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'''Gwen Arner''' is an American [[television director]] and [[actress]].
'''Gwen Arner''' is an American [[television director]] and [[actress]].
==Biography==
==Biography==
Gwen Arner was born and raised in [[Omaha, Nebraska]].<ref name="LA 19961110">{{Cite news |last=Breslauer |first=Jan |date=1996-11-10 |title=THEATER; Bouncing Back to the Boards |pages=43 |work=Los Angeles Times |url=https://proquest.com/docview/293454419/A27DCB3C218C46FEPQ/1 |url-access=subscription |via=[[ProQuest]]}}</ref> Having become interested in acting as a high school student, she studied theater at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, gaining bachelor's and master's degrees in the field.<ref name="LA 19961110"/>
Gwen Arner was born in 1936 or 1937 in [[Omaha, Nebraska]], and later raised there.<ref name="LA 19961110">{{Cite news |last=Breslauer |first=Jan |date=1996-11-10 |title=THEATER; Bouncing Back to the Boards |pages=43 |work=Los Angeles Times |url=https://proquest.com/docview/293454419/A27DCB3C218C46FEPQ/1 |url-access=subscription |via=[[ProQuest]]}}</ref> Having become interested in acting as a high school student, she studied theater at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, gaining bachelor's and master's degrees in the field.<ref name="LA 19961110"/>


After abandoning her initial pursuit for a doctoral degree in favor of stage performance work, she began working at the [[Mark Taper Forum]] and later co-founded the [[Los Angeles Actors' Theatre]] (LAAT), where she marked her directorial debut.<ref name="LA 19961110"/> In 1970, she married [[Donald Moffat]], who was one of the LAAT's co-founders; they would remain married until his death on December 20, 2018.<ref name="LA 19961110"/><ref name="nytimes">{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/20/obituaries/donald-moffat-dead.html| title=Donald Moffat, 87, a Top Actor Who Thrived in Second Billings, Dies| last=McFadden| first=Robert D.| date=20 December 2018| newspaper=[[The New York Times]]| access-date=1 October 2023| language=en-US| issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Among her LAAT directing credits are productions of ''[[The Kitchen (play)|The Kitchen]]'' and ''[[Waiting for Godot]]'', the latter which was shown at ''[[Great Performances]]'' on PBS in 1977.<ref name="LA 19961110"/><ref name="Witbeck"/> Writing for [[King Features Syndicate]], Charles Witbeck praised her ''Waiting for Godot'' production as a "lively, joyful version" of the original, saying that "word reached New York that Los Angeles had a [[Samuel Beckett|Beckett]] smasher, the "definitive Godot" in the words of an influential critic."<ref name="Witbeck">{{Cite news |last=Witbeck |first=Charles |date=June 25, 1977 |title=Los Angeles actors produce lively and joyful Godot version |pages=132 |work=Winnipeg Free Press |url=https://access-newspaperarchive-com.wikipedialibrary.idm.oclc.org/ca/manitoba/winnipeg/winnipeg-free-press/1977/06-25/page-132/ |url-access=subscription |via=[[NewspaperArchive]]}}</ref> [[Dana Elcar]], who starred in the production, also recalled that Arner had "managed the transition without losing touch".<ref name="Witbeck" />
After abandoning her initial pursuit for a doctoral degree in favor of stage performance work, she began working at the [[Mark Taper Forum]] and later co-founded the [[Los Angeles Actors' Theatre]] (LAAT), where she marked her directorial debut.<ref name="LA 19961110"/> In 1970, she married [[Donald Moffat]], who was one of the LAAT's co-founders; they would remain married until his death on December 20, 2018.<ref name="LA 19961110"/><ref name="nytimes">{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/20/obituaries/donald-moffat-dead.html| title=Donald Moffat, 87, a Top Actor Who Thrived in Second Billings, Dies| last=McFadden| first=Robert D.| date=20 December 2018| newspaper=[[The New York Times]]| access-date=1 October 2023| language=en-US| issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Among her LAAT directing credits are productions of ''[[The Kitchen (play)|The Kitchen]]'' and ''[[Waiting for Godot]]'', the latter which was shown at ''[[Great Performances]]'' on PBS in 1977.<ref name="LA 19961110"/><ref name="Witbeck"/> Writing for [[King Features Syndicate]], Charles Witbeck praised her ''Waiting for Godot'' production as a "lively, joyful version" of the original, saying that "word reached New York that Los Angeles had a [[Samuel Beckett|Beckett]] smasher, the "definitive Godot" in the words of an influential critic."<ref name="Witbeck">{{Cite news |last=Witbeck |first=Charles |date=June 25, 1977 |title=Los Angeles actors produce lively and joyful Godot version |pages=132 |work=Winnipeg Free Press |url=https://access-newspaperarchive-com.wikipedialibrary.idm.oclc.org/ca/manitoba/winnipeg/winnipeg-free-press/1977/06-25/page-132/ |url-access=subscription |via=[[NewspaperArchive]]}}</ref> [[Dana Elcar]], who starred in the production, also recalled that Arner had "managed the transition without losing touch".<ref name="Witbeck" /> Two of her Mark Taper Forum productions, ''The Vienna Notes'' (1979) and ''[[Passion Play (play)|Passion Play]]'' (1984), won the [[Drama-Logue Award]] for Outstanding Direction.<ref name="Drama-Logue"/> After ''Passion Play'', she stopped doing stage direction work in Los Angeles for a while, preferring work in [[television film]]s for residency flexibility reasons.<ref name="LA 19961110"/>


