Melvin Bernhardt

Melvin Bernhardt (born 1941 in Buffalo, New York) is an American stage and television director. He was born and raised in Buffalo, New York, and much of his work has been in the New York City area. He is known for his productions of The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds, Da, and Crimes of the Heart. Bernhardt began his career as a stage manager; he made his directorial debut in 1965 with Conerico was Here to Stay at the Cherry Lane Theatre.

Biography

Melvin Bernhardt was born on 26 February 1941^[1] in Buffalo, New York. His parents were Max Bernhard and Kate Benatovich. He obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Buffalo and his Master of Fine Arts degree from Yale University.^[2] Bernhardt is an open homosexual.^[3] Since January 8th, 1989 Bernhardt has been partnered with New York based stage/television actor and audiobook narrator Jeff Woodman.

Career

Melvin Bernhardt began his career as a stage manager. He served as the stage manager for the original Broadway theatre productions of Diary of a Scoundrel and Livin' the Life.^[4] Bernhardt directed his first play, Conerico was Here to Stay, at the Cherry Lane Theatre in Manhattan in 1965.^[2] From there, Bernhardt directed plays throughout the United States, including productions in Hartford and Cincinnati and a national tour of Who's Happy Now? in 1968. He made his London directing debut in November 1972 at the Hampstead Theatre Club with his production of The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds.^[2] Bernhardt is known as an "actor's director", as he focuses more on character development than on elaborate staging.^[1] He is currently a member of the Honorary Advisory Committee of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society.^[5]

Broadway

In addition to winning multiple Obie awards for his Off-Broadway work,^[6][7] Bernhardt has had a successful career as a Broadway theatre director. His first Broadway production came in 1969 when he directed Home Fires and Cop-Out, a pair of one-act plays written by John Guare.^[2][4] The production, which was staged at the Cort Theatre, was harshly criticized and closed after just eight performances. Although the individual performances of the actors were well received, the plays themselves were seen as "enigmatic drama", "weak social satire", and "feeble exercises in juvenility".^[8]

1 May 1978 marked the debut of the original Broadway production of Da, a comedy by Hugh Leonard which proved to be one of the more successful plays in Bernhardt's career. The play, which ran for nearly 700 performances at the Morosco Theatre,^[9] earned Bernhardt the 1978 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play^[10] and the 1978 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Play.^[11] Bernhardt's other major Broadway success was Crimes of the Heart, which opened at the John Golden Theatre on 4 November 1981.^[12] The production earned a slew of awards and nominations, including nominations for the 1981 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Direction of a Play^[13] and the 1982 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play.^[14]

Television

Although the majority of Bernhardt's directorial work has taken place on the stage, he has also had some experience in television directing. His work on Another World earned him a nomination for the 1979 and 1980 Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series Directing Team. He earned another nomination for this award in 1985 for his work on One Life to Live.^[15] Other television work includes several episodes of All My Children, and, in 1984, a live production of Mister Roberts for NBC Live Theater.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Hischak, Thomas S. (2006). "Bernhardt, Melvin". Enter the Playmakers: Directors and Choreographers on the New York Stage. Scarecrow Press. p. 13. ISBN 978-0-8108-5747-6. http://books.google.com/books?id=DCTUkTpL8V8C&pg=PA13&dq=And+Miss+Reardon+Drinks+a+Little+1971+bernhardt&hl=en&ei=iUQtTOnzGYbGlQe_xJyuAw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CC8Q6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=And%20Miss%20Reardon%20Drinks%20a%20Little%201971%20bernhardt&f=false. 
2. ^ ^{a b c d} Ian Herbert, ed (1981). "BERNHARDT, Melvin". Who's Who in the Theatre. 1. Gale Research Company. pp. 64–65. ISSN 0083-9833. 
3. ^ Tallmer, Jerry (22 February 2005). "Scripting Gay Gridiron Fans". The Villager 74 (41). http://www.thevillager.com/vil_94/scriptinggaygridiron.html. 
4. ^ ^{a b} Melvin Bernhardt at the Internet Broadway Database
5. ^ "SDC - Board". Stage Directors and Choreographers Society. 2009. http://sdcweb.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=14&Itemid=60. Retrieved 1 July 2010. 
6. ^ "1970 Award Winners". The Village Voice. http://www.villagevoice.com/obies/index/1970. Retrieved 25 June 2010. 
7. ^ "1977 Award Winners". The Village Voice. http://www.villagevoice.com/obies/index/1977. Retrieved 25 June 2010. 
8. ^ Plunka, Gene A. (2002). The Black Comedy of John Guare. Rosemont. pp. 58–5. ISBN 0-87413-763-2. http://books.google.com/books?id=fjuEN4_CM2YC&pg=PA58&dq=cop-out+melvin+bernhardt+review&hl=en&ei=fj4tTPnIFMSclgfSgon0Dw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CDMQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=cop-out%20melvin%20bernhardt%20review&f=false. 
9. ^ Da at the Internet Broadway Database
10. ^ "1978 Tony Award Winners". BroadwayWorld.com. 2010. http://broadwayworld.com/tonyawardsyear.cfm?year=1978. Retrieved 3 July 2010. 
11. ^ "1977-1978 24th Drama Desk Awards". Drama Desk. 2010. http://www.dramadesk.com/1977_1978dd.html. Retrieved 3 July 2010. 
12. ^ Crimes of the Heart at the Internet Broadway Database
13. ^ "1980-1981 27th Drama Desk Awards". Drama Desk. 2010. http://www.dramadesk.com/1980_1981dd.html. Retrieved 4 July 2010. 
14. ^ "1982 Tony Award Winners". BroadwayWorld.com. 2010. http://broadwayworld.com/tonyawardsyear.cfm?year=1982. Retrieved 4 July 2010. 
15. ^ Melvin Bernhardt at the Internet Movie Database

Persondata
Name	Bernhardt, Melvin
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	26 February 1941
Place of birth	Buffalo, New York
Date of death
Place of death