Ruth Maleczech
Encyclopedia
Ruth Maleczech is an American
avant-garde stage actress, whose most notable role may have been as King Lear
, portrayed as an imperious Southern matriarch (1990). Maleczech met her artistic partner, Lee Breuer
, at UCLA in the late 1950s, where she arrived via via Cleveland, Ohio
(where she was born to Yugoslavian immigrants) and Phoenix, Arizona
(where her steelworker father moved for his health).
and The Taming of the Shrew
in high school. In San Francisco, Maleczech played Emily in Our Town
and worked backstage at the Actors Workshop. She took acting classes with Ronnie Davis, head of the San Francisco Mime Troupe, her first exposure to nontraditional dramatic forms.
Soon she left for NYC, and later for Europe, where, at the Berliner Ensemble
, she came into contact with the avant-garde. She also lived in Turkey
, Morocco
, Rhodes
, and Paris
. In Paris, Breuer settled down to write and Maleczech worked dubbing the voice of actress Catherine Deneuve
. Maleczech and Breuer helped create the Mabou Mines
avant-garde theatre company with David Warrilow, JoAnne Akalaitis
and Phillip Glass.
In 2008, she was awarded a grant from the Foundation for Contemporary Arts
Grants to Artists Award. In 2009 she won a Fellow Award in Theater Arts from United States Artists
.
She also appeared in Through the Leaves (1984; 1990), a play in which she portrayed a butcher with an abusive lover, with whom she simulated sexual intercourse on stage.
She has also had roles in film and television, but her preferred medium has always been the stage.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
avant-garde stage actress, whose most notable role may have been as King Lear
King Lear
King Lear is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The title character descends into madness after foolishly disposing of his estate between two of his three daughters based on their flattery, bringing tragic consequences for all. The play is based on the legend of Leir of Britain, a mythological...
, portrayed as an imperious Southern matriarch (1990). Maleczech met her artistic partner, Lee Breuer
Lee Breuer
Lee Breuer is an American academic, educator, film maker, poet, lyricist, writer and stage director.-Work with Mabou Mines:Lee Breuer is a founding artistic director of Mabou Mines Theater Company in New York City, which he began in 1970 with colleagues Philip Glass, Ruth Maleczech, JoAnne...
, at UCLA in the late 1950s, where she arrived via via Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
(where she was born to Yugoslavian immigrants) and Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
(where her steelworker father moved for his health).
Career
Born as Ruth Sophia Reinprecht, her first encounter with theater was as a witch in a class play at the age of eight, and performed in Blithe SpiritBlithe Spirit (play)
Blithe Spirit is a comic play written by Noël Coward which takes its title from Percy Bysshe Shelley's poem "To a Skylark" . The play concerns socialite and novelist Charles Condomine, who invites the eccentric medium and clairvoyant, Madame Arcati, to his house to conduct a séance, hoping to...
and 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 high school. In San Francisco, Maleczech played Emily in Our Town
Our Town
Our Town is a three-act play by American playwright Thornton Wilder. It is a character story about an average town's citizens in the early twentieth century as depicted through their everyday lives...
and worked backstage at the Actors Workshop. She took acting classes with Ronnie Davis, head of the San Francisco Mime Troupe, her first exposure to nontraditional dramatic forms.
Soon she left for NYC, and later for Europe, where, at the Berliner Ensemble
Berliner Ensemble
The Berliner Ensemble is a German theatre company established by playwright Bertolt Brecht and his wife, Helene Weigel in January 1949 in East Berlin...
, she came into contact with the avant-garde. She also lived in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
, Rhodes
Rhodes
Rhodes is an island in Greece, located in the eastern Aegean Sea. It is the largest of the Dodecanese islands in terms of both land area and population, with a population of 117,007, and also the island group's historical capital. Administratively the island forms a separate municipality within...
, and Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. In Paris, Breuer settled down to write and Maleczech worked dubbing the voice of actress Catherine Deneuve
Catherine Deneuve
Catherine Deneuve is a French actress. She gained recognition for her portrayal of aloof and mysterious beauties in films such as Repulsion and Belle de jour . Deneuve was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress in 1993 for her performance in Indochine; she also won César Awards for that...
. Maleczech and Breuer helped create the Mabou Mines
Mabou Mines
Mabou Mines is an avant-garde theatre company founded in 1970 and based in New York City.-History:Mabou Mines is a collaborative, avant-garde theater company based in New York City...
avant-garde theatre company with David Warrilow, JoAnne Akalaitis
JoAnne Akalaitis
JoAnne Akalaitis is an American theatre director and a writer and the winner of five Obie Awards for direction and founder of the critically acclaimed Mabou Mines in New York, from which she resigned after twenty years in June 1990.Akalaitis was pre-med and studied philosophy in college...
and Phillip Glass.
In 2008, she was awarded a grant from the Foundation for Contemporary Arts
Foundation for Contemporary Arts
Foundation for Contemporary Arts , originally known as Foundation for Contemporary Performance Arts, is a nonprofit based foundation in New York City founded by artists Jasper Johns , John Cage, Elaine de Kooning and others in 1963. FCA offers financial support and recognition to contemporary...
Grants to Artists Award. In 2009 she won a Fellow Award in Theater Arts from United States Artists
United States Artists
United States Artists is an independent nonprofit and nongovernmental philanthropic organization based in Los Angeles, California and dedicated to supporting the work of living American artists by the granting of cash awards, called USA Fellowships...
.
She also appeared in Through the Leaves (1984; 1990), a play in which she portrayed a butcher with an abusive lover, with whom she simulated sexual intercourse on stage.
She has also had roles in film and television, but her preferred medium has always been the stage.
Name change
In 1969 she changed her name from Ruth Reinprecht to Ruth Maleczech (her mother's maiden name was Maletiç).External links
- http://www.nd.edu/~jgodmilo/westszeon.html
- http://gothamist.com/2007/08/30/ruth_maleczech.php
- http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb4309/is_199809/ai_n15023743