Laurence Overmire
Encyclopedia
Laurence Overmire is an American poet, playwright, actor, director, educator, family historian and genealogist. His poetry has been widely published in the U.S. and abroad. As an actor, he has performed on Broadway, film and television.
, Richard Foreman
, Garland Wright and Liviu Ciulei
. Thereafter, he moved to New York landing roles on and off Broadway including Amadeus
directed by Sir Peter Hall and starring Frank Langella
and Mark Hamill
, Joseph Papp
's New York Shakespeare Festival
production of Don Juan, Charles Busch
's comedy hits Vampire Lesbians of Sodom
and Psycho Beach Party, and the Equity Library Theatre production of Fifth of July. He also worked at many regional theatres across the country including Alaska Repertory Theatre, Buffalo's Studio Arena Theater
, Delaware Theatre Company, Totem Pole Playhouse
, Michigan's Meadow Brook Theatre, and Yale Repertory Theatre
. On television, Overmire made numerous appearances on the network soaps All My Children
, As the World Turns
, Another World
, One Life to Live
and Loving
.
Later, Overmire moved to Hollywood, where he starred in Roy Brocksmith
's production of The One Less Travelled at the California Cottage Theatre, played a featured role in the independent feature film The Thing at Pete and Julie's directed by Jerry Rapp
, and founded and served as Executive Producer of The Writer's Lab, a non-profit organization created to develop material for the entertainment industry.
In 2007, Overmire directed his play A Scrooge Mart Christmas Carol for No Illusions Theatre in Portland, OR, raising over $3,000 for charity.
Throughout his career, he has furthered his interest in education, developing and teaching arts programs for Lincoln Center Institute
, Manhattan Theatre Club
, Oregon Children's Theatre
, and others.
An advocate for peace, social justice, the environment, civil rights, human rights, and animal rights, Overmire was the Poet In Residence on The Jeff Farias
Show in 2010, where during a weekly segment he would read poetry and discuss the political and social issues of the day. Central to his philosophy is the need for an open mind and an open heart. "I reserve the right to evolve. What I think and feel today is subject to revision tomorrow," he says.
In 2009, several of Overmire's peace poems including Middle Eastern Night and Day were translated into Arabic and published in the Lebanese newspaper An-Nahar
. Recently, he has been publishing videopoems on YouTube
(see videopoems below).
"Poetry is the art of using language to transcend language," Overmire says. "Much of my work comes out of two simple ideas.
The first is The Golden Rule. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. And the second is We are One. All of us are
one family, interconnected and interdependent upon one another for our well-being. And central to both of these ideas are love
and compassion. So a lot of what I write about are the things I see in the world that somehow violate these two ideas. As an artist,
I believe it's very important to look at and confront the dark aspects of human nature. Those who refuse to look at or give
expression to the dark side of life are in denial—fear preventing passage through the door of growth, truth and, ultimately, wisdom."
and several other Mayflower
passengers. He also has three Native American
lines of ancestry. He created several databases on RootsWeb to help others trace their own family roots, including The Ancestry of Overmire, Tifft, Richardson, Bradford, Reed, which has generated more than a million hits.
In 2009, Overmire completed One Immigrant's Legacy: The Overmyer Family in America 1751-2009, A Biographical Record of Revolutionary War Veteran Capt. John George Overmire and His Descendants. Recognized as the foremost authority on the Overmyer clan in the U.S., Laurence was the keynote speaker at the Overmyer Family National Reunion in Rochester, Fulton Co., IN
, the first reunion of its kind in over 100 years.
In the afterword to One Immigrant's Legacy, Overmire writes, "Over the course of the millennia, all these multitudes of ancestors, generation upon generation, have come down to this moment in time - to give birth to you. There has never been, nor will ever be, another like you. You have been given a tremendous responsibility. You carry the hopes and dreams of all those who have gone before. Hopes and dreams for a better world. What will you do with your time on this Earth? How will you contribute to the ongoing story of humankind?"
from Muskingum University, Ohio, in 1979, with a B.A. in Theatre and a B.S. in Psychology. He was awarded a Bush Fellowship
to attend graduate school at the University of Minnesota
, Minneapolis, where he received his M.F.A.
