Arthur P. and Pearl Merrick, he was one of five children. He attended Lewis & Clark College in Portland and later earned a master's degree in theatre from the University of Colorado Boulder. Merrick originally intended to be an actor, performing in college and community theatre productions such as Hail Scrawdyke , Two Gentlemen of Verona and You're

2720-494: The author. The Portland cast included Bill Deane, Jacqueline Fowler, Sherrideth Iron, Chrisse Roccaro and Richard Storm. "The play is filled with laughter, but with a great deal of thought-provoking material...In a few words, it is a fine evening of theater,"- The Oregon Journal . The New Theatre in Sydney, Australia produced the play in 1976, directed by Brian Syron . By 1975, Merrick had earned his master's degree in theatre and

2788-503: The ban, saying: "Only our sister union, Actors' Equity Association, had the courage to stand behind its members and help them continue their creative lives in the theater. For that, we honor Actors' Equity tonight." In the 1960s, the AEA played a role in gaining public funding for the arts, including the founding of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). The AEA fought the destruction of historic Broadway theaters . It played

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2856-713: The company presented a series of events called "The Break In", intended to orient the community to the theatre company and its work. The event included music and video presentations, a discussion with director Lev Shekhtman , and selections of scenes from past productions. In March 1980, LCT produced The Tavern by George M. Cohan at the Egg Theatre in Albany, under the Capital Rep name. Directed by future producing artistic director Peter Clough, it starred company members Michael J. Hume, Court Miller , Janni Brenn, Patricia Charbonneau , Sofia Landon Geier and Steve Hytner . "The idea

2924-403: The company won a regional theatre award from The Rockefeller Foundation . In 1979, the company received a $ 2,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts for its new play development work, and in 1980, $ 4,000. The 1980 world premiere of Close Ties by Elizabeth Diggs starred notable stage actress Margaret Barker. She praised the company and its work, saying "I haven't felt this since I

2992-496: The company, the refurbished River Theatre opened with the production of A Streetcar Named Desire . Over the course of its first three years, the organization had grown to include several simultaneous projects. In addition to the main summer series at Lexington, LCT produced PROVOS, a new play reading series, an Upstate Tour production series aimed at serving rural communities, and a League of Women Artists focused on developing theatre opportunities for women. Company members also taught

3060-503: The development of original music. In 1976, the company helped launch the Sonora Music Festival in Lexington, which continued for several seasons. In 1977, LCT featured Earful , a concert series by Joseph Lyons and future Dream Theater star Jordan Rudess . Lyons served as the music director and Rudess as associate music director, composing and performing for several shows as well. On August 14, 1978, PBS affiliate WMHT broadcast

3128-532: The effect and accomplishments of labor unions and striking. These films were set apart by being current documentaries, not merely melodramas produced for glamor. In 1896, the first Actors Union Charter was recognized by the American Federation of Labor as an attempt to create a minimum wage for actors being exploited. It was not until January 13, 1913, that the Union Charter failed. It later reemerged as

3196-561: The facility over the course of several summers, the nascent company of approximately 30 members held an open house on June 3, 1976 for the surrounding community, previewing their first season amid music and square dancing. Subscription rates were $ 10-$ 12. The first season launched on July 8 with a production of Our Town . Photographer John Margolies visited the site that summer. Leadership included executive director Michael Van Landingham, treasurer Thomas Culp, and artistic director Oakley Hall III, later briefly joined by Abraham Tetenbaum for

3264-508: The feature film was directed by Lee Grant and featured a cast that included Sean Astin , Stockard Channing and Dermot Mulroney . It was released as Staying Together in 1989, to positive reviews but underwhelming ticket sales. The following year, producer David Puttnam chose Merrick as the screenwriter for 1990's Memphis Belle , on the strength of a previous script. Puttnam appreciated that Merrick had successfully rendered an ensemble of characters with their own identities. The film

