Meryl Vladimer
Encyclopedia
Meryl F. Vladimer is an artist
, theatrical producer
, and political activist.
Born in Brooklyn, New York
, Meryl Vladimer began her career as a noted and critically reviewed sculptor, and was featured on the cover of Artforum Magazine
. Disenchanted by the art world, by the late 80's she left art for Multi-Media Design where she worked for Fannon and Osmond, Doug Mesney and the fifth Bartok and Staging Techniques.
Still not satisfied artistically she left corporate Audio-Visual to do multi-media design for theater, working first at Theater for the New City
and later at La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club
where she tried a variety of fields including stage management
. This lead her to Broadway
to stage manage "Haarlem Nocturne" a musical review created by André DeShields
and arranged and composed by Marc Shaiman
.
Returning to La MaMa, she resumed stage managing "The Club" cabaret theater created by Ellen Stewart
in the style of the original La MaMa Theater, where one was required to become a member.
Working there for several years, first under the direction of Rick Richardson and then Liz Dunn, Vladimer received the artistic directorship of The Club upon Dunn's departure.
In 1990 while she was artistic director of The Club, Meryl was approached by Ellen Stewart
, Founder and Artistic Director of La MaMa E.T.C., and asked if she would join the management staff as associate director of the entire complex after the departure of Wickie Boyle; she accepted.
From 1990 to her departure in 1998, she worked tirelessly for La MaMa E.T.C. Through creative fundraising and critical and commercial success producing in The Club, she was able to reduce an over half a million dollar deficit from the previous administration to just over fifty thousand dollars.
During her tenure as Artistic Director of The Club at La MaMa she produced two OBIE Award
and ten Bessie Award
winning productions, including:
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
, theatrical producer
Theatrical producer
A theatrical producer is the person ultimately responsible for overseeing all aspects of mounting a theatre production. The independent producer will usually be the originator and finder of the script and starts the whole process...
, and political activist.
Born in Brooklyn, New York
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, Meryl Vladimer began her career as a noted and critically reviewed sculptor, and was featured on the cover of Artforum Magazine
Artforum
Artforum is an international monthly magazine specializing in contemporary art.-Publication:The magazine is published ten times a year, September through May, along with an annual summer issue...
. Disenchanted by the art world, by the late 80's she left art for Multi-Media Design where she worked for Fannon and Osmond, Doug Mesney and the fifth Bartok and Staging Techniques.
Still not satisfied artistically she left corporate Audio-Visual to do multi-media design for theater, working first at Theater for the New City
Theater for the New City
Theater for the New City, founded in 1971 and known familiarly as "TNC", is one of New York City's leading Off-Off-Broadway theaters, known for radical political plays and community commitment. Productions at TNC have won 43 Obie Awards and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama...
and later at La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club
La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club
La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club is an off-off Broadway theatre founded in 1961 by Ellen Stewart, and named in reference to her. Located on Manhattan's Lower East Side, the theatre grew out of Stewart's tiny basement boutique for her fashion designs; the boutique's space acted as a theatre for...
where she tried a variety of fields including stage management
Stage management
Stage management is the practice of organizing and coordinating a theatrical production. It encompasses a variety of activities, including organizing the production and coordinating communications between various personnel...
. This lead her to Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
to stage manage "Haarlem Nocturne" a musical review created by André DeShields
André DeShields
André De Shields is an American actor, singer, dancer, acclaimed novelist, choreographer, and college professor....
and arranged and composed by Marc Shaiman
Marc Shaiman
Marc Shaiman is an American composer, lyricist, arranger, and performer for films, television, and theatre. He is perhaps best known for writing the music and co-writing the lyrics for the Broadway musical version of the cult John Waters film Hairspray, for which Shaiman won Tony and Grammy...
.
