A. J. Antoon
Encyclopedia
A. J. Antoon was an American
theatre director. He attended the Yale School of Drama
. Beginning in 1971, Antoon directed numerous plays at the New York Shakespeare Festival
over a period of nearly 20 years. In 1973, Antoon became one of the few directors to have been nominated for two Tony Award
s in the same category in the same year. In addition to winning the Tony Award with one of his nominations, Antoon was also the winner of a Drama Desk Award
, a New York Drama Critics' Circle
Award, and an Obie Award
. His career lasted until 1991; he died less than a year later from AIDS
-related lymphoma.
, on December 7, 1944. His parents were Alfred J. Antoon, Sr. and Josephine Anton (née Saba). Antoon attended Lawrence Central Catholic High School in nearby Lawrence, Massachusetts
. After high school he studied for priesthood at the Shadowbrook Jesuit seminary in Lenox, Massachusetts
while also attending Boston College
. He later dropped out from the seminary and earned his Bachelor's Degree
from Boston College in 1968. He went on to attend the Yale School of Drama
for a year and a half before leaving to begin his work in professional theatre. Antoon died at the age of 47 from AIDS
-related lymphoma on January 22, 1992, at the NYU Medical Center. After his death, a collection of Antoon's papers and correspondence was donated to Billy Rose Theatre Collection.
, founder of the New York Shakespeare Festival
. Papp gave Antoon the directing job, and the play opened on February 14, 1971 at the Public Theatre. This was the first of many productions he would direct for the New York Shakespeare Festival
over a career lasting 20 years. Subject to Fits was successful, and it moved to London
where it was staged by the Royal Shakespeare Company
at The Place
. Antoon continued his success with the New York Shakespeare Festival in 1971 with his direction of Tale of Cymbeline.
In 1972, Antoon directed both the off-Broadway
and Broadway
debut productions of That Championship Season
as well as a Broadway production of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing
. Antoon was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play
for both productions and won with That Championship Season. Since then, no director was nominated for two Tony awards in the same category until Matthew Warchus
in 2009. That Championship Season also won the 1972 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director
and the 1972 New York Drama Critics' Circle
Award for Best Play. Antoon's production of Much Ado About Nothing was also successful; he directed a television adaptation of it in 1973. Following his success with these two productions, Antoon was awarded an honorary doctorate
from his alma mater, Boston College.
Antoon went on to direct numerous original Broadway productions, including The Good Doctor, The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds
, and Sherlock's Last Case. In 1975, Antoon directed a production of Trelawny of the 'Wells'
featuring the Broadway debuts of Meryl Streep
and Mandy Patinkin
. In 1979, Antoon directed a production of The Art of Dining
for which he won an Obie Award
for Best Direction. In 1984, Antoon directed a production of The Rink with Liza Minnelli
for which he was nominated for a Drama Desk Award. Antoon's last production with the New York Shakespeare Festival was a 1990 Wild West-themed production of The Taming of the Shrew
in Central Park
. His final production came shortly thereafter with Song of Singapore in 1991.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
theatre director. He attended the Yale School of Drama
Yale School of Drama
The Yale School of Drama is a graduate professional school of Yale University providing training in every discipline of the theatre: acting, design , directing, dramaturgy and dramatic criticism, playwriting, stage management, sound design, technical design and production, and theater...
. Beginning in 1971, Antoon directed numerous plays at the New York Shakespeare Festival
New York Shakespeare Festival
New York Shakespeare Festival is the previous name of the New York City theatrical producing organization now known as the Public Theater. The Festival produced shows at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, as part of its free Shakespeare in the Park series, at the Public Theatre near Astor Place...
over a period of nearly 20 years. In 1973, Antoon became one of the few directors to have been nominated for two Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
s in the same category in the same year. In addition to winning the Tony Award with one of his nominations, Antoon was also the winner of a Drama Desk Award
Drama Desk Award
The Drama Desk Awards, which are given annually in a number of categories, are the only major New York theater honors for which productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway compete against each other in the same category...
