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==Artistic Director==
==Artistic Director==


In taking on the mantle of Artistic Director, Powell had a significant an enduring impact on the development of new American plays.
In taking on the mantle of Artistic Director, Powell had a significant and enduring impact on the development of new American plays.


In 1985, Powell was named the Artistic Director of The Lab at Circle Rep. The Lab offered opportunities for writers to shape and develop their work in readings and performances. The Lab "was perhaps the most vibrant element of the theater .... At its peak, The Lab was training ground for more than 300 participants," according to Circle Rep co-founder [[Marshall W. Mason]]. <ref>{{cite book |last1=Mason |first1=Marshall |title=The Transcendent Years: Circle Rep Theater & the 60s |date=April 13, 2018 |publisher=Goodreads Press |isbn=1632920530}}</ref> Powell worked with a constellation of American playwrights that included Terrence McNally, Paula Vogel, Craig Lucas and Lanford Wilson. He served as the Artistic Director of The Lab until Circle Rep closed in 1996.
In 1985, Powell was named the Artistic Director of The Lab at Circle Rep. The Lab offered opportunities for writers to shape and develop their work in readings and performances. The Lab "was perhaps the most vibrant element of the theater .... At its peak, The Lab was training ground for more than 300 participants," according to Circle Rep co-founder [[Marshall W. Mason]]. <ref>{{cite book |last1=Mason |first1=Marshall |title=The Transcendent Years: Circle Rep Theater & the 60s |date=April 13, 2018 |publisher=Goodreads Press |isbn=1632920530}}</ref> Powell worked with a constellation of American playwrights that included Terrence McNally, Paula Vogel, Craig Lucas and Lanford Wilson. He served as the Artistic Director of The Lab until Circle Rep closed in 1996.

Revision as of 08:22, 5 September 2020

Michael Warren Powell
Born(1937-01-22)January 22, 1937
Martinsville, Virginia, U.S.
DiedJuly 17, 2016(2016-07-17) (aged 79)
Manhattan, New York City, New York
NationalityAmerican
Occupation(s)Theater: Artistic Director, Director, Actor, Designer
Known forThe Lab, Circle Rep 1985-1996

Michael Warren Powell (1937-2016) was an Artistic Director, director, actor and designer involved in the Off-Off-Broadway movement, Off-Broadway and the development of new American plays.

Early Career

Originally from Martinsville, Virginia, Powell attended the Goodman Memorial Theater School at the Art Institute of Chicago. In the early 1960s, he moved to New York City with his friend, Lanford Wilson, both aspiring theater artists. The two lived together and formed a personal and professional partnership that lasted for many years.[1]

In New York, Powell worked as a design assistant for a home decorator, Leona Kahn, and became involved with the Caffe Cino as an actor and designer.[2]

Actor and Designer

Powell acted in several productions at the Caffe Cino, the coffeehouse theater in the West Village that was founded by Joe Cino and is often described as the birthplace of Off-Off-Broadway.[3]

Plays in which Powell acted include the 1964 debut of The Madness of Lady Bright by Lanford Wilson and directed by Denis Deagan, one of the early plays of the gay theater movement. Powell appeared in the revival of The Futz and The Clown, for which he also constructed the costumes. [4] For Wilson's one-act play Home Free! at the Cino, Powell originated the lead role of "Lawrence" alongside Joanna Miles in the other title role, and under the direction of Neil Flanagan. [5]

When Home Free! was offered a production as part of the New Playwright Series at the Off-Broadway Cherry Lane Theatre, Powell again co-starred with Miles, but this time under the direction of another Caffe Cino regular, Marshall W. Mason. For the Cherry Lane production, Powell designed and constructed an eye-catching set and props. [6] The play, which was on a bill with two other plays, Sam Shepard’s Up to Thursday and Paul Foster’s Balls, opened in February 1965. [7] The play launched Wilson's career. Home Free! later toured to England, Powell reprising his role, but this time with Claris Nelson as his co-star. [8]

After the founding in 1969 of the Circle Theater Company, later to become Circle Repertory Company or simply Circle Rep, Powell became closely involved as an actor and designer, fostering the mission of developing new plays.[9] He also branched out to other theaters, including La Mama, Stage 73 and Theatre of the Eye Repertory Company.[10] In 1990, Powell took on the original role of Uncle Fred in the Circle Rep premiere of Prelude to a Kiss (play) by Craig Lucas. The production, with Alec Baldwin and Mary-Louise Parker was directed by Norman René.[11] He also made TV appearances, including in the TV movie, Isn't It Shocking?

