Edgar Oliver
Encyclopedia
Edgar Oliver is an American
stage
and film actor, poet, performance artist
and playwright
. Born in Savannah
, Georgia
, he has lived and worked in New York City
since 1977. He is considered a "legend" of the downtown New York theatre scene.
in the mid-1980s. Notable New York City productions include his roles in Edward II with Cliplight Theater and numerous productions at the Axis Theatre Company including A Glance at New York (which played at the Edinburgh Festival
) and his autobiographical one-man show East 10th Street: Self Portrait With Empty House which enjoyed an extended run with Axis.
His film credits include the Independent Spirit Award-winning The Jimmy Show and the multi-award-winning Henry May Long. He appeared in the latest Jared Hess
film Gentlemen Broncos
and also stars in the futurist thriller That's Beautiful Frank. He is also a frequent performer/storyteller with The Moth
.
As a playwright Oliver has frequently been produced at La MaMa ETC, most notably the 2000 production of his play The Drowning Pages starred Deborah Harry
(of Blondie
fame).
Oliver has published three poetry collections: A Portrait of New York by a Wanderer There, Summer, and The Man Who Loved Plants.
Oliver has also gained cult fame appearing on the Discovery Channel
series Oddities
and was notable for his line "Is that a straitjacket?", which was featured in the show's promos.
On November 26 2011, Third Man Records Released Tri-Color 45 of his "In The Park". Only 100 copies where produced 50 being sold at Third Man Records in Nashville TN, and 50 the shop Oddities in New York.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
stage
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
and film actor, poet, performance artist
Performance art
In art, performance art is a performance presented to an audience, traditionally interdisciplinary. Performance may be either scripted or unscripted, random or carefully orchestrated; spontaneous or otherwise carefully planned with or without audience participation. The performance can be live or...
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...
. Born in Savannah
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, he has lived and worked in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
since 1977. He is considered a "legend" of the downtown New York theatre scene.
Career
Oliver first started performing in New York City at the Pyramid ClubPyramid Club
__notoc__The Pyramid Club is a nightclub in the East Village of Manhattan, New York City. After opening in 1979, the Pyramid helped define the East Village drag and gay scenes of the 1980s...
in the mid-1980s. Notable New York City productions include his roles in Edward II with Cliplight Theater and numerous productions at the Axis Theatre Company including A Glance at New York (which played at the Edinburgh Festival
Edinburgh Festival
The Edinburgh Festival is a collective term for many arts and cultural festivals that take place in Edinburgh, Scotland each summer, mostly in August...
) and his autobiographical one-man show East 10th Street: Self Portrait With Empty House which enjoyed an extended run with Axis.
His film credits include the Independent Spirit Award-winning The Jimmy Show and the multi-award-winning Henry May Long. He appeared in the latest Jared Hess
Jared Hess
Jared Lawrence Hess is an American filmmaker known for his work Napoleon Dynamite and Nacho Libre , which he co-wrote and directed with his wife, Jerusha Hess....
film Gentlemen Broncos
Gentlemen Broncos
Gentlemen Broncos is a 2009 comedy film written by Jared and Jerusha Hess, and directed by Jared Hess. The film stars Michael Angarano, Jemaine Clement, Sam Rockwell and Jennifer Coolidge.-Plot:...
and also stars in the futurist thriller That's Beautiful Frank. He is also a frequent performer/storyteller with The Moth
The Moth
The Moth is a non-profit group based in New York City dedicated to the art and craft of storytelling. It was founded in 1997 by poet and novelist George Dawes Green, who wanted to recreate the feeling of sultry summer evenings in his native Georgia, when moths were attracted to the light on the...
.
As a playwright Oliver has frequently been produced at La MaMa ETC, most notably the 2000 production of his play The Drowning Pages starred Deborah Harry
Debbie Harry
Deborah Ann "Debbie" Harry is an American singer-songwriter and actress, best known for being the lead singer of the punk rock and new wave band Blondie. She has also had success as a solo artist, and in the mid-1990s she performed and recorded as part of The Jazz Passengers...
(of Blondie
Blondie (band)
Blondie is an American rock band, founded by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the early American New Wave and punk scenes of the mid-1970s...
fame).
Oliver has published three poetry collections: A Portrait of New York by a Wanderer There, Summer, and The Man Who Loved Plants.
Oliver has also gained cult fame appearing on the Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
series Oddities
Oddities (TV series)
Oddities is a half-hour documentary/reality television program which follows the operation of an East Village, Manhattan shop which trades in antiques and other rarities...
and was notable for his line "Is that a straitjacket?", which was featured in the show's promos.
On November 26 2011, Third Man Records Released Tri-Color 45 of his "In The Park". Only 100 copies where produced 50 being sold at Third Man Records in Nashville TN, and 50 the shop Oddities in New York.