This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(January 2018) |
Ruth Sophia Reinprecht(January 8, 1939 – September 30, 2013), professionally known asRuth Maleczech,was an American avant-garde stage actress.[1]She won threeObie Awards for Best Actressin her career, forHajj(1983),Through the Leaves,(1984) andLear(1990) and an Obie Award for Design, shared with Julie Archer, forVanishing Pictures(1980), which she also directed. Her portrayal ofKing Learas an imperious Southern matriarch inLearwas widely acclaimed.[1]
Ruth Maleczech | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Ruth Sophia Reinprecht January 8, 1939 Cleveland, Ohio,U.S. |
| Died | September 30, 2013(aged 74) |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
Life and career
editThis sectionneeds additional citations forverification.(May 2017) |
Ruth Sophia Reinprecht was born inCleveland, Ohioto Elizabeth (néeMaletić,later Maletich; 1914–1996) and Frank Reinprecht (1912–1982), who had emigrated fromYugoslavia.Her parents were a steel worker and seamstress, respectively. She had two siblings, Frank and Patricia, with whom she was raised inPhoenix, Arizona.[2]
Maleczech was the first in her family to attend college, beginning theater studies at UCLA at 16. From there she went to San Francisco to work, where she metMabou Minesco-founderLee Breuer.The two became a couple and, in 1964, they went to Paris and for six years earned money dubbing films, sufficient to fund their burgeoning theatrical experiments.
In France, Maleczech andJoAnne Akalaitisstudied with the Polish director and drama theoristJerzy Grotowski;Maleczech also spent a month in East Berlin studying, observing rehearsals and attending performances byBertolt Brecht's storiedBerliner Ensemble.Returning to the United States, Maleczech co-founded the experimental N.Y.C. theater company Mabou Mines, in 1970, along with Akalaitis, Breuer,Philip GlassandDavid Warrilow.Maleczech collaborated on nearly every piece Mabou Mines produced. She adopted a phonetic spelling of her mother's maiden name as her professional name (Maletich → Maleczech).
She directed/adapted several works:Wrong Guys,from the hard-boiled novel by Jim Strahs;Vanishing Pictures,based on Poe'sMystery of Marie Roget;Samuel Beckett'sImagination Dead Imagine(as a hologram);The Bribeby Terry O'Reilly; her ownSueños,inspired by the life ofSor Juana Inez de la Cruz;Belén: A Book of Hours,written by Catherine Sasanov; andSong For New York.
In addition to working together for a half century, she and Breuer had two children. They legally married in New York in 1978.[3]
Outside of Mabou Mines, Maleczech created Fire Works with Valeria Vasilevski and collaborated and worked with, among others,Peter Sellars,Frederick WisemanandMartha Clarke.She appeared in numerous feature films, commercial and independent, and on television inLaw & OrderandER.[4]
Death
editRuth Maleczech died at age 74 from breast cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at her son's home inBrooklyn.[5]She is survived by her husband, son (Lute Breuer), daughter (Clove Galilee) and a granddaughter (Bella Breuer). She was also survived by two siblings, Frank A. Reinprecht and Mrs. Patricia Adams, and various nieces and nephews.[2]
Selected awards
editObie Awards
edit- Best Performance,Mabou Mines Lear- 1990
- Best Performance,Hajj- 1983
- Best Performance,Through the Leaves- 1984
- Best Design (shared with Julie Archer),Vanishing Pictures- 1980
- Sustained Achievement, Mabou Mines - 1986
Villager Downtown Theater Awards
edit- Best Solo Performance,Hajj- 1990
- Best Director,Wrong Guys- 1981
- Best Director,Vanishing Pictures- 1980
- Best Ensemble, Shaggy Dog Animation - 1978
Other Awards
edit- For Lifetime Dedication to Not-For-Profit Theatre (2001)
- Cairo International Festival for Experimental Theatre: Certificate of Outstanding Merit for her "influential, pioneering role in experimental theatre" (2006)
- Edwin Booth Award: To the Artistic Directors of Mabou Mines for Contributions to Theatre (2007)
- Foundation for Contemporary Arts Grants to Artists award (2009)
- Otto René Castillo Award for Political Theatre (2010)
- USA Gracie Fellow in Theater Arts by United States Artists (2010)
- Inductee (posthumously) into the Off Broadway Hall of Fame by The Off Broadway Alliance (2014)
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Strong Medicine | Eleanor | |
| 1984 | C.H.U.D. | Mrs. Monroe | |
| 1986 | Dead End Kids | ||
| 1987 | Anna | Woman #1 / Woman Named Gloria | |
| 1991 | The Cabinet of Dr. Ramirez | Cathy's Mother | |
| 1992 | In the Soup | Mrs. Rollo | |
| 1992 | Mac | Burgess | |
| 1993 | The Ballad of Little Jo | Shopkeeper | |
| 1993 | Me and Veronica | Person on Ferry | |
| 1995 | Angela | Sleepwalker | |
| 1996 | Sleepers | Woman at Subway Station | |
| 1996 | The Crucible | Goody Osborne | |
| 1996 | Tales of Erotica | (segment "The Dutch Master" ) | |
| 1997 | Mondo Plympton | Voice | |
| 2008 | Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist | Homeless Caroline | |
| 2011 | Portraits in Dramatic Time | Herself | (final film role) |
References
edit- ^abReview of Ruth Maleczech as Lear,University of Notre Dame; accessed October 6, 2013.
- ^abAmateau, Albert (October 17, 2013)."Ruth Maleczech, 74, a founder of avant-garde troupe".The Villager.Archived fromthe originalon September 26, 2014.RetrievedSeptember 26,2014.
- ^"Ancestry Library Edition".search.ancestrylibrary.com.RetrievedJanuary 19,2018.
- ^"Ruth Maleczech, 74, a founder of avant-garde troupe - The Villager Newspaper".thevillager.com.17 October 2013.
- ^"Ruth Maleczech, Beacon of Stage Avant-Garde, Dies at 74".The New York Times.October 2, 2013.RetrievedOctober 6,2013.