Stage, TV and Film Career
Laurence Overmire began his professional acting career at the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis working with directors Alan SchneiderAlan Schneider
Alan Schneider was an American theatre director and mentor responsible for more than 100 theatre productions. In 1984 he was honored with a Drama Desk Special Award for serving a wide range of playwrights...
, Richard Foreman
Richard Foreman
Richard Foreman is an American playwright and avant-garde theater pioneer. He is the founder of the Ontological-Hysteric Theater.-Life :...
, Garland Wright and Liviu Ciulei
Liviu Ciulei
Liviu Ciulei was a Romanian theater and film director, film writer, actor, architect, educator, costume and set designer. During a career spanning over 50 years, he was described by Newsweek as "one of the boldest and most challenging figures on the international scene".-Biography:Born in...
. Thereafter, he moved to New York landing roles on and off Broadway including Amadeus
Amadeus
Amadeus is a play by Peter Shaffer.It is based on the lives of the composers Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri, highly fictionalized.Amadeus was first performed in 1979...
directed by Sir Peter Hall and starring Frank Langella
Frank Langella
-Early life:Langella, an Italian American, was born in Bayonne, New Jersey, the son of Angelina and Frank A. Langella Sr., a business executive who was the president of the Bayonne Barrel and Drum Company. Langella attended Washington Elementary School and Bayonne High School in Bayonne...
and Mark Hamill
Mark Hamill
Mark Richard Hamill is an American actor, voice artist, producer, director, and writer, best known for his role as Luke Skywalker in the original trilogy of Star Wars. More recently, he has received acclaim for his voice work, in such roles as the Joker in Batman: The Animated Series, Firelord...
, Joseph Papp
Joseph 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...
's 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...
production of Don Juan, Charles Busch
Charles Busch
Charles Louis Busch is an American actor, screenwriter, playwright and female impersonator, known for his appearances on stage in his own camp style plays and in film and television. He wrote The Tale of the Allergist's Wife, which was a success on Broadway.-Early life:Busch was born in 1954 and...
's comedy hits Vampire Lesbians of Sodom
Vampire Lesbians of Sodom
Vampire Lesbians of Sodom is a satirical play written by Charles Busch. It features a series of vignettes that deals with the lives of two eponymous immortal vampire lesbians, a creature known as The Succubus who is also known as La Condessa or Magda Legerdemaine, and the virgin-turned-vampire who...
and Psycho Beach Party, and the Equity Library Theatre production of Fifth of July. He also worked at many regional theatres across the country including Alaska Repertory Theatre, Buffalo's Studio Arena Theater
Studio Arena Theater
- History :Founded in the 1920s in Buffalo, NY by a group of local enthusiasts, the Studio Theatre evolved as both a theatre and a theatre school into Western New York's only professional regional theatre....
, Delaware Theatre Company, Totem Pole Playhouse
Caledonia State Park
Caledonia State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Greene Township, Franklin County and Franklin Township, Adams County in Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is named for an iron furnace, Caledonia Furnace, that was owned by Thaddeus Stevens beginning in 1837. Today the park is known...
, Michigan's Meadow Brook Theatre, and Yale Repertory Theatre
Yale Repertory Theatre
The Yale Repertory Theatre at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut was founded by Robert Brustein, dean of the Yale School of Drama in 1966, with the goal of facilitating a meaningful collaboration between theatre professionals and talented students. In the process it has become one of the...
. On television, Overmire made numerous appearances on the network soaps All My Children
All My Children
All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...
, As the World Turns
As the World Turns
As the World Turns is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS from April 2, 1956 to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created As the World Turns as a sister show to her other soap opera Guiding Light...
, Another World
Another World (TV series)
Another World is an American television soap opera that ran on NBC from May 4, 1964 to June 25, 1999. It ran for a total of 35 years. It was created by Irna Phillips along with William J...
, One Life to Live
One Life to Live
One Life to Live is an American soap opera which debuted on July 15, 1968 and has been broadcast on the ABC television network. Created by Agnes Nixon, the series was the first daytime drama to primarily feature racially and socioeconomically diverse characters and consistently emphasize social...
and Loving
Loving
-Places:* Loving, New Mexico, a village located in Eddy County, New Mexico.* Loving County, Texas, the least populous county in the U.S.-Things:* Love, a range of human emotions* Loving , a 1945 novel by Henry Green....
.
