Reinaldo Povod
Encyclopedia
Life
Reinaldo Povod, known to his friends as Rei (Ray) grew up on the Lower East SideLower East Side
The Lower East Side, LES, is a neighborhood in the southeastern part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is roughly bounded by Allen Street, East Houston Street, Essex Street, Canal Street, Eldridge Street, East Broadway, and Grand Street....
.
The son of a Puerto Rican
Puerto Rican people
A Puerto Rican is a person who was born in Puerto Rico.Puerto Ricans born and raised in the continental United States are also sometimes referred to as Puerto Ricans, although they were not born in Puerto Rico...
mother and a Cuban
Cubans
Cubans or Cuban people are the inhabitants or citizens of Cuba. Cuba is a multi-ethnic nation, home to people of different ethnic and national backgrounds...
father of Russian
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
descent. In 1977, his play Cries and Shouts played at the Nuyorican Poets Café
Nuyorican Poets Café
The Nuyorican Poets Café is a non-profit organization in Alphabet City, Manhattan. It is a bastion of the Nuyorican art movement in New York City, USA, and has become a forum for poetry, music, hip hop, video, visual arts, comedy and theatre.-History:...
, where Mr. Povod was a protege of Miguel Piñero
Miguel Piñero
Miguel Piñero was a Puerto Rican playwright, actor, and co-founder of the Nuyorican Poets Café. He was a leading member of the Nuyorican literary movement.-Early years:...
.
Bill Hart brought Mr. Povod to the attention of Joseph Papp
Joseph Papp
Joseph Papp was an American theatrical producer and director. Papp established The Public Theater in what had been the Astor Library Building in downtown New York . "The Public," as it is known, has many small theatres within it...
, who invited him to become a resident playwright at the Public Theater
Public Theater
The Public Theater is a New York City arts organization founded as The Shakespeare Workshop in 1954 by Joseph Papp, with the intention of showcasing the works of up-and-coming playwrights and performers. It is headquartered at 425 Lafayette Street in the former Astor Library in the East Village...
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In 1986, Cuba and His Teddy Bear, opened 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...
, with Robert De Niro
Robert De Niro
Robert De Niro, Jr. is an American actor, director and producer. His first major film roles were in Bang the Drum Slowly and Mean Streets, both in 1973...
in the lead for which Mr. Povod received the prestigious George Oppenheimer/Newsday Award,(The Oppy).
In 2009, Cuba and His Teddy Bear, received its Chicago premiere by the UrbanTheater Company and People*s Theater of Chicago. Reinaldo Povod co-authored the play Super Fishbowl Sunday with long time friend and collaborator Richard Barbour, that was produced in 2001 at the Krane Theater in Manhattan, directed by Mr. Barbour.
The play Super Fishbowl Sunday has since been adapted into a screenplay by Richard Barbour and Joseph Barbour and is in preproduction at Bergen Street Ent.
Works
- Cries and Shouts
- Nijinsky Choked His Chicken, 1987
- Poppa Dio!
- South of Tomorrow
- Super Fishbowl Sunday
- A Brownsville Archipelago
- Miami Vice "Everybody's in Showbiz"
Reviews
Povod's story has much incident but not a lot of plot. He relies on arbitrary action more than character development and takes too long reaching an ending. Moments might be cathartic except that these people, with the exception of the son, are not the sort to learn from their mistakes. But Povod knows his terrain, his dialogue is sharp and colorful yet fits the characters, he never bogs down in exposition, and he sentimentalizes nothing.