Jeff Weiss

Jeffrey Weiss (born 1940) is an American playwright, impresario, and actor, both on Broadway and a theater he ran with partner Ricardo Martinez in the East Village, Manhattan.[1]

Not to be confused with Jeff Weise or Jeff Wise.
For the president of Lesley University, see Jeff A. Weiss.

Life and work

Weiss grew up in Allentown, Pennsylvania, with his parents, two brothers, and one sister. His father was a salesman for Pennsylvania cement companies.

He became involved in theatre, both writing and acting in plays. In New York City, his work was often presented at La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club and the Caffe Cino.[2] His first performance at La MaMa was in Robert Sealy's Waiting Boy,[3] followed by Sealy's Prevarications,[4] both in 1964. In 1966, he read for the Thunderbird American Indian Dancers in Louis Mofsie's Three Mask Dances at La MaMa.[5] He then performed in Jean Reavey's Window, directed by Tom O'Horgan at La MaMa in 1966.[6]

Weiss often collaborated with his partner and producer Ricardo Martinez, an artist from New Mexico.[7][8][9] In 1966, Martinez directed Weiss in Weiss' own one-man show at La MaMa, And That's How the Rent Gets Paid.[10]

In 1967, Weiss performed alongside Mary Boylan in H.M. Koutoukas' When Clowns Play Hamlet, which Koutoukas co-directed with O'Horgan at La MaMa.[11] He directed and performed in a production of Jeff Laffel's There Should be Violins and The Sunday Caller at La MaMa, also in 1967.[12] Martinez directed a production of Weiss' International Wrestling Match: An Old Testament Morality Play in Two Vengeful Acts at La MaMa in January 1969.[13] Weiss performed in Julie Bovasso's Gloria and Esperanza at La MaMa in April 1969.[14]

A play Weiss wrote for children, Locomotive Munch:, was produced at La MaMa in 1972.[15] And That's How the Rent Gets Paids, Part Two, a follow-up to his 1966 show, was produced at La MaMa in April 1963,[16] and his play Pushover was produced at La MaMa in November 1973.[17] In 1979, he directed his play Dark Twist at La MaMa,[18] and performed again in That's How the Rent Gets Paid, this time alongside Nicky Paraiso.[19]

His brother, Stephen Weiss, currently lives in California. Jeffrey's nephew (Stephen's son) is actor Jonathan Taylor Thomas.

In 1992, Weiss' play Hot Keys won an Obie award.[20] He won a Robert Chesley Award in 2000.

References
  1. League, The Broadway. "Jeff Weiss – Broadway Cast & Staff | IBDB". www.ibdb.com. Retrieved 2018-05-29.
  2. Gehman, Geoff (1984-12-21). "Playwright Jeff Weiss He Pays The Rent By Mirroring The Chaos, The Unlikely But True Unions, The Deceptions Of Life". The Morning Call. Retrieved 2010-08-29.
  3. La MaMa Archives Digital Collections. "Production: Waiting Boy (1964)". Accessed May 30, 2018.
  4. La MaMa Archives Digital Collections. "Production: Prevarications (1964)". Accessed May 30, 2018.
  5. La MaMa Archives Digital Collections. "Production: Three Mask Dances (1966)". Accessed May 30, 2018.
  6. La MaMa Archives Digital Collections. "Production: Window (1966)". Accessed May 30, 2018.
  7. Pacheco, Patrick (1986-04-06). "Off-Off-Broadway's king goes Public". Newsday. Retrieved 2010-08-29.
  8. Wright, Damon (1993-05-30). "THEATER; How Jeff Weiss Found His Pulpit on the Stage". The New York Times.
  9. Gehman, Geoff (December 21, 1984). "Playwright Jeff Weiss: He pays the rent by mirroring the chaos, the unlikely but true unions, the deceptions of life", The Morning Call, p. D1.
  10. La MaMa Archives Digital Collections. "Production: And That's How the Rent Gets Paid (1966)". Accessed May 30, 2018.
  11. La MaMa Archives Digital Collections. "Production: When Clowns Play Hamlet (1967)". Accessed May 30, 2018.
  12. La MaMa Archives Digital Collections. "Production: There Should Be Violins and The Sunday Caller (1967)". Accessed May 30, 2018.
  13. La MaMa Archives Digital Collections. "Production: International Wrestling Match: A Old Testament Morality Play in Two Vengeful Acts (1969)". Accessed May 30, 2018.
  14. La MaMa Archives Digital Collections. "Production: Gloria and Esperanza (1969a)". Accessed May 30, 2018.
  15. La MaMa Archives Digital Collections. "Production: Locomotive Munch: (1972)". Accessed May 30, 2018.
  16. La MaMa Archives Digital Collections. "Production: And That's How the Rent Gets Paid, Part Two (1973)". Accessed May 30, 2018.
  17. La MaMa Archives Digital Collections. "Production: Pushover (1973)". Accessed May 30, 2018.
  18. La MaMa Archives Digital Collections. "Production: Dark Twist (1969)". Accessed May 30, 2018.
  19. La MaMa Archives Digital Collections. "Production: And That's How the Rent Gets Paid (1979)". Accessed May 30, 2018.
  20. "obies | Search Results". www.villagevoice.com. Retrieved 2018-05-29.
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