John Guare Biography (1938-)

Full name, John Edward Guare; born February 5, 1938, in New York, NY; son ofJohn Edward (a clerk at a stock brokerage) and Helen Claire (maiden name, Grady) Guare; married Adele Chatfield-Taylor (an artist, educator, and preservationist), May 20 (some sources cite May 10), 1981.

Nationality: American
Gender: Male
Occupation: Writer
Birth Details: February 5, 1938; New York, New York, United States

Famous Works

CREDITS
Stage Appearances
Narrator, Psyche (tone poem), Avery Fisher Hall, New York City, beginning in 1997
Stage Work
Director
In Fireworks Lie Secret Codes, Mitzi E. Newhouse Theatre, New YorkCity, 1981
Film Work
Associate Producer
Marvin's Room, Miramax, 1996
Film Appearances
The Venice Project, June 99/OFI/Ozanit/Terra Film/WFF/Oesterreichischer Rundfunk, 1999
WRITINGS
Stage Plays
Universe, produced in New York City, 1949
Thirties Girl, produced at Theatre at Georgetown University, Washington, DC, 1959
The Toadstool Boy, produced at Theatre at Georgetown University, 1960
Did You Write My Name in the Snow?, produced at Theatre at Yale University, New Haven, CT, 1962
The Golden Cherub, produced at Theatre at Yale University, 1962
To Wally Pantoni, We Leave a Credenza, produced at New DramatistsCommunity Workshop, New York City, 1964
The Loveliest Afternoon of the Year and Something I'll Tell YouTuesday (double-bill), produced at Caffe Cino, New York City, 1966 published by Dramatists Play Service (New York City), 1968
Muzeeka, produced at Eugene O'Neill Theatre, Waterford, CT, 1967 then Mark Taper Forum, Los Angeles, 1967 later Provincetown Playhouse, New York City, 1968 then Open Space Theatre, London, 1969 published by Dramatists Play Service, 1968 in Muzeeka and Other Plays, Grove (New York City), 1969 Off Broadway Plays, Penguin (London), 1970 and in Cop-Out, Muzeeka, Home Fires, Grove, 1971
Cop-Out and Home Fires (double-bill; musicals), produced atEugene O'Neill Theatre, 1968 then Cort Theatre, New York City, 1969 published by Samuel French (New York City), 1968 in Muzeeka and Other Plays, Grove, 1969 Off Broadway Plays, Penguin, 1970 and in Cop-Out, Muzeeka, Home Fires, Grove, 1971
A Play by Brecht (musical; based on The Exception the Rule), music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, produced at Broadhurst Theatre, New York City, 1969
A Day for Surprises, produced at Caffe Cino, 1970 Basement Theatre, London, 1971 published by Dramatists Play Service, 1970
(Adaptor [with Mel Shapiro]) Two Gentlemen of Verona (musical), produced at New York Shakespeare Festival, Delacorte Theatre, New York City, 1971 then St. James Theatre, New York City, 1971-1973 later Phoenix Theatre, London, 1973 published by Holt (New York City), 1973
The House of Blue Leaves, produced at Truck and Warehouse Theatre,New York City, 1971 later revived at Mitzi E. Newhouse Theatre, then VivianBeaumont Theatre, both New York City, 1986 Bunbury Theatre, Louisville, KY, 2000 and Interact Theatre Company, North Hollywood, CA, 2000 published as The House of Blue Leaves: A Play, Viking (New York City), 1972 in ThreeExposures, Harcourt (New York City), 1982 and in The House of Blue Leaves and Two Other Plays, New American Library (New York City), 1987
Un pape a New York, produced at Gaiete-Montparnesse Theatre, Paris, 1972
(With Harold Stone) Optimism, or the Adventures of Candide (basedon a novel by Voltaire), produced at Eugene O'Neill Foundation Theatre, Waterford, CT, 1973
Marco Polo Sings a Solo, produced at Cyrus Pierce Theatre, Nantucket, MA, 1973 then New York Shakespeare Festival, Public Theatre, New York City, 1977 published by Dramatists Play Service, 1977
Rich and Famous (musical), produced at Academy Festival Theatre, Lake Forest, IL, 1974 then New York Shakespeare Festival, Estelle Newman Public Theatre, New York City, 1976 published by Dramatists Play Service, 1977
Landscape of the Body (musical), produced at Academy Festival Theatre, then New York Shakespeare Festival, Public Theatre, both 1977 publishedby Dramatists Play Service, 1978 in Three Exposures, Harcourt, 1982 and in The House of Blue Leaves and Two Other Plays, 1987
Take a Dream, produced at Delacorte Theatre, 1978