3332-727: The larger populace of Albany, which comprised much of the summer audience. The company did not want to abandon summer productions, and was also seeking a rural property to develop into a summer residence. No such project subsequently emerged, however. That December, the group began its first full season as Capital Repertory Theatre at Page Hall in Albany. LCT helped launch the careers of several notable alumni, and produced numerous world premieres as well as development workshops for emerging writers, including playwrights such as Elizabeth Diggs , Paula Vogel , Peter Parnell , Monte Merrick , Wendy Kesselman and Kathleen Betsko. The company's descendant, Capital Repertory Theatre , continues to produce

3400-469: The loss of their jobs. The theater strikes combined with freelance contracts fueled the need for actors and stagehands to strike for better working conditions and pay. Frank Gillmore , the head and treasurer of the Actor's Equity Association, understood that he would need multiple unions across the country to make a change not only in proper representation and pay, but in actors' ability to negotiate any contract

3468-488: The movie stage under better conditions, but this was the least of its problems. In late December, groups of theater owners and non-represented producers filed lawsuits to claim damages from the AEA's contract holdout. "The plaintiffs not only seek a temporary injunction against the defendants, pending trial on an order to show cause why a permanent injunction should not be granted, but also ask damages of $ 100,000." The AEA allowed small numbers of contracts to be negotiated over

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3536-557: The next few years. In 1933, the Screen Actors Guild was created and took the AEA's place as the main representative for movie actors and producers. This allowed the AEA to focus on live productions, such as theatrical performances, while the Screen Actors Guild focused on movie production and non-scripted live performances, such as minstrel, vaudeville, and live radio shows. In the 1940s, the AEA stood against segregation . When actors were losing jobs through 1950s McCarthyism and

3604-539: The producer. Producer Frank Gero heard about the Rochester production from a friend and drove up to see it. Two weeks later, he announced that the show would open for previews on March 6 at the Westside. "The play begins with a blackout scene," Gero told the Daily News . "I started laughing and I didn't stop until 10 of 10, when the curtain came down. By 10:15 I had an option on the play." "Mr. Merrick can write funny lines and

3672-518: The production as too long but appreciated Merrick's talent for comedy and one-liners. "A bittersweet comedy...a sort of wacky compendium of 'The Glass Menagerie', Tom Stoppard and 'Mary Hartman'". In 1978, after a year of living in Los Angeles, Merrick moved to New York. He became associated with Lexington Conservatory Theatre in Lexington, NY. In 1978, the company produced the world premiere of his play Nurseryland starring Court Miller and directed by Peggy Scott. "A satiric but honest portrait of

3740-704: The room in which The Players met to establish Actors' Equity. Members included Frank Gillmore , who from was the executive secretary of Actors' Equity from 1918 to 1929 and president from 1929 to 1937. Actors' Equity joined the American Federation of Labor in 1919, and called a strike seeking recognition as a labor union. The strike ended the dominance of the Producing Managers' Association , including theater owners and producers like Abe Erlanger and his partner, Mark Klaw . The strike increased membership from under 3,000 to approximately 14,000. The Chorus Equity Association , which merged with Actors' Equity in 1955,

3808-644: The story of a female poet grappling with Alzheimer's. A reading in New York featured Barbara Barrie , Christine Ebersole , Martha Plimpton and Bobby Cannavale , while in Los Angeles a reading starred Cloris Leachman and Mel Harris . The Northlight Theatre in Chicago produced the world premiere in October 2004. ""Cat Feet" is like the fog of the Carl Sandburg poem referenced in Merrick's title. It comes, it goes. A few laughs,

3876-792: The story of three girls, one of whom collects a scrapbook of obituaries, was performed by the Portland State University Players in February 1975. In March, Big City won the Charles MacArthur Playwriting Award. It was produced at Florida State University that June, directed by Mark Berman. It starred Matthew Cutugno, Caris Corfman, Winnie Boone and Gene Densmore. Big City also won the Huidekoper Playwriting Award from Webster College in St. Louis. Also in June

