Thomas Thomas (August 31, 1935 – December 2, 2015) was an American actor , screenplay writer and playwright .
16-759: Thomas Neil Thomas was born in Lawrence, Pennsylvania on August 31, 1935. He studied at the Pittsburgh Playhouse School of Theatre from 1958 to 1960 before attending Carnegie Mellon University . On July 2, 2014, he married Janis V. Purins, with whom he had been living as domestic partners since they met at the Pittsburgh Playhouse in 1973. Thomas began his career in theatre at Little Lake Theatre in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, where he acted in or directed thirty plays from 1958 to 1964. In 1965, he served as
32-552: A mid-2007 interview, when asked the question: "Has the Jewish cultural dynamic in your upbringing influenced what and how you write?", Dart replied "Unquestionably. I grew up in a household where both my parents were immigrants – my mother from Russia, father from Lithuania – and they spoke more Yiddish in my house than English, so it was just a [sic] completely a part of who I was." Dart has written nine novels, including Beaches . She wrote for The Sonny and Cher Show variety show in
48-583: A youth with the Curtaineers, an inter-racial theater group at the Settlement house , at the Pittsburgh Playhouse , and The White Barn Theatre . She also went to classes at the Pittsburgh Playhouse as a child. She graduated from Taylor Allderdice High School in 1962 and was inducted into their alumni hall of fame in 2009. She is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University with a degree in theater. In
64-612: Is a census-designated place located in Cecil Township , Washington County in the state of Pennsylvania . The community is a Pittsburgh suburb located in northern Washington County near the Allegheny County line. As of the 2010 census the population was 540 residents. Lawrence was mostly built as a miner's village for the Montour #4 Mine, which opened in 1914. Montour #4 closed in 1980 after flooding. Black Box Corporation
80-458: Is based in Lawrence. 40°18′23″N 80°07′19″W / 40.30639°N 80.12194°W / 40.30639; -80.12194 This Washington County, Pennsylvania state location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Iris Rainer Dart Iris Rainer Dart ( née Rainer ; born March 3, 1944) is an American author and playwright for television and
96-504: The ranch , she shared with her lover after the death of her husband D. H. Lawrence in 1939, the play examines the dynamics of a meeting between a mother who follows her own calling and the needs imposed on her by family and conventions. Named "Best Play, Best Ensemble, Best Actress, and Best Actor" in 2009 by The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette , it was nominated by the American Theatre Critics Association as "Best Play" and
112-516: The 1970s. She got the idea to write about a woman "loosely based on 'the no holds barred outrageous person' that she found in Cher. The character became "Cee Cee Bloom" in her ...novel Beaches later made into the iconic film of the same name starring Bette Midler ." She wrote the book and lyrics for the 2009 stage musical, Laughing Matters , for the Pasadena Playhouse , California. Her next work
128-497: The author of a number of screenplays, including episodes for Hotel , Hill Street Blues and A Year in the Life . He wrote and co-produced the pilot for the proposed series "Private Sessions" starring Mike Farrell and Maureen Stapleton. In November 2015, Thomas collaborated with Iris Rainer Dart on rewrites for the stage musical, Beaches , based on Dart's popular novel. He also made final edits on his screenplay, Vanished , which
144-748: The co-producer and director at The Rabbit Run Theatre in Madison, Ohio and later at The Odd Chair Playhouse in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. In 1966, he joined the American Conservatory Theater, where he worked under the artistic direction of William Ball. He then received the Cameron Overseas Grant from CMU to study in Europe where he joined the Young Vic. Upon returning to America in 1967, he joined
160-667: The faculty at Point Park College in Pittsburgh, where he led the theatre department from 1974 to 1977. He was appointed as the artistic director at the Pittsburgh Playhouse and was also the artistic director for the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera in 1972, where he directed the entire inaugural season at newly restored Heinz Hall. In 1974, he was honored as "Man of the Year in Theatre" by the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Jaycees. He has been
176-468: The stage. Her most notable novel is Beaches , which was made into a 1988 film of the same name . She has also written several stage musicals as well as for television shows, such as The Sonny and Cher Show . She voiced Donna, Peter Cottontail's love interest, in the 1971 stop-motion Easter classic, Here Comes Peter Cottontail . Iris Rainer was born in Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania, and was an actress as
SECTION 10
#1733084511469192-648: Was a play that was first shown at the New Harmony Theatre , Evansville, Indiana in 2004, starring Jana Robbins and, after revision, in 2009 with Jane Alexander at the Pittsburgh Playhouse. It was also later performed at the George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick, New Jersey . Both productions were directed by Edwin Sherin. Based on an actual meeting between Frieda Weekley and her estranged son Monty at
208-607: Was adapted from the novel by Mary McGarry Morris . During this same time, he was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia and died within two weeks. Thomas had been the recipient of multiple grants, including from the Ford Foundation (1969) and the National Endowment for the Arts (1978). The Interview , his first major play, was produced with Jose Ferrer as director and actor at the Pittsburgh Playhouse . In 1976, The Interview
224-783: Was also nominated for the 2009 Pulitzer Prize in Drama. A member of the Dramatists Guild of America, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, and Writers Guild of America West, Thomas was also the co-writer (2012) along with novelist Iris Rainer Dart of a Broadway musical, Beaches , based on Dart's popular novel and film. It premiered at the Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia in February 2014. Lawrence, Pennsylvania Lawrence
240-795: Was produced Off-Broadway . His other plays included The Ball Game , which premiered at Playwrights Horizons and later opened at the Open Space Theatre in London, England, and Without Apologies , which premiered at The Pittsburgh Playhouse and later at the Dorset Theatre Festival directed by Edgar Lansbury, and which subsequently moved to a successful off-Broadway production at the Hudson Guild Theatre, starring Carrie Nye and Pauline Flanagan. Both "The Interview" and "Without Apologies" were published by Samuel French, Inc. A Moon To Dance By
256-570: Was the Roundabout Theatre Broadway production of her new musical, The People in the Picture , which opened on April 28, 2011, and closed on June 19, 2011, and starred Donna Murphy . She was married to rock concert promoter Steve Wolf until they divorced in 1977 (less than half a year before he was murdered when robbers broke into his house). She is currently married to Stephen Dart, a California businessman. She has two adult children,
#468531