Donn B. Murphy Biography (1930-)

Born July 21, 1930, in San Antonio, TX; son of Arthur Morton (a college president) and Clare Frances (a writer; maiden name, McCarthy) Murphy. Addresses: HOME--2323 N. Utah Street, Arlington, VA 22207. OFFICE--The National Theatre, 1321 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20004.

In the September-October, 1984, issue of Georgetown Magazine, Donn B. Murphyoffered the following quote: "What I hope to give to my students is a sense of the vitality of the performing arts and the awesome impact they can have onour lives."

Nationality
American
Gender
Male
Birth Details
July 21, 1930
San Antonio, Texas, United States

Famous Works

  • Credits
  • FIRST STAGE WORK--Lighting director, Starlight Theatre, Kansas City, MO,1955-56.
  • Credits; PRINCIPAL STAGE WORK; DIRECTOR AT GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY
  • Stalag 17, 1955.
  • Macbeth, Banned in Boston, and The First Legion, all 1956.
  • The Importance of Being Earnest, The Most Happy Jet, and Teahouse of theAugust Moon, all 1957.
  • Julius Caesar, The Natives Are Restless, The Madwoman of Chaillot, and The Caine Mutiny Court Martial, all 1958.
  • Anyone Mind? and Detective Story, both 1959.
  • Captain Brassbound's Conversion, The Thirties Girl, and The Firstborn, all 1960.
  • My Three Angels, Down the Hatch, and Othello, all 1961.
  • Show Me the Way to Go, Homer, and The Visit, both 1962.
  • One in a Million and Bonaparte!, both 1963.
  • Pantagleize, 1964.
  • Man Alive, They Went That-a-Way, and Summer and Smoke, all 1965.
  • The Twelve-Pound Look, One Sleepless Knight, and Richard III, all 1966.
  • Come Back, Little Phoenix and Ivory Tower, both 1967.
  • My Son, Hamlet and The Fantasticks, both 1968.
  • The Wasp That Ate Cleveland and the Rest of the World and Royal Hunt of the Sun, both 1969.
  • If I Had a Yardstick I Could Rule the World, 1970.
  • Death of a Salesman, I Lost It at the Movies, Cop-Out, and Home Fires, all 1971, Senior Prom and The Resistable Rise of Arturo Ui, both 1972.
  • Paradise: Lost and Found and Man of La Mancha, both 1973.
  • Diva and The Skin of Our Teeth, both 1974.
  • When You Comin' Back, Red Ryder?, 1975.
  • Leonardo!, 1976.
  • The Exiled, 1983.
  • DIRECTOR AT CHESTNUT LODGE, ROCKVILLE,MD Scanarelle's Journey into the Land of the Philosophers, 1960.
  • A View from the Bridge and You Can't Take It with You, both 1961.
  • Under Milk Wood, 1962.
  • The Glass Menagerie, 1963.
  • Hay Fever and The Importance of Being Earnest, both 1964.
  • Picnic, 1965.
  • John Brown's Body, 1966.
  • Dark of the Moon, 1975.
  • Chatauqua Tonight!, 1977.
  • The Last of My Solid Gold Watches and The Unsatisfactory Supper, both 1979.
  • DIRECTOR AT THE TRINITY THEATRE, WASHINGTON,DC Show Boat, 1961.
  • Finian's Rainbow, 1962.
  • South Pacific, 1963.
  • Credits; DIRECTOR
  • The King and I, 1964 and Camelot, 1965, both at the Lisner Auditorium, Washington, DC.
  • West Side Story, Duke Ellington School, Washington, DC, 1966.
  • A Tribute to the Veterans of Vietnam, Ford's Theatre, Washington, DC, 1979.
  • The Ephemeral Is Eternal, Hirshhorn Museum, Washington, DC, 1982.
  • Eleanor Roosevelt: First Lady of the World, The National Museum of American History, Washington, DC, 1984, then Georgetown University, 1985.
  • Also directed The Women Speak, 1984.
  • Credits; PRINCIPAL STAGE APPEARANCES
  • Organ Morgan, Under Milk Wood, 1966, the Ambassador, Romanoff and Juliet,1969, both University of Wisconsin.
  • the Chaplain, Senior Prom, Washington Theatre Club, 1972.
  • Also appeared as Sir Pearce Madigan, O'Flaherty, V.C., sponsored by the Embassy of Ireland, 1983.
  • FILM DEBUT--Major Andrew Ellicott, Washington: City Out of Wilderness, National Capitol Historical Society, 1973.
  • Writings
  • PLAYS,PRODUCED Papers of Fire, Future Farmers of America, 1960.
  • Concentration Camp, Georgetown University, 1969.
  • Creation of the World, American Theatre Association, National Music Educators National Conference, 1970.
  • Something of a Sorceress, National Collection of Fine Arts, Folger Shakespeare Library, 1971.
  • (with Kathleen Barry) Creation of the World II, 1975, Creation of the Nation, 1976 and Happy Landings, 1977, all produced at Wolf Trap Farm Park, VA.
  • Tyger/Tyger, the Theatre Wagon, Staunton, VA, New Playwrights' Theatre, Washington, DC, Northern Michigan State University and the Corner Theatre, Baltimore, MD, all 1977.
  • (with Kathleen Barry) The Curious Computer from Planet Z, 1978 and The Magic Falcon, 1979, both produced at Wolf Trap Farm Park.
  • Writings;EDITED NARRATION
  • The Nutcracker Suite, Georgetown University Symphony, 1983.
  • Writings;ADAPTATION
  • The Exiled, Georgetown University Intercultural Center, 1983.
  • Writings;TELEPLAYS
  • (With Kathleen Barry) You, the People, NBC, 1976.
  • Writings;BOOKS
  • A Director's Guide to Good Theatre, National Contemporary Theatre Conference, Washington, DC, 1968.
  • (with D. Lee and R. Meersman) Stage for a Nation, University Press of America, Washington, DC, 1985.
  • Writings;ARTICLES
  • "The Director as Vector," Catholic Theatre Magazine (December, 1959).
  • "Acting and Self-Concept," Catholic Theatre Magazine (November- December,1960).
  • "Turn on the Tape," Players Magazine (March, 1960).
  • "Projection Techniques in Three Theatres," Catholic Theatre Magazine (January, 1967).
  • "Make Workshops Fun," Catholic Theatre Magazine (May, 1968).
  • "Georgetown Theatre: Alive and Well," Georgetown Today Magazine (September, 1969).
  • "Theatre and the Contemporary World," Players Magazine (October, 1969).
  • "Directing Questions to the Actor," Stage (October, 1977).
  • "Involvement Theatre for the Disabled," Creative Drama News (Spring-Summer, 1978).
  • "Counterpart," (poem) The Bear Flag News (April, 1978).
  • "Gift Exchange," (poem) The Bear Flag News (August, 1978).
  • "Theatrical Special Effects: Food, Fire and Flying," Secondary School Theatre Journal (Fall, 1978).
  • "New Life for the Grande Dame of E Street," National Theatre Program (February, 1980).
  • "Writing in Fine Arts," Georgetown University Writing Program Newsletter(April, 1985).
  • (with S. Moore) "Making Music-Makers," Journal Papers (April, 1985) and "The Grand Old Banjo Man of Broadway," Good Reading (June, 1985).