Alex Finlayson
Encyclopedia
Alex Finlayson is an American playwright
whose sly irreverent plays have found more success on the English
stage than in the United States
. After winning Finlayson a Mobil Oil International Playwriting Prize, Winding the Ball — a dark comedy about a sniper shooting up the small town where he is also the popular high school football coach—was produced by The Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, which also commissioned and produced Finlayson's Misfits (1996) and Tobaccoland (1999). All three plays starred American stage and film actress Lisa Eichhorn
and were directed by Greg Hersov
.
Hersov has written that Finlayson creates "vivid and authentic worlds underpinned by a fiercely personal moral vision. She deals with the most private sides of our lives but sees them in terms of the history and culture of her country." Reviewing Tobaccoland, the tragedy of a North Carolina tobacco farmer who refuses to face the end of his family's way of life, Stephen Gallagher
says that Finlayson “fuses the epic and the intimate to deliver a play that should propel her into that category of American dramatists once dominated by Arthur Miller
and Tennessee Williams
.” Finlayson's play Winding the Ball was praised for being "gripping, luridly funny" and "splendidly assured, with wit and perception that bespeak a major talent. Even [its] symbolism-- that Achilles heel of much American drama- packs a powerful punch."
Finlayson's most controversial play may be the documentary drama Misfits, which chronicles the making of The Misfits (film)
(1961) and portrays its historic box office and artistic failure as the casual fault of its creators, writer Arthur Miller
, director
John Huston
, and producer
Frank Taylor, and not its star, Marilyn Monroe
, who is most often blamed for The Misfits (film)
disaster. Produced by The Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, Misfits received mixed reviews, with some critics attacking Finlayson for even daring to put Miller onstage as a character. However, The Times
proclaimed the play "riveting," "fascinating," "witty," and "inventive." Perhaps not surprisingly, given Miller's stature, U.S. theaters steered clear of Misfits. But in a dramatic twist worthy of the stage, Arthur Miller may have had the final word. His last play, Finishing the Picture
(Goodman Theatre, Chicago 2004), presented his version of Marilyn Monroe and the making of The Misfits (film)
eleven years after Finlayson’s Misfits debuted.
A native Texan and the daughter of Jim Finlayson, a Clio Award-winning commercial actor and East Texas raconteur (see C.W. McCall), Alex Finlayson was educated on the east coast, receiving degrees from Wellesley College and the University of Virginia
. After a brief career as a New York advertising copywriter for Ogilvy & Mather
, she taught herself to write plays by moving to a remote cabin in the Appalachian Mountains
and studying the work of George Bernard Shaw
, Anton Chekhov
, Harold Pinter
, Sam Shepard
, and Caryl Churchill
. Her first play, Ladies' Side, was produced by the Source Theatre, Washington D.C. and received a Helen Hayes
Award nomination for Best New Play of the Year. Her play, World of Beauty, won the 1988 Texas Playwrights Festival at Stages Repertory Theatre
, Houston.
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
whose sly irreverent plays have found more success on the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
stage than in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. After winning Finlayson a Mobil Oil International Playwriting Prize, Winding the Ball — a dark comedy about a sniper shooting up the small town where he is also the popular high school football coach—was produced by The Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, which also commissioned and produced Finlayson's Misfits (1996) and Tobaccoland (1999). All three plays starred American stage and film actress Lisa Eichhorn
Lisa Eichhorn
Lisa Eichhorn is an American actress, writer and producer. She made her film debut in 1979 in the John Schlesinger film Yanks for which she received two Golden Globe nominations...
and were directed by Greg Hersov
Greg Hersov
Gregory A. Hersov is a British theatre director.Greg Hersov was educated at Bryanston School and Mansfield College, Oxford.-Overview:...
.
Hersov has written that Finlayson creates "vivid and authentic worlds underpinned by a fiercely personal moral vision. She deals with the most private sides of our lives but sees them in terms of the history and culture of her country." Reviewing Tobaccoland, the tragedy of a North Carolina tobacco farmer who refuses to face the end of his family's way of life, Stephen Gallagher
Stephen Gallagher
Stephen Gallagher is an English writer.He has written several novels and television scripts, including for the BBC television series Doctor Who — for which he wrote two serials, Warriors' Gate and Terminus — as well as for the series Rosemary & Thyme and Bugs, for two seasons of...
says that Finlayson “fuses the epic and the intimate to deliver a play that should propel her into that category of American dramatists once dominated by Arthur Miller
Arthur Miller
Arthur Asher Miller was an American playwright and essayist. He was a prominent figure in American theatre, writing dramas that include plays such as All My Sons , Death of a Salesman , The Crucible , and A View from the Bridge .Miller was often in the public eye,...
and Tennessee Williams
Tennessee Williams
Thomas Lanier "Tennessee" Williams III was an American writer who worked principally as a playwright in the American theater. He also wrote short stories, novels, poetry, essays, screenplays and a volume of memoirs...
.” Finlayson's play Winding the Ball was praised for being "gripping, luridly funny" and "splendidly assured, with wit and perception that bespeak a major talent. Even [its] symbolism-- that Achilles heel of much American drama- packs a powerful punch."
Finlayson's most controversial play may be the documentary drama Misfits, which chronicles the making of The Misfits (film)
The Misfits (film)
The Misfits is a 1961 American drama film written by Arthur Miller, directed by John Huston, and starring Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe, Montgomery Clift, Thelma Ritter, and Eli Wallach. It was the final film appearance for both Gable and Monroe...