Returning to La MaMa, she resumed stage managing "The Club" cabaret theater created by Ellen Stewart
Ellen Stewart
Ellen Stewart was an American theater director and producer and the founder of La MaMa, E.T.C. . In the 1950s she worked as a fashion designer for Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman, Lord & Taylor, and Henri Bendel.-Biography:Ellen Stewart was either born in Alexandria, Louisiana or Chicago,...
in the style of the original La MaMa Theater, where one was required to become a member.
Working there for several years, first under the direction of Rick Richardson and then Liz Dunn, Vladimer received the artistic directorship of The Club upon Dunn's departure.
In 1990 while she was artistic director of The Club, Meryl was approached by Ellen Stewart
Ellen Stewart
Ellen Stewart was an American theater director and producer and the founder of La MaMa, E.T.C. . In the 1950s she worked as a fashion designer for Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman, Lord & Taylor, and Henri Bendel.-Biography:Ellen Stewart was either born in Alexandria, Louisiana or Chicago,...
, Founder and Artistic Director of La MaMa E.T.C., and asked if she would join the management staff as associate director of the entire complex after the departure of Wickie Boyle; she accepted.
From 1990 to her departure in 1998, she worked tirelessly for La MaMa E.T.C. Through creative fundraising and critical and commercial success producing in The Club, she was able to reduce an over half a million dollar deficit from the previous administration to just over fifty thousand dollars.
During her tenure as Artistic Director of The Club at La MaMa she produced two OBIE Award
Obie Award
The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards given by The Village Voice newspaper to theatre artists and groups in New York City...
and ten Bessie Award
Dance Theater Workshop
Dance Theater Workshop, colloquially known as DTW, is a New York City performance space and service organization for dance companies. Located as 219 West 19th Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, DTW was founded in 1965 by Jeff Duncan, Art Bauman and...
winning productions, including:
- Blue Man GroupBlue Man GroupBlue Man Group is an organization founded by Chris Wink, Matt Goldman and Phil Stanton. The organization produces theatrical shows and concerts featuring popular music, comedy and multimedia; recorded music and scores for film and television; television appearances for shows such as The Tonight...
"TUBES" - which, in the last decade and a half, has garnered La MaMa E.T.C. over one and one half million dollars in royalties from the Astor place and subsequent productions. - "Stump the Host", "Stitches", One Woman Shoe", "The Little Frieda Mysteries" - plays co-authored by David SedarisDavid SedarisDavid Sedaris is a Grammy Award-nominated American humorist, writer, comedian, bestselling author, and radio contributor....
and Amy SedarisAmy SedarisAmy Louise Sedaris is an American actress, author, and comedian. She is known for playing the character Jerri Blank in the Comedy Central television series Strangers with Candy. Sedaris regularly collaborates with her older brother, humorist and author David Sedaris...
under the name "The Talent Family". - "The Hospital", "The Haunted Mansion" - works written and created by composer John Moran
- "Champagne" Written and created by Jackie CurtisJackie CurtisJohn Curtis Holder, Jr. , better known as Jackie Curtis, was an actor, writer, singer and Warhol Superstar.-Early life and career:...
- "Lesbians who Kill," written by Deb Margolin in collaboration with Peggy Shaw and Lois Weaver, and "You're Just like My Father", written and created by "Split Britches" Peggy Shaw and Lois Weaver.
- "Belle Reprieve" written and created by "Split Britches" Peggy Shaw and Lois Weaver in collaboration with "BLOOLIPS" Bette Bourne and Paul Shaw
- Invitation to the beginning of the end of the world" and Based on a True Story" written and created by Penny Arcade (performer)Penny Arcade (performer)Susana Ventura , better known by her stage name Penny Arcade, is an American performance artist, actress, and playwright based in New York City.-Career:...
- "Triplets in Uniform" book and lyrics by Jeffrey Essmann music by Michael John LaChiusaMichael John LaChiusaMichael John LaChiusa is an American musical theatre and opera composer, lyricist, and librettist. He is best known for complex, musically challenging shows such as Hello Again, Marie Christine, The Wild Party, and See What I Wanna See...
- "Black Water" - created and choreographed by Alice Farley