Jean Dalrymple

Jean Dalrymple (September 2, 1902 – November 15, 1998 ["Jean Dalrymple, Persuasive Dreamer Who Brought Theater to City Center, Dies at 96" by Richard Severo "The New York Times." November 17, 1998] ) was an American theater producer, manager, publicist, author and playwright who was instrumental in the founding of New York City Center and is best known for her productions there.

Biography

Born in Morristown, New Jersey, Dalrymple, as a teenager, worked as a stenographer on Wall Street and then had a vaudeville act on the Keith-Albee-Orpheum circuit with Dan Jarrett. ["Vaudeville, Old & New: An Encyclopedia of Variety Performers in America." Frank Cullen, Florence Hackman, and Donald McNeilly. New York: Routledge, 2007.] She began working as a press agent for the theater producer John L. Golden, and wrote a play, "Salt Water."

In 1932 she married Ward Morehouse, the "New York Sun" theater critic. ["Jean Dalrymple Wed" "The New York Times." March 31, 1932] That marriage ended in divorce. She later married Major General Philip DeWitt Ginder. [Obituary, Ginder, General Philip DeWitt. "The New York Times". November 11, 1968]

Dalrymple served on the Board of City Center, and in the 1980s, was president of the Light Opera of Manhattan. At City Center, she produced such works as "Our Town"; "Porgy and Bess"; "Othello" starring Paul Robeson and Jose Ferrer; "A Streetcar Named Desire" starring Uta Hagen and Anthony Quinn; "Pal Joey" with Bob Fosse; "King Lear" with Orsen Welles ["From The Last Row", Jean Dalrymple. James T. White and Company, Clifton, New Jersey. 1975.] and many others.

Dalrymple's written works include a 1963 autobiography, "September Child; the story of Jean Dalrymple"; "Careers and Opportunities in the Theatre" (1969); and "The Quiet Room : a play in three acts" (1958). [WorldCat.org retrieved September 30, 2008. ]

Dalrymple died at her apartment on West 55th Street, across the street from City Center Theater, at the age of 96. She is buried at West Point Cemetery next to her second husband. ["The Russian Tea Room: A Love Story." Faith Stewart-Gordon. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1999. Page 145. ]

References

External links

* [http://www.americantheatrewing.org/biography/detail/jean_dalrymple Biography at American Theatre Wing.Org]
* [http://www.ibdb.com/person.php?id=22505 Jean Dalrymple at Internet Broadway Database.]
* [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0198203/ Jean Dalrymple at Internet Movie Database.]
* [http://www.allbusiness.com/services/amusement-recreation-services/4586913-1.html Obituary: Jean Dalrymple, 96, Who Founded City Center. Kevin Lewis, Friday November 20, 19998, (reprint from Back Stage).]

Further Reading

*From The Last Row: A personal account of the first twenty-five years of the New York City Center of Music and Drama, Jean Dalrymple. James T. White and Company, Clifton, New Jersey. 1975.