Wikipedia

Thomas Babe

Thomas Babe(March 13, 1941 – December 6, 2000) was an American playwright, "one ofJoseph Papp's most prolific resident playwrights at theNew York Shakespeare Festival,"with seven of his plays premiered at thePublic Theatre.His work during the mid-1970s and through the 1980s explored many elements of American history and culturalmythology.He was fascinated by the concept of the traditionalherofigure—and the reality behind it.

Thomas Babe
Born(1941-03-13)March 13, 1941
Buffalo, New York
DiedDecember 6, 2000(2000-12-06)(aged 59)
Stamford, Connecticut
OccupationPlaywright,screenwriter

Early life and education

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Thomas Babe was born in 1941 inBuffalo, New York,the son of Thomas James and Ruth Ina (née Lossie) Babe. He had two sisters, Mimi and Karen.[1]Although he started writing at a young age, Babe did not go into theater until after earning other degrees atHarvard University,where he wasPhi Beta Kappa;andYale University Law School.[1]He was aMarshall Scholar,attending theUniversity of Cambridgein 1963.[1]

Career

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Babe's works were regularly produced in New York City byJoseph Papp'sPublic Theater,as well as regional theaters across the country. As noted below, seven of his plays were premiered at the Public Theater, where Babe was a resident playwright.[1]His first major success there wasKid Champion(1975), starringChristopher Walkenas a former rock star.[1]

In addition to exploring the concept of hero and its mythology, Babe often featured strained family relationships, specifically focusing on fathers and daughters, love and individual rights. These themes come together in Babe's 1977 play,A Prayer for My Daughter,starringAlan RosenbergandLaurence Luckinbill,and directed byRobert Allan Ackerman.It was described as a "close-quartered, deeply psychological interrogation in a police station", that was "strange and compelling", and "unsuspectingly, delivers swift body punches."[1]

Papp produced a series of his plays in the 1970s and 1980s, includingRebel Women(about the Civil War),Taken in MarriagewithMeryl Streep,Colleen Dewhurst,Kathleen Quinlan,Elizabeth Wilsonand Dixie Carter; andBuried Inside Extra,a newspaper drama starringHal HolbrookandSandy Dennis.

Planet Fires,premiered in 1985 inRochester, New Yorkfor the opening ofGeva Theatre Center's new theatre. It was set at a campground near Rochester, at the end of theAmerican Civil War,dealing "provocatively with American history and with questions of freedom, choice and loyalty."[2]It featured a newly freed slave and a Union deserter, who encounter in spirit (and on stage) major figures of the day, such asFrederick DouglassandSusan B. Anthony.Mel Gussow, theater critic for theNew York Times,described it as one of Babe's most striking works sinceA Prayer for My Daughter.[2]

In a letter to The Times in 1982, Mr. Babe said that working in the theater requires "stamina, patience, concern and some little indifference to the passing fancies of each season." He added: "The startling vanishment of the playwright is not only a fact, but his and her persistence in an era of incivility and social chaos is something of a miracle. Celebration is in order."[1]

Personal life

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He married Susan Bramhall in 1967, and they had a daughter Charissa before their later divorce. In later life, Babe lived inDarien, Connecticutwith his companion Neal Bell, a playwright. Babe died oflung cancerat the age of 59 on December 6, 2000, in ahospiceinStamford, Connecticut.His mother, sisters, and daughter Charissa Pacella survived him.[1]

Plays and premiere dates

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Screenplays

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Radio plays

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  • Hot Dogs and Soda Pop,National Public Radio (NPR), 1980
  • The Volunteer Fireman,NPR, 1981
  • One For the Record,WNYC's The Radio Stage (Marjorie Van Halteren, Producer), 1984

Television

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Opera librettos

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References

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  1. ^abcdefghMel Gussow, "Thomas Babe, 59, Playwright For Papp's Public Theater",New York Times,15 December 2000, accessed 27 February 2014
  2. ^abMel Gussow, "THE STAGE: 'PLANET FIRES,' AT GEVA IN ROCHESTER",New York Times,14 April 1985, accessed 27 February 2014
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