Bernard Pomerance
Encyclopedia
Bernard Pomerance is an American playwright and poet whose best known work is the play The Elephant Man. Pomerance was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1940. He studied at the University of Chicago and moved to London in 1968.
His first play, High in Vietnam, Hot Damn was performed at the Interaction Theatre and directed by Roland Rees. Along with Rees and David Aukin, Pomerance helped to found the theatre company Foco Novo in 1972. The name was taken from Pomerance’s play of the same title, the company’s inaugural production.
For Foco Novo he adapted a new version of A Man’s A Man by Bertold Brecht and wrote The Elephant Man, which was originally produced in 1977. One of the most successful and regularly revived plays to come out of the London fringe theatre
, The Elephant Man was performed in repertory at Britain’s National Theatre
and several times off and on Broadway
. In 1979 The Elephant Man won the Tony Award
for Best play. It ran for 916 performances at The Booth Theatre and was made into a film for television with the original cast.
The Mel Brooks
produced Hollywood film, The Elephant Man, directed by David Lynch
was not an adaptation of the play as many people assume. Having used the title and drawn on much of the content of the play, the production company was successfully sued by Pomerance.
Pomerance was first inspired to write plays by the work of Eugene O’Neill, having seen the original production of Long Day’s Journey Into Night. A later influence was the British playwright John Arden
. Several of Pomerance’s plays take as their subject politically weighted views of American history, such as Quantrill in Lawrence and Melons.
, with whom he had two children. They divorced in 1983.
His first play, High in Vietnam, Hot Damn was performed at the Interaction Theatre and directed by Roland Rees. Along with Rees and David Aukin, Pomerance helped to found the theatre company Foco Novo in 1972. The name was taken from Pomerance’s play of the same title, the company’s inaugural production.
For Foco Novo he adapted a new version of A Man’s A Man by Bertold Brecht and wrote The Elephant Man, which was originally produced in 1977. One of the most successful and regularly revived plays to come out of the London fringe theatre
Fringe theatre
Fringe theatre is theatre that is not of the mainstream. The term comes from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, which name comes from Robert Kemp, who described the unofficial companies performing at the same time as the second Edinburgh International Festival as a ‘fringe’, writing: ‘Round the fringe...
, The Elephant Man was performed in repertory at Britain’s National Theatre
Royal National Theatre
The Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company...
and several times off and on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
. In 1979 The Elephant Man won the Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
for Best play. It ran for 916 performances at The Booth Theatre and was made into a film for television with the original cast.
The Mel Brooks
Mel Brooks
Mel Brooks is an American film director, screenwriter, composer, lyricist, comedian, actor and producer. He is best known as a creator of broad film farces and comic parodies. He began his career as a stand-up comic and as a writer for the early TV variety show Your Show of Shows...
produced Hollywood film, The Elephant Man, directed by David Lynch
David Lynch
David Keith Lynch is an American filmmaker, television director, visual artist, musician and occasional actor. Known for his surrealist films, he has developed his own unique cinematic style, which has been dubbed "Lynchian", and which is characterized by its dream imagery and meticulous sound...
was not an adaptation of the play as many people assume. Having used the title and drawn on much of the content of the play, the production company was successfully sued by Pomerance.
Pomerance was first inspired to write plays by the work of Eugene O’Neill, having seen the original production of Long Day’s Journey Into Night. A later influence was the British playwright John Arden
John Arden
John Arden is an award-winning English playwright from Barnsley . His works tend to expose social issues of personal concern. He is a member of the Royal Society of Literature....
. Several of Pomerance’s plays take as their subject politically weighted views of American history, such as Quantrill in Lawrence and Melons.
Personal life
Pomerance was first married to the British writer Sally BelfrageSally Belfrage
Sally Belfrage was an United States-born British-based 20th century non-fiction writer and international journalist...
, with whom he had two children. They divorced in 1983.