(1961) and portrays its historic box office and artistic failure as the casual fault of its creators, writer Arthur Miller
Arthur Miller
Arthur Asher Miller was an American playwright and essayist. He was a prominent figure in American theatre, writing dramas that include plays such as All My Sons , Death of a Salesman , The Crucible , and A View from the Bridge .Miller was often in the public eye,...
, director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
John Huston
John Huston
John Marcellus Huston was an American film director, screenwriter and actor. He wrote most of the 37 feature films he directed, many of which are today considered classics: The Maltese Falcon , The Treasure of the Sierra Madre , Key Largo , The Asphalt Jungle , The African Queen , Moulin Rouge...
, and producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
Frank Taylor, and not its star, Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe was an American actress, singer, model and showgirl who became a major sex symbol, starring in a number of commercially successful motion pictures during the 1950s....
, who is most often blamed for The Misfits (film)
The Misfits (film)
The Misfits is a 1961 American drama film written by Arthur Miller, directed by John Huston, and starring Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe, Montgomery Clift, Thelma Ritter, and Eli Wallach. It was the final film appearance for both Gable and Monroe...
disaster. Produced by The Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, Misfits received mixed reviews, with some critics attacking Finlayson for even daring to put Miller onstage as a character. However, The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
proclaimed the play "riveting," "fascinating," "witty," and "inventive." Perhaps not surprisingly, given Miller's stature, U.S. theaters steered clear of Misfits. But in a dramatic twist worthy of the stage, Arthur Miller may have had the final word. His last play, Finishing the Picture
Finishing the Picture
Finishing the Picture is Arthur Miller's final play. It was produced at the Goodman Theatre, Chicago, Illinois in October 2004,just months before Miller's death on February 10, 2005.-Production:...
(Goodman Theatre, Chicago 2004), presented his version of Marilyn Monroe and the making of The Misfits (film)
The Misfits (film)
The Misfits is a 1961 American drama film written by Arthur Miller, directed by John Huston, and starring Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe, Montgomery Clift, Thelma Ritter, and Eli Wallach. It was the final film appearance for both Gable and Monroe...
eleven years after Finlayson’s Misfits debuted.
A native Texan and the daughter of Jim Finlayson, a Clio Award-winning commercial actor and East Texas raconteur (see C.W. McCall), Alex Finlayson was educated on the east coast, receiving degrees from Wellesley College and the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
. After a brief career as a New York advertising copywriter for Ogilvy & Mather
Ogilvy & Mather
Ogilvy & Mather is an international advertising, marketing and public relations agency based in Manhattan and owned by the WPP Group. The company operates 497 offices in 125 countries with approximately 16,000 employees.-History:...
, she taught herself to write plays by moving to a remote cabin in the Appalachian Mountains
Appalachian Mountains
The Appalachian Mountains #Whether the stressed vowel is or ,#Whether the "ch" is pronounced as a fricative or an affricate , and#Whether the final vowel is the monophthong or the diphthong .), often called the Appalachians, are a system of mountains in eastern North America. The Appalachians...
and studying the work of George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw was an Irish playwright and a co-founder of the London School of Economics. Although his first profitable writing was music and literary criticism, in which capacity he wrote many highly articulate pieces of journalism, his main talent was for drama, and he wrote more than 60...
, Anton Chekhov
Anton Chekhov
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov was a Russian physician, dramatist and author who is considered to be among the greatest writers of short stories in history. His career as a dramatist produced four classics and his best short stories are held in high esteem by writers and critics...
, Harold Pinter
Harold Pinter
Harold Pinter, CH, CBE was a Nobel Prize–winning English playwright and screenwriter. One of the most influential modern British dramatists, his writing career spanned more than 50 years. His best-known plays include The Birthday Party , The Homecoming , and Betrayal , each of which he adapted to...
, Sam Shepard
Sam Shepard
Sam Shepard is an American playwright, actor, and television and film director. He is the author of several books of short stories, essays, and memoirs, and received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1979 for his play Buried Child...
, and Caryl Churchill
Caryl Churchill
Caryl Churchill is an English dramatist known for her use of non-naturalistic techniques and feminist themes, the abuses of power, and sexual politics. She is acknowledged as a major playwright in the English language and a leading female writer...
. Her first play, Ladies' Side, was produced by the Source Theatre, Washington D.C. and received a Helen Hayes
Helen Hayes
Helen Hayes Brown was an American actress whose career spanned almost 70 years. She eventually garnered the nickname "First Lady of the American Theatre" and was one of twelve people who have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony Award...
Award nomination for Best New Play of the Year. Her play, World of Beauty, won the 1988 Texas Playwrights Festival at Stages Repertory Theatre
Stages Repertory Theatre
Stages Repertory Theatre is a theatre company in the city of Houston, Texas. It generally produces more experimental plays in a more intimate setting than the city's prestigious Alley Theatre: the Houston Chronicle calls it "the equivalent of off-Broadway in Houston".-History:Stages Repertory...
, Houston.
External links
- Helen Hayes Award Nomination 1986
- North Carolina Artists Grant Award 1999–2000
- No Shushing in This Library, San Diego ReaderSan Diego ReaderThe San Diego Reader is the largest alternative press paper in the county of San Diego, distributed free in stands and private businesses throughout the county, funded by advertisements...
- I Was A High School Teacher Dropout,San Diego ReaderSan Diego ReaderThe San Diego Reader is the largest alternative press paper in the county of San Diego, distributed free in stands and private businesses throughout the county, funded by advertisements...
- I'm King of This Alley,San Diego ReaderSan Diego ReaderThe San Diego Reader is the largest alternative press paper in the county of San Diego, distributed free in stands and private businesses throughout the county, funded by advertisements...