Stage Director

Powell began directing, as well. In 1987 he directed the revival of William M. Hoffman’s As Is (play) at Circle Rep, a production in which Powell also co-designed the costumes with Susan Lyall. [12] In 1991, he directed The Balcony Scene by Wil Calhoun at Circle Rep with Cynthia Nixon in one of the roles. [13]

Over the years, Powell took on directing assignments at many venues, including the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center, the Last Frontier Theatre Conference, Wings Theater in New York, chashama, and others. In the late 1990s, he directed plays at the Cape Cod Theatre Project, including works by Carter W. Lewis, Lanford Wilson and Clark Middleton.[14]

Artistic Director

In taking on the mantle of Artistic Director, Powell had a significant and enduring impact on the development of new American plays.

In 1985, Powell was named the Artistic Director of The Lab at Circle Rep. The Lab offered opportunities for writers to shape and develop their work in readings and performances. The Lab "was perhaps the most vibrant element of the theater .... At its peak, The Lab was training ground for more than 300 participants," according to Circle Rep co-founder Marshall W. Mason. [15] Powell worked with a constellation of American playwrights that included Terrence McNally, Paula Vogel, Craig Lucas and Lanford Wilson. He served as the Artistic Director of The Lab until Circle Rep closed in 1996.

When Circle Rep closed its doors, Powell formed and became the Artistic Director of the Lab Theater Company, which later became Circle East Theater Company. The company continued the work of The Lab at Circle Rep by developing and producing new plays. [16] Circle East continued until Powell’s death in 2016.

Beginning in 1995, Powell established The Play Lab at the Last Frontier Theatre Conference, a summer festival in Alaska, originally known as the Edward Albee Theatre Conference. The Play Lab worked with playwrights to develop their plays and present readings. At the outset, The Play Lab worked with six Alaskan writers. [17] By 1999, the conference was holding workshops for 54 playwrights from 35 states. [18]

Powell also became the Artistic Director of the School of Theater of the New York State Summer School of the Arts, a program that nurtures young theater artists chosen from across the state. [19]

Other

From 1995-2000, Powell was a Professor of Theater on the Directing Faculty at Rutgers University in New Jersey.

After Powell's death in 2016, Circle East members formed the New Circle Theatre Company, operating out of the Michael Warren Powell Community Center in Powell's former home in Midtown Manhattan. [20]

References

  1. ^ Porter, Beth (March 25, 2011). "Lanford Wilson Obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  2. ^ Mason, Marshall (April 13, 2018). The Transcendent Years: Circle Rep Theater & the 60s. Goodreads Press. ISBN 1632920530.
  3. ^ McElroy, Steven (December 7, 2001). "Portal to Off Off Broadway's Early Days". The New York Times. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  4. ^ Mason, Marshall (April 13, 2018). The Transcendent Years: Circle Rep Theater & the 60s. Goodreads Press. ISBN 1632920530.
  5. ^ "How We Looked". Caffe Cino.
  6. ^ "Archive 1960s". CherryLaneTheatre.org. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  7. ^ Bottoms, Stephen (2004). Playing Underground: A Critical History of the 1960s Off-Off Broadway Movement. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. ISBN 0-472-11400-X.
  8. ^ "Claris Nelson". Caffe Cino Blog. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  9. ^ Ryzuk, Mary (1989). The Circle Repertory Company: The First Fifteen Years. Iowas State Press. ISBN 9780813800295.
  10. ^ "Lortel Off Broadway Database".
  11. ^ Rich, Frank. "Review/Theater; 'Prelude to a Kiss,' a Fairy Tale of Souls in Love and in Flight". No. March 15, 199p. New York Times. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  12. ^ Goodman, Walter (April 27, 1987). "Stage: Circle Rep's Revival of 'As Is'". New York Times. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  13. ^ "Archives". Lortel Off Broadway Database. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  14. ^ "Archives". Cape Cod Theatre Project. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  15. ^ Mason, Marshall (April 13, 2018). The Transcendent Years: Circle Rep Theater & the 60s. Goodreads Press. ISBN 1632920530.
  16. ^ Van Gelder, Lawrence (June 20, 2003). "Theater Review: Six Windows to the Soul, Some Blurred". New York Times. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  17. ^ Homstrom, Ron (June 22, 2017). "Last Frontier Theatre Conference celebrates 25th anniversary". Anchorage Press. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  18. ^ Weber, Bruce (June 29, 1999). "Arts in America: Very Far Off Broadway but True to the Spirit; A Festival in Alaska Draws the Guiding Lights for a 40th Anniversary". New York Times. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  19. ^ "Obituary, Michael Warren Powell". Martinsville Bulletin. July 21, 2016.
  20. ^ "New Circle Theatre Company Re-Emerges With 3rd Inferno Project". Broadway World. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
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