Eric Coble
Encyclopedia
Eric Coble is a playwright and screenwriter. He is a member of the Playwrights' Unit of the Cleveland Play House
.
Eric Coble was born in Edinburgh
, Scotland and raised on the Navajo and Ute reservations in New Mexico
and Colorado
. Before turning to playwriting, he received his BA in English from Fort Lewis College in Colorado, and his MFA in acting from Ohio University
.
His play Bright Ideas opened off-Broadway at the Manhattan Class Company, directed by John Rando
, and has since been published by Dramatists Play Service, with dozens of productions across the U.S. Other scripts include Natural Selection (2006 Humana Festival), For Better (published by Samuel French), The Dead Guy (published by DPS), Virtual Devotion, Cinderella Confidential, and Pecos Bill and the Ghost Stampede (all published by Dramatic Publishing). His plays have been produced throughout the U.S, and on four continents including productions at The Kennedy Center, Actors Studio, Playwrights Horizons, The Edinburgh and New York Fringe Festivals, South Coast Repertory
, Laguna Playhouse, Alliance Theatre, Cleveland Play House, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Curious Theatre, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Dobama Theatre, Stages Repertory, Great Lakes Theater, and the Contemporary American Theatre Festival.
Awards include an Emmy nomination, the American Alliance for Theatre and Education Distinguished Play Award for Best Adaptation, the AT&T Onstage Award, National Theatre Conference Playwriting Award, an NEA Playwright in Residence Grant, two TCG Extended Collaboration Grants, Aristophanes Award for Best Off-Broadway Comedy, First Place in the Southwest Festival of New Plays, Heideman Finalist for Actors Theatre Louisville, Best of the CATCO Shorts Festival, the Cleveland Arts Prize, a Cuyahoga Arts and Culture Creative Workforce Fellowship, and three Ohio Arts Individual Excellence Awards.
Coble is a member of the Cleveland Play House Playwrights' Unit, and writes for several nationally broadcast radio programs, as well as the syndicated children's program Ask Gilby. He is represented by Kate Navin of Abrams Artists Agency and Chris Emerson of E-Squared.
Cleveland Play House
The Cleveland Play House is a professional regional theater company located in Cleveland, OH. As of 2005, the artistic director is Michael Bloom, the eighth artistic director since its inception. In 2011 they moved operations to the Allen Theatre in Playhouse Square Center.Founded in 1915,...
.
Eric Coble was born in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, Scotland and raised on the Navajo and Ute reservations in New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
and Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
. Before turning to playwriting, he received his BA in English from Fort Lewis College in Colorado, and his MFA in acting from Ohio University
Ohio University
Ohio University is a public university located in the Midwestern United States in Athens, Ohio, situated on an campus...
.
His play Bright Ideas opened off-Broadway at the Manhattan Class Company, directed by John Rando
John Rando
John Rando is an American stage director, winning the Tony Award for his direction of the musical Urinetown in 2002.-Stage productions:* 1994 Broken Glass * 2000 The Dinner Party* 2001 A Thousand Clowns...
, and has since been published by Dramatists Play Service, with dozens of productions across the U.S. Other scripts include Natural Selection (2006 Humana Festival), For Better (published by Samuel French), The Dead Guy (published by DPS), Virtual Devotion, Cinderella Confidential, and Pecos Bill and the Ghost Stampede (all published by Dramatic Publishing). His plays have been produced throughout the U.S, and on four continents including productions at The Kennedy Center, Actors Studio, Playwrights Horizons, The Edinburgh and New York Fringe Festivals, South Coast Repertory
South Coast Repertory
South Coast Repertory is a professional theatre company located in Costa Mesa, California.Tony Award-winning South Coast Repertory, founded in 1964 by David Emmes and Martin Benson and now under the leadership of Artistic Director Marc Masterson and Managing Director Paula Tomei, is widely...
, Laguna Playhouse, Alliance Theatre, Cleveland Play House, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Curious Theatre, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Dobama Theatre, Stages Repertory, Great Lakes Theater, and the Contemporary American Theatre Festival.
Awards include an Emmy nomination, the American Alliance for Theatre and Education Distinguished Play Award for Best Adaptation, the AT&T Onstage Award, National Theatre Conference Playwriting Award, an NEA Playwright in Residence Grant, two TCG Extended Collaboration Grants, Aristophanes Award for Best Off-Broadway Comedy, First Place in the Southwest Festival of New Plays, Heideman Finalist for Actors Theatre Louisville, Best of the CATCO Shorts Festival, the Cleveland Arts Prize, a Cuyahoga Arts and Culture Creative Workforce Fellowship, and three Ohio Arts Individual Excellence Awards.
Coble is a member of the Cleveland Play House Playwrights' Unit, and writes for several nationally broadcast radio programs, as well as the syndicated children's program Ask Gilby. He is represented by Kate Navin of Abrams Artists Agency and Chris Emerson of E-Squared.
