Des McAnuff Biography (1952-)
Born June 19, 1952, in Princeton, NJ; son of John Nelson and Ellen Boyd; married Susan Berman (an actress), January 1, 1984; children: Julia Violet. Addresses: Office: La Jolla Playhouse, P.O. Box 12039, La Jolla, CA 92037.;Agent: Creative Artists Agency, 9830 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90212-1825.
- Nationality
- American
- Gender
- Male
- Occupation
- Director, playwright, producer
- Birth Details
- June 19, 1952
- Princeton, New Jersey, United States
Famous Works
- CREDITS
- Stage Work
- Director, Except Where Indicated
- The Crazy Locomotive, Chelsea Theatre Center, Brooklyn Academy ofMusic, Brooklyn, NY, then Theatre Four, New York City, both 1977
- Gimme Shelter, Dodger Theatre, Brooklyn Academy of Music, 1978
- Leave It to Beaver Is Dead, New York Shakespeare Festival, PublicTheatre, New York City, 1979
- Holeville, Brooklyn Academy of Music, 1979
- Henry IV, Part I, New York Shakespeare Festival, Delacorte Theatre, New York City, 1981
- How It All Began, New York Shakespeare Festival, Public Theatre, 1981
- Mary Stuart, New York Shakespeare Festival, Public Theatre, 1981
- The Death of Von Richthofen as Witnessed from Earth, New York Shakespeare Festival, Public Theatre, 1982
- Macbeth, Stratford Shakespearean Festival, Stratford, Ontario, 1983
- Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, La Jolla Playhouse,La Jolla, CA, then American Repertory Theatre, Cambridge, MA, both 1984 , retitled Big River, Eugene O'Neill Theatre, New York City, 1985
- Shout Up a Morning, La Jolla Playhouse, then Kennedy Center, Washington, DC, 1986
- (And producer) A Walk in the Woods, La Jolla Playhouse, then YaleRepertory Theatre, New Haven, CT, 1987 , later Booth Theatre, New York City,1988
- The Who's Tommy, the Amazing Journey, La Jolla Playhouse, thenSt. James Theatre, New York City, both 1993
- How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying, La Jolla Playhouse, then Richard Rodgers Theatre, New York City, 1995
- High Society, St. James Theatre, 1998
- Also directed As You Like It, Down the Road, Elmer Gantry, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Gillette, Macbeth, A Mad World My Masters, The Matchmaker, Much Ado about Nothing, Romeo and Juliet, The Seagull, TheThree Sisters, Twelfth Night, and Two Rooms, Eighty Days,all La Jolla Playhouse; producer of My Children! My Africa!
- Major Tours
- Director, A Walk in the Woods, Moscow, U.S.S.R., and Lithuanian cities, 1989-90
- Film Work
- Unit director, Renaissance Man, 1994
- Director, Cousin Bette, Fox Searchlight, 1998
- Executive producer, The Iron Giant, Warner Bros., 1999
- Executive producer, Quills, Fox Searchlight, 2000
- Director, The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle, Universal, 2000
- Television Work
- Specials
- Director, A Walk in the Woods, PBS, 1989
- Television Appearances
- Specials
- The Who's Tommy: The Amazing Journey, The Disney Channel, 1994
- WRITINGS
- Plays
- Leave It to Beaver Is Dead, New York Shakespeare Festival, PublicTheatre, 1979
- The Death of Von Richthofen as Witnessed from Earth, New York Shakespeare Festival, Public Theatre, 1982
- The Who's Tommy, the Amazing Journey, La Jolla Playhouse, thenSt. James Theatre, New York City, both 1993
- Has also written the stage plays A Lime in the Morning, SilentEdward, and Troll.
- Stage Music
- Leave It to Beaver Is Dead, New York Shakespeare Festival, PublicTheatre, 1979
- Songwriter, Holeville, Brooklyn Academy of Music, 1979
- The Death of Von Richthofen as Witnessed from Earth, New York Shakespeare Festival, Public Theatre, 1982
- Film Music
- Song, "The Other Side of Heaven," Cousin Bette, Fox Searchlight Pictures, 1998
- Television Music
- Theme music, A Walk in the Woods, PBS, 1989
- Other
- Contributing editor, American Theatre.
Further Reference
OTHER SOURCES
- Back Stage West, June 18, 1998, p. 4.