- Frank Condon
Frank Condon, MA, MFA, (b.
Derbyshire ,England , 1943) is aplaywright and theatrical production director, the founding Artistic Director ofRiver Stage , inSacramento, California , and a professor oftheatre atCosumnes River College . Condon is best known for bringing controversial plays to the theatre.Early life and education
Condon immigrated to the
United States from theUnited Kingdom with his family when he was eight. After graduating from high school, he joined theUnited States Army . “I went in as a ‘gung-ho’ young man, and I came out as a disenchanted, angry, more mature young man,” he later said. He then went on to study theatre at theUniversity of California, Santa Barbara , where he earned bachelor's and master's degrees, after which he taught theater atSanta Barbara High School for four years. Condon then moved on toSan Diego, California , where he earned a master of fine arts degree in directing at theUniversity of California, San Diego .Career
Condon teamed up with writer and producer
Ron Sossi in 1979 to create "The Chicago Conspiracy Trial ", which is based on testimony at the famous trial after the 1968 Democratic convention. It ran for fourteen months and won numerous awards.He has worked with
Garry Trudeau , of "Doonesbury " fame, on the highly successful runs of Trudeau’s "Rap Master Ronnie ", which he directed which he directed in Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle and Toronto. The play poked fun at then-PresidentRonald Reagan , in an attempt at capturing the essence of Reagan'sTeflon presidency by means of a satirically portraying the television character "Max Headroom".As an artistic director for the
Odyssey Theatre inLos Angeles, California , he directed several highly successful productions of new plays and helped create the Odyssey's international reputation for theatre. Condon directed the original production of "McCarthy" at the Odyssey Theatre and the original production of Mark Medoff’s The Majestic Kid at the Denver Center Theatre Company.He has been affiliated with a number of theatre schools, including the
American Academy of Dramatic Arts , theDell'Arte School of Comedy , theUniversity of California, Los Angeles , and theUniversity of Southern California . He has been the staff director at theMark Taper Forum , a guest director for several major regional theatres and the director for a number of inaugural productions to open theatres.In 1994, in the wake of the devastating
Northridge earthquake , Condon leftSouthern California with his family to take an opportunity at Cosumnes River College to found a new theatre, River Stage, rather than inheriting an existing stage beset by someone else's "headaches".Condon is one of the founders of The League of Sacramento Theatres, a member of the
Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers and theDramatist’s Guild .Recognition
"The Chicago Conspiracy Trial", co-written and directed by Condon, received five LA Drama Critics’ Awards. Condon has received the Sacramento Mayor and County Supervisors' Fellowship Award from the
Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission for "A lifetime contribution to the field on a national level." He has received numerous other honors including aNational Endowment for the Arts director's fellowship andLos Angeles Drama Critic's Circle awards for both directing and playwriting.External links
* [http://www.crc.losrios.edu/~arts/frank.htm LosRios.edu] - 'Frank Condon',
Consumnes River College faculty homepage
* [http://www.newsreview.com/sacramento/Content?oid=oid%3A32231 NewsReview.com] - 'Behind the spotlight: Director Frank Condon prefers to put the play and the actors on center stage and let the controversial plays he chooses do the talking, Jeff Hudson, "Sacramento News and Review " (November 11, 2004):* [http://www.newsreview.com/sacramento/Content?oid=oid%3A32235 NewsReview.com] - 'Frank’s greatest-hits compilation: Over 10 seasons, River Stage has presented more than 40 plays' Jeff Hudson "Sacramento News & Review" (November 11, 2004)
* [http://www.riverstage.org/aboutUsFrank.htm RiverStage.org] - 'Frank Condon',River Stage
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