David Berry (writer)
Encyclopedia
David Berry is a, screenwriter
and playwright
. His most famous work is the screen play for the film The Whales of August
(1987). The feature film
, The Whales of August
, starred Lillian Gish
, Bette Davis
, Vincent Price
, Ann Sothern
and Harry Carey, Jr.
The film was directed by Lindsay Anderson
, whose credits include This Sporting Life
, If...., and O Lucky Man!
Anderson was also a notable director in the British theatre. Ann Sothern was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
for her performance in the film.
in the United States
. Berry's first play, G. R. POINT
, won him an Obie Award
for Distinguished Playwriting and a Drama Desk Nomination
for Best New American Play in 1977. The play was produced on Broadway
in 1979, directed by William Devane
and starring Michael Moriarty
, Michael Jeter
, and Howard Rollins
, Brent Jennings, Lori Tan Chinn and others.
The play of The Whales of August
was initially produced as a staged reading in the "First Stage" program of Center Stage in Baltimore, Maryland in 1980. It was also presented in Providence, Rhode Island
, as a regional theatre premiere, by Trinity Repertory Company
in 1981 where it was directed by Trinity Rep's Artistic Director, Adrian Hall. Whales of August had its New York City premiere off-off Broadway in a production at the WPA Theatre in 1982 directed by William Ludel
and its Chicago premiere at the Victory Garden Theatre in 1984, directed by Dennis Zacek.
Berry has taught playwriting at the National Theatre Institute of the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford, Connecticut
, as well as for the Worcester, Massachusetts
, Consortium for Higher Education. In 2005 he began teaching screenwriting at the School of Visual Arts
in New York City. He continues to write for both theatre and film.
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
and playwright
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...
. His most famous work is the screen play for the film The Whales of August
The Whales of August
The Whales of August is a 1987 film starring Bette Davis and Lillian Gish as elderly sisters. Also in the cast were Ann Sothern as one of their friends, and Vincent Price as a peripheral member of the former Russian aristocracy. The film was shot on location on Maine's Cliff Island. The house...
(1987). The feature film
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
, The Whales of August
The Whales of August
The Whales of August is a 1987 film starring Bette Davis and Lillian Gish as elderly sisters. Also in the cast were Ann Sothern as one of their friends, and Vincent Price as a peripheral member of the former Russian aristocracy. The film was shot on location on Maine's Cliff Island. The house...
, starred Lillian Gish
Lillian Gish
Lillian Diana Gish was an American stage, screen and television actress whose film acting career spanned 75 years, from 1912 to 1987....
, Bette Davis
Bette Davis
Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis was an American actress of film, television and theater. Noted for her willingness to play unsympathetic characters, she was highly regarded for her performances in a range of film genres, from contemporary crime melodramas to historical and period films and occasional...
, Vincent Price
Vincent Price
Vincent Leonard Price, Jr. was an American actor, well known for his distinctive voice and serio-comic attitude in a series of horror films made in the latter part of his career.-Early life and career:Price was born in St...
, Ann Sothern
Ann Sothern
Ann Sothern was an American film and television actress whose career spanned six decades.-Early life and career:...
and Harry Carey, Jr.
Harry Carey, Jr.
Harry Carey, Jr. is an American film actor. He appeared in over 90 films. He is mostly remembered for appearing in Western films — notably those by his friend John Ford — and in television programs.-Early life:...
The film was directed by Lindsay Anderson
Lindsay Anderson
Lindsay Gordon Anderson was an Indian-born, British feature film, theatre and documentary director, film critic, and leading light of the Free Cinema movement and the British New Wave...
, whose credits include This Sporting Life
This Sporting Life
This Sporting Life is a 1963 British film based on a novel of the same name by David Storey which won the 1960 Macmillan Fiction Award. It tells the story of a rugby league footballer, Frank Machin, in Wakefield, a mining area of Yorkshire, whose romantic life is not as successful as his sporting...
, If...., and O Lucky Man!
