Iris Rainer Dart
Encyclopedia
Iris Rainer Dart is an American author and playwright for television and the stage. Her most notable novel is Beaches
, which was made into a 1988 film of the same name
. She has also written several stage musicals as well as for television shows, such as The Sonny and Cher Show.
. She also went to classes at the Pittsburgh Playhouse as a child. She is a graduate of
Carnegie Mellon University
with a degree in theater.
Dart has written nine novels, including Beaches. She wrote for The Sonny and Cher Show variety show
in the 1970s. She got the idea to write about a woman "loosely based on 'the no holds barred outrageous person' that she found in Cher. The character became "Cee Cee Bloom" in her ...novel Beaches later made into the iconic film of the same name starring Bette Midler
."
She wrote the book and lyrics for the 2009 stage musical, Laughing Matters, for the Pasadena Playhouse
, California. Her next work is the Roundabout Theatre Broadway
production of her new musical, The People in the Picture
, opening on April 28, 2011 and closing on June 19, 2011, and starring Donna Murphy
.
Beaches (novel)
Beaches is a novel written by Iris Rainer Dart and is about two friends, struggling actress Cee Cee Bloom and the conventional Bertie Barron. The story follows them through their life as young girls until Bertie's death from cancer in her late 30s....
, which was made into a 1988 film of the same name
Beaches (film)
Beaches , is a 1988 American comedy-drama film adapted by Mary Agnes Donoghue from the Iris Rainer Dart novel of the same name...
. She has also written several stage musicals as well as for television shows, such as The Sonny and Cher Show.
Early life
Rainer Dart was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and was an actress as a youth with the Curtaineers, an inter-racial theater group at the Settlement house, at the Pittsburgh Playhouse and The White Barn TheatreWhite Barn Theatre
The White Barn Theatre was a small theater founded by actress, producer and theater impresario Lucille Lortel on the property of her estate in Norwalk, Connecticut that premiered numerous plays from major playwrights and plays that went on to successful Broadway and Off-Broadway runs.Lortel founded...
. She also went to classes at the Pittsburgh Playhouse as a child. She is a graduate of
Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States....
with a degree in theater.
Career
In an interview (Summer 2007), when asked the question:"Has the Jewish cultural dynamic in your upbringing influenced what and how you write?", Dart replied "Unquestionably. I grew up in a household where both my parents were immigrants – my mother from Russia, father from Lithuania – and they spoke more Yiddish in my house than English, so it was just a [sic] completely a part of who I was."Dart has written nine novels, including Beaches. She wrote for The Sonny and Cher Show variety show
Variety show
A variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is an entertainment made up of a variety of acts, especially musical performances and sketch comedy, and normally introduced by a compère or host. Other types of acts include magic, animal and circus acts, acrobatics, juggling...
in the 1970s. She got the idea to write about a woman "loosely based on 'the no holds barred outrageous person' that she found in Cher. The character became "Cee Cee Bloom" in her ...novel Beaches later made into the iconic film of the same name starring Bette Midler
Bette Midler
Bette Midler is an American singer, actress, and comedian, also known by her informal stage name, The Divine Miss M. She became famous as a cabaret and concert headliner, and went on to star in successful and acclaimed films such as The Rose, Ruthless People, Beaches, and For The Boys...
."
She wrote the book and lyrics for the 2009 stage musical, Laughing Matters, for the Pasadena Playhouse
Pasadena Playhouse
The Pasadena Playhouse is a historic performing arts venue located 39 S El Molino Avenue in Pasadena, California. The 686-seat auditorium produces a variety of cultural and artistic events, professional shows, and community engagements each year.-History:...
, California. Her next work is the Roundabout Theatre 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...
production of her new musical, The People in the Picture
The People in the Picture
The People in the Picture is a musical with book and lyrics by Iris Rainer Dart and music by Mike Stoller and Artie Butler. The musical is about a grandmother recalling her life in the Yiddish theater and the Holocaust.-Production:...
, opening on April 28, 2011 and closing on June 19, 2011, and starring Donna Murphy
Donna Murphy
Donna Murphy is an American stage, film, television actress and singer.Murphy has won two Tony Awards for Best Actress in a Musical for her roles in Passion as Fosca and in The King and I as Anna Leonowens...
.