3944-482: The tenth annual National Playwrights Conference at the O'Neill Center in Waterford, Connecticut. The two-act play dramatized the tumultuous 1960s and the events therein, when six friends gathered on New Year's Eve in 1970 to reflect upon the previous decade. Merrick, 24 at the time, told The Day of New London Connecticut that he was utilizing his time at the conference to connect with professional theatre artists. The play

4012-505: The union to theatre workers who had not previously worked for Equity employers. Theatre workers need to provide a copy of their contract and proof of pay. This policy was made permanent in 2023, superseding previous methods for earning eligibility to join Equity such as the Equity Membership Candidate (EMC) program. Asides from Open Access, theatre workers may join Equity by being employed under an Equity contract, or by being

4080-805: Was Neil Simon," Merrick said in an interview during the rehearsal period. "Although this is far from a Neil Simon play, I always infuse any dramatic situation with humor. Because that's life." A reading of Open Heart inaugurated the Sedona New Play Festival at the Canyon Moon Theatre in Sedona, Arizona in 2013. Merrick's final theatre work was a workshop of Rain! the Musical , with a book by Merrick and music and lyrics by college friend Richard Moore. It premiered at Portland's Fertile Ground Festival in February 2013, directed by Louanne Moldovan. In 2014,

4148-532: Was founded during the strike. Equity represented directors and choreographers until 1959, when they broke away and formed their own union . The Actors Equality Strike was a series of walkouts that started in 1927 in local theaters in Los Angeles and quickly grew to the motion picture stage. During the nationwide walkouts, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences started issuing contracts to freelance film actors, which led Hollywood's actors and actresses to fear

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4216-462: Was pointed out that while the Equality regulations were in effect, about 2000 motion picture contracts, involving salaries said to amount to $ 500,000 were offered to actors in New York." Any actor who entered into a contract not approved by the AEA would be banished from the union and have to reapply for admission after negotiations were finished. By December 1929, the AEA was negotiating terms to reset

4284-541: Was produced later that year by Merrick's fellow students at University of Colorado, Boulder, directed by future Lexington Conservatory member Wendy Chapin. Falling Apart was subsequently produced at the Cubiculo Theatre in New York City, directed by John Henry Davis and starring James Alexander, Jo Anne Belanger, Mark Blankfield and Brandis Kemp and Tina Sattin. "Merrick evidently has nothing to say about his rich subject matter," according to one critic. " Falling Apart

4352-464: Was successful and garnered mostly positive reviews, though some critics noted that it was not strictly historically accurate. Merrick wrote a novelization of the script, published by Penguin Books the same year. In 1993, Merrick's first original novel Shelter was published by Hyperion . 1997 saw the debut of Merrick's adaptation of Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist , starring Richard Dreyfus as Fagin (in

4420-544: Was the production of Merrick's Hidden Motives as part of a double bill with Tom Stoppard's The Real Inspector Hound at Portland Civic Theatre. The Portland Civic board awarded Merrick the Julius Zell Perpetual Trophy, a prestigious award for local playwrights, for his writing of Hidden Motives . The play, a spoof on Agatha Christie mysteries, ran June 5–29 and was well received. "..a funny skitlike parody of whodunits consisting almost entirely of accusations by

4488-460: Was with the Group Theater." In 1977, the company received a Whitney Foundation award to support the search for a city in which to develop a resident theatre company. A year later, LCT staff began visiting Albany to plan such a theatre, envisioning a downtown space for a 400-500 seat facility. On April 18, 1979, executive director Michael Van Landingham and artistic director Abraham Tetenbaum held

4556-403: Was working as a substitute teacher while living in Portland, where he acted in local productions as his plays were being produced in the area. Interviewed that January, he told The Oregonian that he "writes comedies because they are easier" but noted that "Even my comedies have serious intent. "My serious plays always have comedy in them, though it's often some pretty black comedy." Children ,

4624-432: Was written for the two specifically. Interviewed in 1983, Merrick lamented the collapse of funding for the production, and hoped to eventually have a hit show. Despite seven productions of Falling Apart and numerous productions of his other plays, he made a living as a "word processor," typing documents for a law firm on Wall Street, while looking forward to his next project. "Generally, it takes about two months to do

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