, a New York Drama Critics' Circle
New York Drama Critics' Circle
The New York Drama Critics' Circle is made up of 24 drama critics from daily newspapers, magazines and wire services based in the New York City metropolitan area. The organization was founded in 1935 at the Algonquin Hotel by a group that included Brooks Atkinson, Walter Winchell, and Robert Benchley...
Award, and an 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...
. His career lasted until 1991; he died less than a year later from AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
-related lymphoma.
Biography
Alfred Joseph Antoon was born in Methuen, MassachusettsMethuen, Massachusetts
Methuen is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 43,789 at the 2000 census.-History:Methuen was first settled in 1642 and was officially incorporated in 1726; it is named for the British diplomat Sir Paul Methuen. Methuen was originally part of Haverhill,...
, on December 7, 1944. His parents were Alfred J. Antoon, Sr. and Josephine Anton (née Saba). Antoon attended Lawrence Central Catholic High School in nearby Lawrence, Massachusetts
Lawrence, Massachusetts
Lawrence is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States on the Merrimack River. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a total population of 76,377. Surrounding communities include Methuen to the north, Andover to the southwest, and North Andover to the southeast. It and Salem are...
. After high school he studied for priesthood at the Shadowbrook Jesuit seminary in Lenox, Massachusetts
Lenox, Massachusetts
Lenox is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. Set in Western Massachusetts, it is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 5,077 at the 2000 census. Where the town has a border with Stockbridge is the site of Tanglewood, summer...
while also attending Boston College
Boston College
Boston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early...
. He later dropped out from the seminary and earned his Bachelor's Degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
from Boston College in 1968. He went on to attend the Yale School of Drama
Yale School of Drama
The Yale School of Drama is a graduate professional school of Yale University providing training in every discipline of the theatre: acting, design , directing, dramaturgy and dramatic criticism, playwriting, stage management, sound design, technical design and production, and theater...
for a year and a half before leaving to begin his work in professional theatre. Antoon died at the age of 47 from AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
-related lymphoma on January 22, 1992, at the NYU Medical Center. After his death, a collection of Antoon's papers and correspondence was donated to Billy Rose Theatre Collection.
Career
Antoon directed his first professional production, Story Theatre, at St. Clement's Church Theatre in 1971. In that same year, Antoon presented Subject to Fits, a play written by his Yale friend Robert Montgomery, to Joseph PappJoseph Papp
Joseph Papp was an American theatrical producer and director. Papp established The Public Theater in what had been the Astor Library Building in downtown New York . "The Public," as it is known, has many small theatres within it...
, founder of the New York Shakespeare Festival
New York Shakespeare Festival
New York Shakespeare Festival is the previous name of the New York City theatrical producing organization now known as the Public Theater. The Festival produced shows at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, as part of its free Shakespeare in the Park series, at the Public Theatre near Astor Place...
. Papp gave Antoon the directing job, and the play opened on February 14, 1971 at the Public Theatre. This was the first of many productions he would direct for the New York Shakespeare Festival
New York Shakespeare Festival
New York Shakespeare Festival is the previous name of the New York City theatrical producing organization now known as the Public Theater. The Festival produced shows at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, as part of its free Shakespeare in the Park series, at the Public Theatre near Astor Place...
over a career lasting 20 years. Subject to Fits was successful, and it moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
where it was staged by the Royal Shakespeare Company
Royal Shakespeare Company
The Royal Shakespeare Company is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs 700 staff and produces around 20 productions a year from its home in Stratford-upon-Avon and plays regularly in London, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and on tour across...
at The Place
The Place
The Place is a dance and performance centre in Duke's Road near Euston in the London Borough of Camden. Originally the home base of the London Contemporary Dance Theatre from the 1970s, it is now the location of the London Contemporary Dance School, the Richard Alston Dance Company and the Robin...
. Antoon continued his success with the New York Shakespeare Festival in 1971 with his direction of Tale of Cymbeline.