In 1974, she directed one episode of ''[[The Waltons]]'', having received an opportunity to do so "through a connection".<ref name="LA 19961110"/>
In 1974, she directed one episode of ''[[The Waltons]]'', having received an opportunity to do so "through a connection".<ref name="LA 19961110"/>
Line 28: Line 28:
Although Arner "found directing much more interesting, more stimulating", she also had some acting credits.<ref name="LA 19961110"/>
Although Arner "found directing much more interesting, more stimulating", she also had some acting credits.<ref name="LA 19961110"/>


Arner also continued her stage direction work in the Midwestern United States. In his review of a 1988 production of ''The White Plague'' (an adaptation of ''[[The White Disease]]'') in [[Evansville, Indiana]] (starring Derek Rhys-Evans, [[John Gegenhuber]], and [[Bruce A. Young]]), Tom Valeo said that, as director, she "heightens the impact of the words by encouraging the cast to deliver them without affectation or melodrama".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Valeo |first=Tom |date=February 24, 1988 |title=Wisdom of play isn't lost in the translation |pages=13 |work=[[Arlington Heights Daily Herald]] |url=https://access-newspaperarchive-com.wikipedialibrary.idm.oclc.org/us/illinois/arlington-heights/arlington-heights-daily-herald-suburban-chicago/1988/02-24/page-13/ |url-access=subscription |via=[[NewspaperArchive]]}}</ref> In 1991, she directed the world premiere of Jeremy Lawrence's play ''Uncommon Ground'' at the Northlight Theatre in [[Evanston, Illinois]], starring his husband Moffat and [[Anna Gunn]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=1991-01-11 |title=`Uncommon Ground' set in restless 1968 |pages=12 |work=Chicago Tribune |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/282944915/A27DCB3C218C46FEPQ/4 |url-access=subscription |via=[[ProQuest]]}}</ref>
Arner continued her stage direction career in the Midwestern United States. In his review of a 1988 production of ''The White Plague'' (an adaptation of ''[[The White Disease]]'') in [[Evansville, Indiana]] (starring Derek Rhys-Evans, [[John Gegenhuber]], and [[Bruce A. Young]]), Tom Valeo said that, as director, she "heightens the impact of the words by encouraging the cast to deliver them without affectation or melodrama".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Valeo |first=Tom |date=February 24, 1988 |title=Wisdom of play isn't lost in the translation |pages=13 |work=[[Arlington Heights Daily Herald]] |url=https://access-newspaperarchive-com.wikipedialibrary.idm.oclc.org/us/illinois/arlington-heights/arlington-heights-daily-herald-suburban-chicago/1988/02-24/page-13/ |url-access=subscription |via=[[NewspaperArchive]]}}</ref> In 1991, she directed the world premiere of Jeremy Lawrence's play ''Uncommon Ground'' at the Northlight Theatre in [[Evanston, Illinois]], starring his husband Moffat and [[Anna Gunn]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=1991-01-11 |title=`Uncommon Ground' set in restless 1968 |pages=12 |work=Chicago Tribune |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/282944915/A27DCB3C218C46FEPQ/4 |url-access=subscription |via=[[ProQuest]]}}</ref>