Selected works
- (2011) The Storm In The Barn: adaptation of the graphic novel by Matt Phelan, commissioned by Oregon Children's Theatre.
- (2011) My Barking Dog: premiered at Cleveland Public Theatre, OH.
- (2010) The Velocity of Autumn: premiered at Boise Contemporary Theatre, ID.
- (2009) Huck Finn: commissioned by The Cleveland Play House, OH; published by Dramatists Play Service.
- (2009) Ten More Minutes from Cleveland: commissioned by Dobama Theatre, OH.
- (2009) Southern Rapture: commissioned by Actor's Theatre of Charlotte, NC.
- (2008) The Cleveland Plays, Part I: Migration: commissioned by Dobama Theatre, OH.
- (2007) The Machine Stops: radio play; adapted from short story by E.M. Forster.
- (2007) Ask Gilby: children's television program.
- (2006) Let Freedom Ring: musical revue; premiered at Ensemble Theatre, OH.
- (2006) "Haunted": ten-minute play; premiered at Contemporary American Theatre Company, OH.
- (2006) Luis: dance piece; created with Verb Ballets; based on the short story by Richard Selzer.
- (2005) For Better: romantic comedy; commissioned by the National New Play Network, published by Samuel French.
- (2005) Natural Selection: dark comedy; premiered at Humana Festival of New American Plays, Actors Theatre of Louisville; published by Playscripts, Inc.Playscripts, Inc.Playscripts, Inc. is a New York City-based publisher of new plays and musicals, founded by brothers and playwrights Doug and Jonathan Rand. Included in the exclusive Playscripts catalog are over 1,600 plays and musicals by over 800 authors....
. - (2005) The GiverThe GiverThe Giver is a 1993 soft science fiction novel by Lois Lowry. It is set in a society which is at first presented as a utopian society and gradually appears more and more dystopian. The novel follows a boy named Jonas through the twelfth year of his life...
: adaptation of book by Lois LowryLois LowryLois Lowry is an American author of children's literature. She began her career as a photographer and a freelance journalist during the early 1970s...
; premiered at Oregon Children's TheatreOregon Children's TheatreOregon Children's Theatre is a children's theatre organization based in Portland, Oregon. Originally created by Sondra Pearlman as the "Theatre for Young People" in 1988, OCT became a resident company of the Portland Center for the Performing Arts in 1991....
. - (2005) The Dead GuyThe Dead GuyThe Dead Guy, a satire on United States reality television, was written by Eric Coble and published in 2006 by DPS. The play is a mixture of on-stage acting, previously recorded segments, special effects, and live filming. The single set is made to look like a recording studio...
: dark comedy; premiered at Curious Theatre, CO; published by Dramatists Play Service. - (2005) Ten Minutes From Cleveland: series of ten-minute plays; premiered at Dobama TheaterDobama TheaterDobama Theatre is a Cleveland Heights, Ohio theater founded in 1959 by Donald and Marilyn Bianchi, Barry Silverman, and Mark Silverberg. The name Dobama was created from the first two letters of each of the men's name...
). - (2004) Uncle Sam's Satiric Spectacular: modern vaudeville acts; co-created for Actors Theatre of Louisville's Humana Festival; published by Playscripts, Inc.Playscripts, Inc.Playscripts, Inc. is a New York City-based publisher of new plays and musicals, founded by brothers and playwrights Doug and Jonathan Rand. Included in the exclusive Playscripts catalog are over 1,600 plays and musicals by over 800 authors....
. - (2004) The Machine StopsThe Machine Stops"The Machine Stops" is a science fiction short story by E. M. Forster. After initial publication in The Oxford and Cambridge Review , the story was republished in Forster's The Eternal Moment and Other Stories in 1928...
: adaptation of E.M. Forster Story: premiered at Hiram College. - (2004) Vote?: children's play; premiered at Eckerd Theatre Center, FL; East coast tour.
- (2002) The HolidaysThe HolidaysThe Holidays are an Australian indie pop/soul band. Formed in Sydney in 2006, the band consists of Simon Jones, Will Magnus, Alex Kortt and Andrew Kerridge...
: screenplay. - (2002) Cinderella Confidential: children's play; premiered at The Cleveland Play House; published by Dramatic Publishing.
- (2002) From Here: collection of oral histories from 40 counties in Ohio; statewide tour.
- (2002) T.I.D.Y.: dark comedy; premiered at Beck Center for the Performing Arts, Lakewood, OH.
- (2002) Tristan and Iseult : screenplay.
- (2002) SacagaweaSacagaweaSacagawea ; was a Lemhi Shoshone woman, who accompanied the Lewis and Clark Expedition, acting as an interpreter and guide, in their exploration of the Western United States...