O Lucky Man!
O Lucky Man! is a 1973 British comedy-drama fantasy film, intended as an allegory on life in a capitalist society. Directed by Lindsay Anderson, it stars Malcolm McDowell as Mick Travis, whom McDowell had first played as a disaffected public schoolboy in his first film performance in Anderson's...
Anderson was also a notable director in the British theatre. Ann Sothern was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
for her performance in the film.
Biography
Berry was born in Denver, ColoradoDenver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Berry's first play, G. R. POINT
G. R. Point
G. R. Point is a play about the Vietnam War, by American playwright and Vietnam war veteran David Berry.The G.R. in title stands for "Graves Registration", with the play focusing on soldiers who task it is to package the dead in black plastic bags for shipment back to the States.His first play, G. R...
, won him an Obie Award
Obie Award
The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards given by The Village Voice newspaper to theatre artists and groups in New York City...
for Distinguished Playwriting and a Drama Desk Nomination
Drama Desk Award
The Drama Desk Awards, which are given annually in a number of categories, are the only major New York theater honors for which productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway compete against each other in the same category...
for Best New American Play in 1977. The play was produced 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, directed by William Devane
William Devane
William Joseph Devane is an American film, television and theater actor.-Life and career:Devane was born in Albany, New York in 1937 or 1939 , the son of Joseph Devane, who was Franklin D. Roosevelt's chauffeur when he was Governor of New York...
and starring Michael Moriarty
Michael Moriarty
Michael Moriarty is an American-Canadian actor of stage and screen, and a jazz musician. He played Benjamin Stone for four seasons on the TV series Law & Order.-Early life:...
, Michael Jeter
Michael Jeter
Michael Jeter was an American actor.- Early life :Michael Jeter was born in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee. His mother, Virginia , was a housewife...
, and Howard Rollins
Howard Rollins
Howard Ellsworth Rollins, Jr. was an American television, film, and stage actor. He is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Coalhouse Walker, Jr...
, Brent Jennings, Lori Tan Chinn and others.
The play of The Whales of August
The Whales of August
The Whales of August is a 1987 film starring Bette Davis and Lillian Gish as elderly sisters. Also in the cast were Ann Sothern as one of their friends, and Vincent Price as a peripheral member of the former Russian aristocracy. The film was shot on location on Maine's Cliff Island. The house...
was initially produced as a staged reading in the "First Stage" program of Center Stage in Baltimore, Maryland in 1980. It was also presented in Providence, Rhode Island
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
, as a regional theatre premiere, by Trinity Repertory Company
Trinity Repertory Company
Trinity Repertory Company is a non-profit regional theater located in Providence, Rhode Island. The theater is a member of the League of Resident Theatres. Founded in 1963, the theater is "one of the most respected regional theatres in the country"...
in 1981 where it was directed by Trinity Rep's Artistic Director, Adrian Hall. Whales of August had its New York City premiere off-off Broadway in a production at the WPA Theatre in 1982 directed by William Ludel
William Ludel
William Ludel is an American television soap opera director.-Directing credits:Another World* Director General Hospital* Director Days of our Lives* Occasional Director...
and its Chicago premiere at the Victory Garden Theatre in 1984, directed by Dennis Zacek.
Berry has taught playwriting at the National Theatre Institute of the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford, Connecticut
Waterford, Connecticut
Waterford is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States. It is named after Waterford, Ireland. The population was 19,152 at the 2000 census. The town center is listed as a census-designated place .-Geography:...
, as well as for the Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....
, Consortium for Higher Education. In 2005 he began teaching screenwriting at the School of Visual Arts
School of Visual Arts
The School of Visual Arts , is a proprietary art school located in Manhattan, New York City, and is widely considered to be one of the leading art schools in the United States. It was established in 1947 by co-founders Silas H. Rhodes and Burne Hogarth as the Cartoonists and Illustrators School and...
in New York City. He continues to write for both theatre and film.