== Filmography ==
== Filmography ==
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|rowspan="2"|[[Drama-Logue Award]] for Outstanding Direction
|rowspan="2"|[[Drama-Logue Award]] for Outstanding Direction
|{{Won}}
|{{Won}}
|<ref name="Drama-Logue">{{Cite web |year=2020 |title=MARK TAPER FORUM AWARDS |url=https://res.cloudinary.com/dv3qcy9ay/raw/upload/v1585871644/general/PressKit/AwardsLists/Mark_Taper_Forum_Awards_4.20.pdf |publisher=Center Theatre Group |pages=11-12 |format=pdf| access-date=1 October 2023}}</ref>
|<ref name="Drama-Logue">{{Cite web |year=2020 |title=MARK TAPER FORUM AWARDS |url=https://res.cloudinary.com/dv3qcy9ay/raw/upload/v1585871644/general/PressKit/AwardsLists/Mark_Taper_Forum_Awards_4.20.pdf |publisher=Center Theatre Group |pages=11-12 |format=pdf| access-date=4 October 2023}}</ref>
|-
|-
|1984
|1984

Revision as of 02:30, 5 October 2023

Gwen Arner
Occupation(s)Television director, actress
Spouse(s)Donald Moffat (1970-2018); his death
Children2

Gwen Arner is an American television director and actress.

Biography

Gwen Arner was born in 1936 or 1937 in Omaha, Nebraska, and later raised there.[1] Having become interested in acting as a high school student, she studied theater at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, gaining bachelor's and master's degrees in the field.[1]

After abandoning her initial pursuit for a doctoral degree in favor of stage performance work, she began working at the Mark Taper Forum and later co-founded the Los Angeles Actors' Theatre (LAAT), where she marked her directorial debut.[1] In 1970, she married Donald Moffat, who was one of the LAAT's co-founders; they would remain married until his death on December 20, 2018.[1][2] Among her LAAT directing credits are productions of The Kitchen and Waiting for Godot, the latter which was shown at Great Performances on PBS in 1977.[1][3] Writing for King Features Syndicate, Charles Witbeck praised her Waiting for Godot production as a "lively, joyful version" of the original, saying that "word reached New York that Los Angeles had a Beckett smasher, the "definitive Godot" in the words of an influential critic."[3] Dana Elcar, who starred in the production, also recalled that Arner had "managed the transition without losing touch".[3] Two of her Mark Taper Forum productions, The Vienna Notes (1979) and Passion Play (1984), won the Drama-Logue Award for Outstanding Direction.[4] After Passion Play, she stopped doing stage direction work in Los Angeles for a while, preferring work in television films for residency flexibility reasons.[1]

In 1974, she directed one episode of The Waltons, having received an opportunity to do so "through a connection".[1]

Although Arner "found directing much more interesting, more stimulating", she also had some acting credits.[1]

Arner continued her stage direction career in the Midwestern United States. In his review of a 1988 production of The White Plague (an adaptation of The White Disease) in Evansville, Indiana (starring Derek Rhys-Evans, John Gegenhuber, and Bruce A. Young), Tom Valeo said that, as director, she "heightens the impact of the words by encouraging the cast to deliver them without affectation or melodrama".[5] In 1991, she directed the world premiere of Jeremy Lawrence's play Uncommon Ground at the Northlight Theatre in Evanston, Illinois, starring his husband Moffat and Anna Gunn.[6]

Filmography

As director

Television
Year Title Notes Ref.
1978 The Bionic Woman 1 episode [7]
1978 The Paper Chase 1 episode [8]
1980 The Waltons 13 episodes [9]
1984 American Playhouse 1 episode [10]
1984 Dallas 5 episodes [11]
1986 The Colbys 2 episodes [12]
1986 Falcon Crest 8 episodes [13]
1987 Dynasty 11 episodes [14]
1988 Hotel 1 episode [15]
1990 Alien Nation 2 episodes [16]
1991 The Commish 1 episode [17]
1991 Law & Order 2 episodes [18]
1993 Beverly Hills, 90210 1 episode [19]
1993 Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman 1 episode [20]
1993 Sisters 2 episodes [21]
1996 Homicide: Life on the Street 1 episode [22]
Film
Year Title Ref.
1981 My Champion [23]
1981 Please Don't Hit Me, Mom [24]
1982 Mother's Day on Walton's Mountain [25]
1986 My Town [26]
1988 Necessary Parties [27]
1992 Majority Rule [28]
1997 Something Borrowed, Something Blue [29]