Later, Overmire moved to Hollywood, where he starred in Roy Brocksmith
Roy Brocksmith
-Biography:Brocksmith was born in Quincy, Illinois, the son of Vera Marguerite and Otis E. Brocksmith, who was a mechanic. He graduated from Quincy University in 1970. He then moved to New York City where he began a career on Broadway...
's production of The One Less Travelled at the California Cottage Theatre, played a featured role in the independent feature film The Thing at Pete and Julie's directed by Jerry Rapp
Jerry Rapp
Jerry Rapp is a professional screenwriter, director, and producer.-Career:Rapp is a graduate of the USC School of Cinema/Television, and has been working as a professional screenwriter, director, and producer since 1987...
, and founded and served as Executive Producer of The Writer's Lab, a non-profit organization created to develop material for the entertainment industry.
In 2007, Overmire directed his play A Scrooge Mart Christmas Carol for No Illusions Theatre in Portland, OR, raising over $3,000 for charity.
Throughout his career, he has furthered his interest in education, developing and teaching arts programs for Lincoln Center Institute
Lincoln Center Institute
Lincoln Center Institute for the Arts in Education, established in 1975 and located in New York City, is the educational arm of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.- Facilities :*Clark Studio Theater*Samuels Teaching Studio...
, Manhattan Theatre Club
Manhattan Theatre Club
Manhattan Theatre Club is a theater company located in New York City. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Lynne Meadow and Executive Producer Barry Grove, Manhattan Theatre Club has grown since its founding in 1970 from an Off-Off Broadway showcase into one of the country’s most acclaimed...
, Oregon Children's Theatre
Oregon Children's Theatre
Oregon 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....
, and others.
Poetry
Laurence Overmire's poetry has been published in hundreds of magazines, journals and anthologies worldwide. Eclectic in form and style, his work can be provocative in its confrontation of social issues. He is the author of three books of poetry, Honor & Remembrance, Report From X-Star 10 and Gone Hollywood. He began writing poetry as a way to reflect upon his life experience, what became for him "a diary in art."An advocate for peace, social justice, the environment, civil rights, human rights, and animal rights, Overmire was the Poet In Residence on The Jeff Farias
Jeff Farias
Jeff Farias is a progressive talk-show radio host and producer. Born in Fall River, Massachusetts, he graduated from Brown University in 1982 with a BA in Organizational Behavior Management.-Television career:...
Show in 2010, where during a weekly segment he would read poetry and discuss the political and social issues of the day. Central to his philosophy is the need for an open mind and an open heart. "I reserve the right to evolve. What I think and feel today is subject to revision tomorrow," he says.
In 2009, several of Overmire's peace poems including Middle Eastern Night and Day were translated into Arabic and published in the Lebanese newspaper An-Nahar
An-Nahar
An-Nahar , is the leading Arabic-language daily newspaper in Lebanon.It was first published on August 4, 1933 as a four-page, hand-set paper. The paper provided a platform for various free thinkers to express their views during the years of the Syria occupation of Lebanon. The paper can be best...
. Recently, he has been publishing videopoems on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
(see videopoems below).
"Poetry is the art of using language to transcend language," Overmire says. "Much of my work comes out of two simple ideas.
The first is The Golden Rule. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. And the second is We are One. All of us are
one family, interconnected and interdependent upon one another for our well-being. And central to both of these ideas are love
and compassion. So a lot of what I write about are the things I see in the world that somehow violate these two ideas. As an artist,
I believe it's very important to look at and confront the dark aspects of human nature. Those who refuse to look at or give
expression to the dark side of life are in denial—fear preventing passage through the door of growth, truth and, ultimately, wisdom."
Genealogy
Laurence Overmire began researching his genealogy in the 1990s. He is a descendant of Gov. William Bradford, William BrewsterWilliam Brewster (Pilgrim)
Elder William Brewster was a Mayflower passenger and a Pilgrim colonist leader and preacher.-Origins:Brewster was probably born at Doncaster, Yorkshire, England, circa 1566/1567, although no birth records have been found, and died at Plymouth, Massachusetts on April 10, 1644 around 9- or 10pm...
and several other Mayflower
Mayflower
The Mayflower was the ship that transported the English Separatists, better known as the Pilgrims, from a site near the Mayflower Steps in Plymouth, England, to Plymouth, Massachusetts, , in 1620...
passengers. He also has three Native American
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
lines of ancestry. He created several databases on RootsWeb to help others trace their own family roots, including The Ancestry of Overmire, Tifft, Richardson, Bradford, Reed, which has generated more than a million hits.
