PLAYWRIGHTS & COMPOSERS Robert Harling Playwright – Steel Magnolias Robert made his directorial debut with The Evening Star for Paramount, which he also wrote for the screen based on Larry McMurty’s novel. The Evening Star reunited Shirley MacLaine and Jack Nicholson in a continuation of one of the most beloved and acclaimed movies of our time, Terms of Endearment. Robert graduated from Tulane University School of Law, but instead of taking the bar exam, he opted to become an actor in New York. After years as an actor, Harling was inspired to write the highly acclaimed stage play Steel Magnolias, based on events from his personal life. Harling then adapted his original play into the popular film of the same title. Mr. Harling has become a much sought-after screenwriter: other credits include Soapdish, which was based on Harling’s acting experience and starred Sally Field, Whoopi Goldberg, and Robert Downey Jr., and First Wive’s Club for Paramount, starring Bette Midler, Goldie Hawn, and Diane Keaton. Beth Kander Playwright – Mountain Octopus, Headwaters New Play Festival T. Jefferson Carey Memorial Playwriting Award (she, her, hers) Beth is an award-winning author and playwright. The granddaughter of immigrants, her work explores how worlds old and new intertwine. Previous work with CRT: Hazardous Materials (2019 Henry Award for Best New Play or Musical) and the online docudrama To The Moon. Her scripts are published by Stage Rights/ Broadway Licensing, with newer works available on the New Play Exchange. In addition to plays, Beth writes novels and children’s literature, with two new books debuting in 2023. Beth has a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Michigan and an MFA in Creative Writing from Mississippi University for Women. She has served as the Host Playwright for Ashland New Plays Festival in Oregon since 2017. A proud parent-artist, her two kids are her favorite characters. She’s thrilled to be returning to CRT, a true artistic home. Beth is represented by Allison Hellegers at Stimola Literary Studio. More: www.bethkander.com
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Ken Ludwig Playwright – Sherwood Ken has had six shows on Broadway, seven in London’s West End, and many of his works have become a standard part of the American repertoire. His twenty-eight plays and musicals have been performed in over thirty countries in more than twenty languages and are produced throughout the United States every night of the year. Lend Me a Tenor won two Tony Awards and was called “one of the classic comedies of the 20th century” by The Washington Post. Crazy For You was on Broadway for five years and won the Tony and Olivier Awards for Best Musical. His latest play, Dear Jack, Dear Louise, won the 2020 Charles MacArthur Award for Best New Play of the Year. He is a graduate of Harvard and Cambridge. For more information, see his website at www.kenludwig.com. Michael Perlman+ Playwright – A Better Place, Headwaters New Play Festival See bio on page 55 Marco Ramirez Playwright – The Royale Marco Ramirez has had plays produced at Lincoln Center Theater, The Kennedy Center, The Humana Festival, The Old Globe (San Diego), The Bush Theatre (London), American Theater Company (Chicago), Soulpepper (Toronto) and Center Theatre Group (LA). Honors include Helen Hayes and Drama Desk nominations, the Outer Critics Circle’s John Gassner Playwriting Award, Juilliard’s Lila Acheson Wallace Playwriting Fellowship, Lincoln Center’s Le Comte du Nouy Award, and TCG’s Edgerton Foundation New Play Award. Marco is also a WGA and Emmy Award-nominated TV writer and producer, where his credits include Marvel’s Daredevil (Netflix), Marvel’s The Defenders (Netflix), Sons of Anarchy (FX), Orange Is the New Black (Netflix), and Fear the Walking Dead (AMC). Ted Swindley Playwright – Always…Patsy Cline Ted is internationally known as writer and director of the popular musical, Always...Patsy Cline. He is the founding artistic director of Stages Rep in Houston, Texas. He was also named to the Esquire Magazine’s register of outstanding Americans in arts and letters. Mr. Swindley was the recipient of the Los Angeles Dramalogue award for outstanding direction of Carnal Knowledge by Jules Feiffer. Currently,
he is president of Ted Swindley Productions, Inc., a theatrical licensing and consulting company, and continues his thirty-year career writing plays and musicals, consulting and mentoring playwrights, as well as directing plays for various theatres throughout the U.S. and abroad. Mr. Swindley is an active member of the Dramatists Guild of America and Stage Directors and Choreographers. Karen Zacarías Playwright – Native Gardens One of the ten most-produced playwrights in the US, her awardwinning plays include The Copper Children, Destiny of Desire, Native Gardens, The Book Club Play, Legacy of Light, Mariela in the Desert, and The Sins of Sor Juana. She is the author of ten renowned TYA musicals (including Ella Enchanted: The Musical) and the librettist of several ballets. She is one of the inaugural resident playwrights at Arena Stage, a core founder of the Latinx Theatre Commons, and founder of the award-winning Young Playwrights’ Theater (YPT), cited by the Obama administration as one of the best arts-education programs on the nation. Karen’s awards and recognitions include: 2018 Washingtonian of the Year, Washingtonian Magazine; 2019 Sine Fellow for Policy Innovation at American University; 2019 Lee Reynolds Award, The League of Professional Theatre Women; 2021 United States Artists Fellowship award. www.KarenZacarias.com
DIRECTORS & CHOREOGRAPHERS Amanda Berg Wilson Director – Steel Magnolias (she, her, hers) Amanda is Artistic Director of The Catamounts, a Colorado company dedicated to theatre for the adventurous palate (thecatamounts. org), and a freelance theatre artist specializing in site-specific, immersive, feminist, and boundary-pushing works. As director: 9 to 5 and Pride and Prejudice (Creede Repertory Theatre); The Wild Party and Between Us: The Whiskey Tasting (DCPA OffCenter); God’s Ear, Failure: A Love Story, Rausch, Men on Boats, United Flight 232, and Land of Milk and Honey, among others (The Catamounts). As performer: Sweet & Lucky (DCPA Off-Center), Detroit (Curious Theatre Company), There is A Happiness That Morning Is and Beowulf: A Thousand