Howard Richardson (playwright)
Encyclopedia
Howard Dixon Richardson was an American playwright, best known for the 1945 play Dark of the Moon
.
Born in Spartanburg, South Carolina
, Richardson graduated in 1938 from the University of North Carolina
and then traveled through Europe (1938-39), returning to the University of North Carolina in 1940 for his M.A. From 1940 to 1942, he studied at the University of Iowa
, where he wrote the play Barbara Allen (published in 1942), aka Night Song, inspired by the Scottish-English folk song, "The Ballad of Barbara Allen". He served with the Army in 1943.
attracted the attention of Broadway producers. With Richard Hart and Carol Stone heading the cast, Dark of the Moon opened on Broadway March 14, 1945 and ran for 318 performances. In addition to two off-Broadway revivals, it became a perennial play with numerous college and high school productions in the decades that followed.
Richardson's other plays include Design for a Stained Glass Window, about religious persecution, and Protective Custody, which had a short-lived 1956 New York production starring Faye Emerson.
. Dark of the Moon had three television productions—on the Goodyear Television Playhouse, Cameo Theatre
and Matinee Theater.
In 1960, Richardson completed his doctorate at the University of Iowa and returned to Manhattan, where he lived at 207 Columbus Avenue. He was a lecturer and resident artist at various colleges around the country.
At age 67, he died at New York's Roosevelt Hospital in 1984.
Dark of the Moon (play)
Dark of the Moon is a dramatic stage play by Howard Richardson and William Berney which had a ten-month run on Broadway in 1945, followed by numerous college and high-school productions....
.
Born in Spartanburg, South Carolina
Spartanburg, South Carolina
thgSpartanburg is the largest city in and the county seat of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. It is the second-largest city of the three primary cities in the Upstate region of South Carolina, and is located northwest of Columbia, west of Charlotte, and about northeast of...
, Richardson graduated in 1938 from the University of North Carolina
University of North Carolina
Chartered in 1789, the University of North Carolina was one of the first public universities in the United States and the only one to graduate students in the eighteenth century...
and then traveled through Europe (1938-39), returning to the University of North Carolina in 1940 for his M.A. From 1940 to 1942, he studied at the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
, where he wrote the play Barbara Allen (published in 1942), aka Night Song, inspired by the Scottish-English folk song, "The Ballad of Barbara Allen". He served with the Army in 1943.
Broadway
Richardson wrote Dark of the Moon with his cousin and frequent collaborator, William Berney. They were unsuccessful in an effort to get Dark of the Moon on Broadway until an article about a Boston production of Dark of the Moon in the September 11, 1944 issue of LifeLife (magazine)
Life generally refers to three American magazines:*A humor and general interest magazine published from 1883 to 1936. Time founder Henry Luce bought the magazine in 1936 solely so that he could acquire the rights to its name....
attracted the attention of Broadway producers. With Richard Hart and Carol Stone heading the cast, Dark of the Moon opened on Broadway March 14, 1945 and ran for 318 performances. In addition to two off-Broadway revivals, it became a perennial play with numerous college and high school productions in the decades that followed.
Richardson's other plays include Design for a Stained Glass Window, about religious persecution, and Protective Custody, which had a short-lived 1956 New York production starring Faye Emerson.
Television
Richardson also wrote for television, including Ark of Safety for the Goodyear Television PlayhouseGoodyear Television Playhouse
The Goodyear Television Playhouse produced live television dramas from 1951 to 1957 during the "Golden Age of Television".Sponsored by Goodyear, the hour-long anthology series was telecast Sundays at 9pm on NBC...
. Dark of the Moon had three television productions—on the Goodyear Television Playhouse, Cameo Theatre
Cameo Theatre
Cameo Theatre was an American anthology series that aired on NBC during the Golden Age of Television, from 1950 to 1955.-Television in the round:...
and Matinee Theater.
In 1960, Richardson completed his doctorate at the University of Iowa and returned to Manhattan, where he lived at 207 Columbus Avenue. He was a lecturer and resident artist at various colleges around the country.
At age 67, he died at New York's Roosevelt Hospital in 1984.