As actress

Year Title Role Ref.
1972 The Trial of the Catonsville Nine Marjorie Melville [30]
1978 A Question of Love [31]
1978 Stickin' Together Miss Steigler [32]
1982 Making Love Arlene [33]

Awards and nominations

Year Title Award Result Ref.
1979 The Vienna Notes Drama-Logue Award for Outstanding Direction Won [4]
1984 Passion Play Won [4]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Breslauer, Jan (November 10, 1996). "THEATER; Bouncing Back to the Boards". Los Angeles Times. p. 43 – via ProQuest.
  2. ^ McFadden, Robert D. (December 20, 2018). "Donald Moffat, 87, a Top Actor Who Thrived in Second Billings, Dies". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c Witbeck, Charles (June 25, 1977). "Los Angeles actors produce lively and joyful Godot version". Winnipeg Free Press. p. 132 – via NewspaperArchive.
  4. ^ a b c "MARK TAPER FORUM AWARDS" (pdf). Center Theatre Group. 2020. pp. 11–12. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  5. ^ Valeo, Tom (February 24, 1988). "Wisdom of play isn't lost in the translation". Arlington Heights Daily Herald. p. 13 – via NewspaperArchive.
  6. ^ "`Uncommon Ground' set in restless 1968". Chicago Tribune. January 11, 1991. p. 12 – via ProQuest.
  7. ^ "The Bionic Woman - Full Cast & Crew". TVGuide.com. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  8. ^ "The Paper Chase - Full Cast & Crew". TVGuide.com. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  9. ^ "The Waltons - Full Cast & Crew". TVGuide.com. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  10. ^ "American Playhouse - Full Cast & Crew". TVGuide.com. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  11. ^ "Dallas - Full Cast & Crew". TVGuide.com. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  12. ^ "The Colbys - Full Cast & Crew". TVGuide.com. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  13. ^ "Falcon Crest - Full Cast & Crew". TVGuide.com. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  14. ^ "Dynasty - Full Cast & Crew". TVGuide.com. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  15. ^ "Hotel - Full Cast & Crew". TVGuide.com. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  16. ^ "Alien Nation - Full Cast & Crew". TVGuide.com. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  17. ^ "The Commish - Full Cast & Crew". TVGuide.com. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  18. ^ "Law & Order - Full Cast & Crew". TVGuide.com. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  19. ^ "Beverly Hills, 90210 - Full Cast & Crew". TVGuide.com. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  20. ^ "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman - Full Cast & Crew". TVGuide.com. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  21. ^ "Sisters - Full Cast & Crew". TVGuide.com. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  22. ^ "Homicide: Life on the Street - Full Cast & Crew". TVGuide.com. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  23. ^ "My Champion - Full Cast & Crew". TVGuide.com. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  24. ^ "Please Don't Hit Me, Mom - Full Cast & Crew". TVGuide.com. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  25. ^ "Mother's Day on Waltons Mountain - Full Cast & Crew". TVGuide.com. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  26. ^ "My Town - Full Cast & Crew". TVGuide.com. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  27. ^ "Necessary Parties - Full Cast & Crew". TVGuide.com. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  28. ^ "Majority Rule - Full Cast & Crew". TVGuide.com. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  29. ^ "Something Borrowed, Something Blue - Full Cast & Crew". TVGuide.com. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  30. ^ "The Trial of the Catonsville Nine - Full Cast & Crew". TVGuide.com. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  31. ^ "A Question of Love - Full Cast & Crew". TVGuide.com. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  32. ^ "Stickin' Together - Full Cast & Crew". TVGuide.com. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  33. ^ "Making Love - Full Cast & Crew". TVGuide.com. Retrieved October 4, 2023.


Category:American television actresses Category:American television directors Category:American women television directors Category:Living people Category:Actresses from Omaha, Nebraska Category:1932 births Category:21st-century American women


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