In 1972, Antoon directed both the off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
and 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...
debut productions of That Championship Season
That Championship Season
That Championship Season is a 1972 play by Jason Miller. It was the recipient of the 1973 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.-Plot synopsis:Characters* The Coach* George Sitkowski* Phil Romano* James Daley* Tom Daley...
as well as a Broadway production of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing
Much Ado About Nothing
Much Ado About Nothing is a comedy written by William Shakespeare about two pairs of lovers, Benedick and Beatrice, and Claudio and Hero....
. Antoon was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play
Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play
The Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play has been given since 1960. Before 1960 there was only one award for both play direction and musical direction, then in 1960 the award was split into two categories: Dramatic and Musical. In 1976 the Dramatic category was renamed to Play...
for both productions and won with That Championship Season. Since then, no director was nominated for two Tony awards in the same category until Matthew Warchus
Matthew Warchus
-Life:Warchus studied music and drama at Bristol University. He has directed for the National Youth Theatre, Bristol Old Vic, Donmar Warehouse, Royal Shakespeare Company, Royal National Theatre, Opera North, West Yorkshire Playhouse, Welsh National Opera, English National Opera and in the West...
in 2009. That Championship Season also won the 1972 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director
Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director
This is a list of winners of the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director introduced in 1955 to honour directors of plays and directors of musicals. From 1968, multiple awards were presented for each season...
and the 1972 New York Drama Critics' Circle
New York Drama Critics' Circle
The New York Drama Critics' Circle is made up of 24 drama critics from daily newspapers, magazines and wire services based in the New York City metropolitan area. The organization was founded in 1935 at the Algonquin Hotel by a group that included Brooks Atkinson, Walter Winchell, and Robert Benchley...
Award for Best Play. Antoon's production of Much Ado About Nothing was also successful; he directed a television adaptation of it in 1973. Following his success with these two productions, Antoon was awarded an honorary doctorate
Honorary degree
An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...
from his alma mater, Boston College.
Antoon went on to direct numerous original Broadway productions, including The Good Doctor, The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds
The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds
The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds is a 1964 play written by Paul Zindel, a playwright and science teacher. Zindel received the 1971 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and a New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for the work. The play's world premiere was staged in 1964 at the Alley Theatre...
, and Sherlock's Last Case. In 1975, Antoon directed a production of Trelawny of the 'Wells'
Trelawny of the 'Wells'
Trelawny of the 'Wells' is an 1898 comic play by Arthur Wing Pinero. It tells the story of a theatre star who attempts to give up the stage for love, but is unable to fit into conventional society.-Synopsis:...
featuring the Broadway debuts of Meryl Streep
Meryl Streep
Mary Louise "Meryl" Streep is an American actress who has worked in theatre, television and film.Streep made her professional stage debut in 1971's The Playboy of Seville, before her screen debut in the television movie The Deadliest Season in 1977. In that same year, she made her film debut with...
and Mandy Patinkin
Mandy Patinkin
Mandel Bruce "Mandy" Patinkin is an award-winning American actor of stage and screen and a tenor vocalist. He is a noted interpreter of the musical works of Stephen Sondheim, and is best-known for his work in musical theatre, originating iconic roles such as Georges Seurat in Sunday in the Park...
. In 1979, Antoon directed a production of The Art of Dining
The Art of Dining
The Art Of Dining, a play written by Tina Howe in 1979, showcases the bizarre relationships three groups of characters have with food. The play is set during November in a New Jersey restaurant, newly opened by couple Ellen and Cal, who have everything riding on each night's cash flow...
for which he won an 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...
for Best Direction. In 1984, Antoon directed a production of The Rink with Liza Minnelli
Liza Minnelli
Liza May Minnelli is an American actress and singer. She is the daughter of singer and actress Judy Garland and film director Vincente Minnelli....
for which he was nominated for a Drama Desk Award. Antoon's last production with the New York Shakespeare Festival was a 1990 Wild West-themed production of The Taming of the Shrew
The Taming of the Shrew
The Taming of the Shrew is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1591.The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the Induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunken tinker named Sly into believing he is actually a nobleman himself...
in Central Park
Central Park
Central Park is a public park in the center of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park initially opened in 1857, on of city-owned land. In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park with a plan they entitled the Greensward Plan...
. His final production came shortly thereafter with Song of Singapore in 1991.