In 2009, Overmire completed One Immigrant's Legacy: The Overmyer Family in America 1751-2009, A Biographical Record of Revolutionary War Veteran Capt. John George Overmire and His Descendants. Recognized as the foremost authority on the Overmyer clan in the U.S., Laurence was the keynote speaker at the Overmyer Family National Reunion in Rochester, Fulton Co., IN
Rochester, Indiana
Rochester is a city in and the county seat of Fulton County, Indiana, United States. The population was 6,414 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Rochester is located at ....
, the first reunion of its kind in over 100 years.
In the afterword to One Immigrant's Legacy, Overmire writes, "Over the course of the millennia, all these multitudes of ancestors, generation upon generation, have come down to this moment in time - to give birth to you. There has never been, nor will ever be, another like you. You have been given a tremendous responsibility. You carry the hopes and dreams of all those who have gone before. Hopes and dreams for a better world. What will you do with your time on this Earth? How will you contribute to the ongoing story of humankind?"
Education
Overmire graduated summa cum laude as valedictorianValedictorian
Valedictorian is an academic title conferred upon the student who delivers the closing or farewell statement at a graduation ceremony. Usually, the valedictorian is the highest ranked student among those graduating from an educational institution...
from Muskingum University, Ohio, in 1979, with a B.A. in Theatre and a B.S. in Psychology. He was awarded a Bush Fellowship
Bush Foundation
The Bush Foundation was created in 1953 by Archibald Granville Bush an American businessman primarily involved with 3M and his wife, Edyth Bassler Bush. The organization awards $40 million a year to philanthropic organizations, primarily located in Minnesota and the Upper Midwest....
to attend graduate school at the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
, Minneapolis, where he received his M.F.A.
Honors and Awards
- Selected as Judge for the Oregon state finals of the NEANational Endowment for the ArtsThe National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
's National Poetry Out LoudPoetry Out LoudThe Poetry Out Loud: Recitation Contest was created in 2006 by the National Endowment for the Arts and The Poetry Foundation. The contest was created to increase awareness in the art of performing poetry, with substantial cash prizes being awarded to schools that participated as well as...
Recitation contest, 2011 - Received Enchanting Verses International Poetry Journals "Enchanting Poet Award", 2008
- First Place and Honorable Mention prizes for the Barnes & NobleBarnes & NobleBarnes & Noble, Inc. is the largest book retailer in the United States, operating mainly through its Barnes & Noble Booksellers chain of bookstores headquartered at 122 Fifth Avenue in the Flatiron District in Manhattan in New York City. Barnes & Noble also operated the chain of small B. Dalton...
Everybody Reads Contest, Fahrenheit 451Fahrenheit 451Fahrenheit 451 is a 1953 dystopian novel by Ray Bradbury. The novel presents a future American society where reading is outlawed and firemen start fires to burn books...
, 2004 - Poetry Award for The Poet’s Porch and named to the Poet’s Hall of Fame, 2001
- Honorable Mention in The Jeremiah ReevesJeremiah ReevesJeremiah Reeves was a 22-year-old African American, former jazz drummer, executed by the state of Alabama by electrocution for two rapes he allegedly committed in 1952. His actual guilt was frequently questioned .Reeves' execution sparked a massive protest, among whose leaders was Rev...