: children's play; premiered at Oregon Children's Theatre; published by Playscripts, Inc.Playscripts, Inc.Playscripts, Inc. is a New York City-based publisher of new plays and musicals, founded by brothers and playwrights Doug and Jonathan Rand. Included in the exclusive Playscripts catalog are over 1,600 plays and musicals by over 800 authors....
. - (2001) Dolores Conquers the Moon: screenplay.
- (2001) "Baggage Unattended": ten-minute play, premiered at Contemporary American Theatre Company, Ohio; winner of Best of the Fest Award.
- (2001) Pecos Bill and the Ghost Stampede: premiered at The Cleveland Play House; published by Dramatic Publishing.
- (2001) "Strange Intelligence": short play; premiered at Imagination Stage, Washington, D.C.
- (2001) Bright IdeasBright IdeasBright Ideas is Portastatic's fifth studio album. It was released on Merge Records On August 23, 2005 The album was the first Portastatic album that was completely recorded in a modern studio. Previous albums were either partially or completely recorded on a Portastudio 4-track recorder...
: dark comedy; satire of MacbethMacbethThe Tragedy of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607...
; premiered at The Cleveland Play House; published by Dramatists Play Service. - (2000) "Straight On 'Til Morning": dramatic one-act; premiered at Great Lakes Theatre Festival, OH.
- (2000) Lake of Panthers: children's play; premiered at The Cleveland Play House, OH.
- (2000) Dr. Blitz: screenplay.
- (1999) Gold in the Bones: children's play; premiered at The Cleveland Play House; published by Playscripts, Inc.Playscripts, Inc.Playscripts, Inc. is a New York City-based publisher of new plays and musicals, founded by brothers and playwrights Doug and Jonathan Rand. Included in the exclusive Playscripts catalog are over 1,600 plays and musicals by over 800 authors....
. - (1999) Pinocchio 3.5: children's play; premiered at The Cleveland Play House; published by Playscripts, Inc.Playscripts, Inc.Playscripts, Inc. is a New York City-based publisher of new plays and musicals, founded by brothers and playwrights Doug and Jonathan Rand. Included in the exclusive Playscripts catalog are over 1,600 plays and musicals by over 800 authors....
. - (1998) Under the Flesh: The final descent of Edgar Allan Poe: drama; premiered at The Cleveland Play House.
- (1997) Myth Adventures: children's play: premiered at The Cleveland Play House; published by Dramatic Publishing.
- (1997) The Red Shoes: children's musical; premiered at The Cleveland Play House.
- (1997) Virtual Devotion: dark comedy; premiered at Dobama Theatre, OH; published by Dramatic Publishing.
- (1996) The Emperor's New ClothesThe Emperor's New Clothes"The Emperor's New Clothes" is a short tale by Hans Christian Andersen about two weavers who promise an Emperor a new suit of clothes that is invisible to those unfit for their positions, stupid, or incompetent...
: children's musical; premiered at The Cleveland Play House; published by Dramatic Publishing. - (1996) truth: The testimonial of Sojourner Truth: Biography; premiered at Dobama Theatre, OH; published by Playscripts, Inc.Playscripts, Inc.Playscripts, Inc. is a New York City-based publisher of new plays and musicals, founded by brothers and playwrights Doug and Jonathan Rand. Included in the exclusive Playscripts catalog are over 1,600 plays and musicals by over 800 authors....
. - (1996) Nightfall with Edgar Allan Poe: children's play; premiered at The Cleveland Play House; published by Playscripts, Inc.Playscripts, Inc.Playscripts, Inc. is a New York City-based publisher of new plays and musicals, founded by brothers and playwrights Doug and Jonathan Rand. Included in the exclusive Playscripts catalog are over 1,600 plays and musicals by over 800 authors....
. - (1996) In a Grove: Four Japanese Ghost Stories: children's play; premiered at The Cleveland Play House; published by Playscripts, Inc.Playscripts, Inc.Playscripts, Inc. is a New York City-based publisher of new plays and musicals, founded by brothers and playwrights Doug and Jonathan Rand. Included in the exclusive Playscripts catalog are over 1,600 plays and musicals by over 800 authors....
. - (1995) Sound Biting: dark comedy; premiered at Dobama Theatre, OH.
- (1994) Isolated Incidents: dark comedy; premiered at Cleveland Public Theatre, OH.
External links
- Off Broadway production of Bright Ideas
- Bio at Dobama Theater
- Interview at Charlotte Theater
- Interview at CoolCleveland by Linda EisensteinLinda EisensteinLinda Eisenstein is a playwright and composer. She is a member of the Playwrights Unit of the Cleveland Play House.Linda Eisenstein is a prolific author, composer, journalist and activist for the rights of women playwrights...
- Playscripts, Inc. playwright profile