Marsha Norman

Biography

Marsha Norman (b. September 21, 1947) is an American playwright, screenwriter, television writer and novelist. She won the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for her play 'night, Mother. She also wrote the book and lyrics for such Broadway musicals as The Secret Garden, for which she won a Tony Award, and The Red Shoes, as well as the libretto for the musical The Color Purple.

Norman was born into a Christian fundamentalist household in Louisville, Kentucky. As a child she was not allowed to play with other children nor watch television or movies and this solitary childhood is sometimes credited with providing the inspiration to become a writer. She was allowed to read, play the piano and visit the theatre, where she viewed productions by the Actors Theatre of Louisville. After graduating from Agnes Scott College with a degree in philosophy, she began working as a journalist for The Louisville Times newspaper, and writing for Kentucky Educational Television. She also taught English at the J. Graham Brown School in Louisville.

Norman wrote her first play, Getting Out, which was produced at the Actors Theatre of Louisville. The play deals with a young woman just paroled after serving an eight year prison sentence for robbery, kidnapping and manslaughter, and reflects Norman's experience working with disturbed adolescents at the Kentucky Central State Hospital.

Norman's success with Getting Out led her to move to New York City where she continued to write for the Actors Theatre of Louisville and produced a full length play, Circus Valentine in 1979.

Her next play, 'night, Mother, would turn out to be her best-known work, given its initial success on Broadway and the star-powered film version. 'night, Mother brought Norman a great deal of recognition. The play, dealing frankly with the subject of suicide, won the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for Drama as well as the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, the Hull-Warriner, and the Drama Desk Award.

Norman wrote the book and lyrics for the musical version of The Secret Garden (based on the Frances Hodgeson Burnett novel) and won the Tony Award for Best Book in 1991.

Her work in musical theatre continued with her writing the book and lyrics for the musical The Red Shoes. She also wrote the libretto for the musical version of The Color Purple which opened in 2005.

Norman currently serves on the faculty of The Juilliard School in New York City, and is Vice-President of the Dramatists Guild of America.

Source:
Wikipedia contributors, "Marsha Norman," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Marsha Norman&oldid=171528643 (accessed December 18, 2007). [Read More...]

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