Poetry Prize For Justice, Uprising, Issue #5, Apr 1999
Books
- Honor & Remembrance: A Poetic Journey through American History (Indelible Mark Publishing, 2007)
- Report From X-Star 10: Sci-Fi Poetry (Indelible Mark Publishing, 2009)
- One Immigrant's Legacy: The Overmyer Family in America, 1751-2009, A Biographical Record of Revolutionary War Veteran Capt. John George Overmire and His Descendants (Indelible Mark Publishing, 2009)
- Gone Hollywood (Indelible Mark Publishing, 2011)
Plays
- Slingshot (2005)
- A Woman In Washington's Army (2007)
- A Scrooge Mart Christmas Carol (2007)
Videopoems
- Ode To An Endangered Species, 2010
- Viewpoint, 2010
- Beach Walk At Sunset, 2010
- Maybe the Trees, 2011
Selected Poems
- A Little Poetry, Voracious Verses, 2007 Overmire poems: Unable to Label, Gyroscope, Burning Wood
- Jack Magazine, Vol. 1 No. 1, 2000 Overmire poems: Less Than Infinity, Kerouac, The Right Reverend, Dastardly Dick
- Boloji Media Inc., India Overmire poems: Don't Interfere, Mentor, Nuclear Fission, Sunblock, The Burning of Alexandria
- Thanal Online, Vol 1, Issue 2, 2006 Overmire poems: Only the Poets, Sins of the Fathers, Sitting Bull's Dream, The Road to Baghdad, Refracting LIght
- Poets Against War, ed. Sam Hamill, Overmire poems: The Warning of Tombstones, There's, Bodies
- Kimera: A Journal of Fine Writing, Winter 1998 Volume 3, Number 2, Overmire poems: The Amish Girl, Reunion, Mid-Life
- Swans, Boonville, CA, Dec. 2000 Overmire poem: Refugee
- Badosa Literary Project, 2002 Overmire poems: Expectant, Forgiveness, How Old?, Good and Bad, Last Card
- The Courtship of Winds, Issue 1, Jan 2000 Overmire poems: The Convention, Killer Groceries, Snowbound
- Gangway, Issue 30/31, Mar 2004, Germany Overmire poems: Sand in the Mouth, Schlock, Die Andere, Pig Heart, Jobber Wocky
- Scottish Radiance, Scotland, Nov 2000 Overmire poem: Culloden Moor
- ken*again, the literary magazine, Vol. 2, No.2, May 2001 Overmire poem: Dance of the Wounded Heart
- The Pittsburgh Quarterly Online, Jan 2000 Overmire poem: The Wake of a Dream
- Rustlings of the Wind: Whereness Issue, 2000 Overmire poem: In-Betweens
- Tryst, Issue V, June 1, 2003 Overmire poem: The Fallow Time
- The Centrifugal Eye, Aug. 2008 Overmire poems: Saturday Night, Brooklyn Nights
- CommonSense2, Aug. 2008 Overmire poem: Good Guys and Bad Guys
Audio/Video
- Writers Read, Stage and Studio with Dmae Roberts, KBOO 90.7FM, March, 2011
- Laurence Overmire, Poet-in-Residence, The Jeff Farias Show, Video Recordings, 2010
Anthologies
- World's Strand, An International Anthology of Poetry (Mandelbachtal-Cambridge 2006)
- The Taj Mahal Review (Cyberwit, India, vol. 5, no. 2, 2006)
- Poets Against War (ed. Sam HamillSam HamillSam Hamill is an american poet and the co-founder of Copper Canyon Press along with Bill O’Daly and Tree Swenson.He is also the initiator of the Poets Against War movement...
, Port Townsend, WA, 2003) - Poetry The Write Way: Webstatic – First Journey (Iuniverse Inc., June 2000)
- Rinse and Repeat (Scars Publications, Chicago, IL, 1999)
- The Other Voices International Project (Vol. 20, 2006)
External links
- Turner Classic Movies, A Christmas Carol (1982)
- The One Less Travelled by Cary Pepper, California Cottage Theatre, 1992
- Broadway World International Database, Psycho Beach Party, Don Juan
- Farnsworth Public Library, Genealogy and Local History, Quote of Laurence Overmire
- Encyclopedia of Television Series, Pilots and Specials: 1974-1984, A Christmas Carol, The Entertainment Channel
- The Founder, Mount Manresa Newsletter Poem The Fallow Time quotation, Winter, 2008–2009 Vol 52, No 3
- St. Olaf College Syllabus, American Studies 210, Campus Ecology, Laurence Overmire's poem Real World
- Chun Kim's video Refugee, featuring Laurence Overmire's poem Refugee
- 2011 Artist Quote of the Day, Laurence Overmire, Word Press
- Forward Design Gallery Art quote by Laurence Overmire
- Gaiam Life, Stream of Consciousness Quotes of Laurence Overmire
- The Painter's Keys Laurence Overmire Art Quotes
- Quotiki Laurence Overmire quotes
- The Guthrie Theatre Shakespeare at the Guthrie, 1981-1982 Season
- Eden Magazine Laurence Overmire featured article, July 2011
- Facebook Poet Laurence Overmire