"In Fireworks Lie Secret Codes," in Holidays, produced at Actors Theatre of Louisville, Louisville, KY, 1979 then Mitzi E. Newhouse Theatre, 1981 published by Dramatists Play Service, 1981
Bosoms and Neglect, produced at Goodman Theatre, Chicago, IL, 1979then Longacre Theatre, New York City, 1979 Yale Repertory Theatre, New Haven, 1979 then New York Theatre Workshop, New York City, 1986 and later producedby the Signature Theatre Company, off-Broadway, 1998-1999 published by Dramatists Play Service, 1979 in The House of Blue Leaves and Two Other Plays, 1981 and in Three Exposures, Harcourt, 1982
Lydie Breeze, produced at American Place Theatre, New York City, 1982 New York Theatre Workshop, 2000 published by Dramatists Play Service, 1982 revised version produced as Lydie Breeze, Part I: Bullfinch's Mythology, New York Theatre Workshop, 2000
Gardenia, produced at Manhattan Theatre Club, New York City, 1982then London, 1983 published by Dramatists Play Service, 1982 revised versionproduced as Lydie Breeze, Part II: The Sacredness of the Next Task, New York Theatre Workshop, 2000
Hey, Stay a While (musical), produced at Goodman Theatre, 1984
Women and Water, produced at Actor's Theatre, Los Angeles, 1984 then revised version, Arena Stage, Washington, DC, 1985
"Gluttony" in The Show of the Seven Deadly Sins (also known as Faustus in Hell), produced at McCarter Theatre, Princeton, NJ, 1985
The Talking Dog (based on a story by Anton Chekhov), produced at Theatre at Krannert Center, Urbana, IL, 1985 then in Orchards, LucilleLortel Theatre, New York City, 1986 published by Knopf (New York City), 1986
Moon over Miami, produced at Yale Repertory Theatre, 1989
Six Degrees of Separation, produced at Vivian Beaumont Theatre, 1990-1992 then London, 1993 Phoenix Theatre and Cookie Company, Phoenix, AZ, 2000 and T. Schreiber Studio, New York City, 2001
Four Baboons Adoring the Sun, produced at Vivian Beaumont Theatre,1992 published by Dramatists Play Service, 1995 and in Four Baboons Adoring the Sun and Other Plays, 1993
Moon under Miami, 1995
The General of Hot Desire, 1997 published in Love's Fire: SevenNew Plays Inspired by Seven Shakespearean Sonnets, Morrow (New York City), 1998
(Contributor) The Velvet Vise (six one-act plays), produced at NewYork Performance Works, New York City, 1999
(Script consultant) Babes in Arms, produced at City Center Theatre, New York City, 1999
Lake Hollywood, produced at Signature Theatre Company, 1999 then Tyrone Guthrie Theatre, Minneapolis, MN, 2000
Chaucer in Rome, produced at Williamstown Theatre Festival, Williamstown, MA, 1999 then Mitzi E. Newhouse Theatre, 2001
Sweet Smell of Success (musical), produced at Martin Beck Theatre,New York City, 2002
Writings for the Stage
Music and Lyrics
Cop-Out and Home Fires (double-bill), produced at Eugene O'Neill Theatre, Waterford, CT, 1968 then Cort Theatre, New York City, 1969 published by Samuel French (New York City), 1968 in Muzeeka and Other Plays, Grove (New York City), 1969 Off Broadway Plays, Penguin (London),1970 and in Cop-Out, Muzeeka, Home Fires, Grove, 1971
The House of Blue Leaves, produced at Truck and Warehouse Theatre,New York City, 1971 later revived at Mitzi E. Newhouse Theatre, then VivianBeaumont Theatre, both New York City, 1986 published as The House of BlueLeaves: A Play, Viking (New York City), 1972 in Three Exposures, Harcourt (New York City), 1982 and in The House of Blue Leaves and Two Other Plays, New American Library (New York City), 1987
Rich and Famous, produced at Academy Festival Theatre, Lake Forest, IL, 1974 then New York Shakespeare Festival, Estelle Newman Public Theatre,New York City, 1976 published by Dramatists Play Service, 1977
Landscape of the Body, produced at Academy Festival Theatre, thenNew York Shakespeare Festival, Public Theatre, both 1977 published by Dramatists Play Service, 1978 in Three Exposures, Harcourt, 1982 and in The House of Blue Leaves and Two Other Plays, 1987
Hey, Stay a While, produced at Goodman Theatre, Chicago, IL, 1984
Lyrics
Two Gentlemen of Verona, music by Galt MacDermot, produced at NewYork Shakespeare Festival, Delacorte Theatre, New York City, 1971 then St. James Theatre, New York City, 1971-1973 later Phoenix Theatre, London, 1973 published by Holt (New York City), 1973
Screenplays
(With Milos Foreman, Jean-Claude Carriere, and John Klein) Taking Off, Universal, 1971 published by New American Library (New York City), 1971
Atlantic City (based on his stage play; also known as AtlanticCity, U.S.A.), Paramount, 1981
Six Degrees of Separation (based on his stage play), Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1993
Chuck Close: Life and Work, 1988-1995, 1996
The War against the Kitchen Sink, 1996 published by Smith & Kraus (Lyme, NH), 1996
Teleplays
Specials
(And songs) The House of Blue Leaves (based on his stage play), PBS, 1987
Episodes
"Kissing Sweet," Foul!, PBS, 1969 published by Dramatists Play Service (New York City), 1970
"The Red Shoes," Subway Stories: Tales from the Underground, HBO,1997
Author of Preface
From Ibsen: Workshop, Da Capo Press, 1978
Other Writings
Contributor
John Lahr, editor, Showcase I: Plays from the Eugene O'Neill Foundation, Grove (New York City), 1969
Off-Broadway Plays, Volume 1, Penguin (London), 1970
Three Exposures (contains Bosoms and Neglect, The Houseof Blue Leaves, and Landscape of the Body), Harcourt (New York City), 1982
Love's Fire: Seven New Plays Inspired by Seven Shakespearean Sonnets, Morrow (New York City), 1998

Further Reference

OTHER SOURCES

Books

Contemporary Dramatists, 6th edition, St. James Press, 1999
Contemporary Literary Criticism, Gale, Volume 8, 1978, Volume 14,1980, Volume 29, 1984, Volume 67, 1992,
Dictionary of Literary Biography, Volume 7: Twentieth-Century American Dramatists, Gale, 1981
International Dictionary of Theatre, Volume 2: Playwrights,St. James Press, 1993

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