From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Cheryl Crawford
Cheryl Crawford
Cheryl Crawford (September 24, 1902 - October 7, 1986) Arthur, and many more. Former partner Strasberg joined
was an American theatre producer and director. them as artistic director in 1951.[4]
Born in Akron, Ohio, Crawford majored in drama at
Smith College. Following graduation, she moved to New
York City and enrolled at the Theatre Guild’s school. By
Notable productions
then she knew that she didn’t want to pursue an acting • Awake and Sing! (The Group Theatre) (1935)
career, but saw no other way to gain access to the organi- • Porgy and Bess (1942)
zation producing the highest quality theatre of its time. • One Touch of Venus (1943)
Finishing their training in 1927, she was hired by Theresa • Brigadoon (1947)
Helburn, the Guild’s Executive Director, as a casting sec- • The Rose Tattoo (1951)
retary. She then worked her way through various back- • Paint Your Wagon (1951)
stage jobs, including assistant stage manager, to assistant • Sweet Bird of Youth (1959)
to the “Board of Managers,” an importantant administra- • Jennie (1963)
tive job.[1] While working at the Guild, she met Harold • Celebration (1969)
Clurman and Lee Strasberg who had also been working • Yentl (1975)
there as play reader and actor, respectively. She was im-
pressed with these two young men and joined their an-
imated discussions about the need for a radically new
References
form of American theatre. In 1930 Crawford urged Clur- [1] Crawford, Cheryl, One Naked Individual, Bobbs-
man to start giving semi-public talks to groups of like- Merril, New York, 1977
minded actors. After he followed her suggestion and the [2] Smith, Wendy, Real Life Drama: The Group Theatre
talks attracted more people than could fit in Clurman’s and America, 1931-1940, Grove-Weidenfeld, New
apartment, Crawford arranged for the use of a showroom York, 1990
at the Steinway Piano Company. In 1931, Crawford, Clur- [3] Smith, Wendy, Real Life Drama: The Group Theatre
man and Strasberg announced the formation of The and America, 1931-1940, Grove-Weidenfeld, New
Group Theatre and invited 28 young actors who had been York, 1990
attending Clurman’s talks to join them for a twelve-week [4] Crawford, Cheryl, One Naked Individual, Bobbs-
long summer of training and rehearsal at Pine Brook Merril, New York, 1977
Country Club in Nichols, Connecticut.[2] • One Naked Individual: My Fifty Years in the Theatre by
Crawford had a major role in selecting the early plays Cheryl Crawford, published by The Bobbs-Merrill
produced by The Group, beginning with their first one, Company, 1977
The House of Connelly by North Carolina playwright Paul
Green, whom she later introduced to composer Kurt External links
Weill. She encouraged their subsequent collaboration,
Weill’s first American project, the musical, Johnny John- • Cheryl Crawford at the Internet Broadway Database
son which was the last production she worked on before • Cheryl Crawford biographical sketch, Akron
resigning from The Group Theatre in 1937 to become an Women’s History (with photos)
independent producer.[3] Persondata
Crawford was influential in the early careers of such Name Crawford, Cheryl
actors as Helen Hayes, Bojangles Robinson, Mary Martin,
Alternative names
Ethel Barrymore, Ingrid Bergman, Tallulah Bankhead,
and Paul Robeson, among many others. In 1946, she and Short description
Eva Le Gallienne founded the American Repertory Date of birth September 24, 1902
Theatre. In 1947, together with former Group Theatre Place of birth
members Elia Kazan and Robert Lewis, she founded The
Date of death October 7, 1986
Actor’s Studio, which trained Marlon Brando, James
Dean, Jerome Robbins, Shelley Winters, Jane Fonda, Bea Place of death
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cheryl_Crawford&oldid=453891594"
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Cheryl Crawford
Categories:
• Actors from Ohio
• American stage actors
• American theatre directors
• American theatre managers and producers
• Smith College alumni
• People from Akron, Ohio
• 1902 births
• 1986 deaths
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