William Snyder (playwright)
Encyclopedia
William Hartwell Snyder, Jr. (30 August 1929 - 12 March 2008) was an American
playwright
and a longtime faculty member of the theatre
department at the University of Tennessee at Martin
. He is best known for his play The Days and Nights of BeeBee Fenstermaker
.
's School of Drama
where he earned a master of fine arts degree in playwrighting. While there the school mounted a production of his play A True And Special Friend in 1956 with a cast including Jonathan Frid
.
In 1962 Snyder's play The Days and Nights of BeeBee Fenstermaker premiered Off-Broadway
at the Sheridan Square Playhouse
with Rose Gregorio
in the title role and Robert Duvall
as Bob Smith. Received with critical praise, the play ran for a total of 304 performances. The work was later adapted by Snyder into two television films, one in English for British ATV drama with Patricia Neal
as BeeBee and one in German for German television with Loni von Friedl in the title role. Also in 1962, Snyder produced Garson Kanin
's play A Gift of Time for its debut on Broadway
at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre
where it ran for 94 performances. The cast notably included Olivia de Havilland
, Henry Fonda
, and Joseph Campanella
; the latter of which garnered a Tony Award
nomination for his performance in the play.
In 1964 Snyder joined the faculty at the University of Tennessee at Martin. He taught a variety of theatre subjects including acting, playwrighting, and directing during his thirty two years at the University. For most of his tenure at the University he was director of the UT Martin Vanguard Theatre; notably directing somewhere between 150-200 productions at the University during his career. In 1990 he was awarded the highest honor bestowed on faculty members by the University, the University of Tennessee National Alumni Association Distinguished Professor award. After his retirement in 1996 he moved to Oregon
. He died twelve years later at the age of 78 due to complications from Alzheimer's Disease
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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...
and a longtime faculty member of the theatre
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...
department at the University of Tennessee at Martin
University of Tennessee at Martin
The University of Tennessee at Martin is a campus in the University of Tennessee system. Other campuses include the flagship campus in Knoxville, the Chattanooga campus, the Center for the Health Sciences in Memphis, and the Space Institute in Tullahoma...
. He is best known for his play The Days and Nights of BeeBee Fenstermaker
The Days and Nights of BeeBee Fenstermaker
The Days and Nights of BeeBee Fenstermaker is an American play by William Snyder. The work premiered Off-Broadway at the Sheridan Square Playhouse on September 17, 1962, closing on June 9, 1963 after 304 performances. The production was directed by Ulu Grosbard and used set and lighting designs by...
.
Biography
Snyder attended Yale UniversityYale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
's School of Drama
Yale School of Drama
The Yale School of Drama is a graduate professional school of Yale University providing training in every discipline of the theatre: acting, design , directing, dramaturgy and dramatic criticism, playwriting, stage management, sound design, technical design and production, and theater...
where he earned a master of fine arts degree in playwrighting. While there the school mounted a production of his play A True And Special Friend in 1956 with a cast including Jonathan Frid
Jonathan Frid
John Herbert Frid is a theater, television, and film actor, best known for playing the role of vampire Barnabas Collins on the gothic television soap opera Dark Shadows.-Early Life:...
.
In 1962 Snyder's play The Days and Nights of BeeBee Fenstermaker premiered Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
at the Sheridan Square Playhouse
Sheridan Square Playhouse
The Sheridan Square Playhouse was an Off-Broadway theatre in New York City that was active from 1958 through the early 1990s. Closed as a theatre in 1996, the theatre was located at 99 7th Avenue South in Greenwich Village.-History:...
with Rose Gregorio
Rose Gregorio
Rose Gregorio is an American character actress. She began her career appearing mostly in theatre in Chicago and New York City during the 1950s and 1960s. During the 1970s she became more active in television and film, appearing mostly in supporting roles...
in the title role and Robert Duvall
Robert Duvall
Robert Selden Duvall is an American actor and director. He has won an Academy Award, two Emmy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards and a BAFTA over the course of his career....
as Bob Smith. Received with critical praise, the play ran for a total of 304 performances. The work was later adapted by Snyder into two television films, one in English for British ATV drama with Patricia Neal
Patricia Neal
Patricia Neal was an American actress of stage and screen. She was best known for her film roles as World War II widow Helen Benson in The Day the Earth Stood Still , wealthy matron Emily Eustace Failenson in Breakfast at Tiffany's , middle-aged housekeeper Alma Brown in Hud , for which she won...
as BeeBee and one in German for German television with Loni von Friedl in the title role. Also in 1962, Snyder produced Garson Kanin
Garson Kanin
Garson Kanin was a prolific American writer and director of plays and films.-Film and stage career:...
's play A Gift of Time for its debut 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...
at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre
Ethel Barrymore Theatre
The Ethel Barrymore Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre located at 243 West 47th Street in midtown-Manhattan, named for actress Ethel Barrymore....
where it ran for 94 performances. The cast notably included Olivia de Havilland
Olivia de Havilland
Olivia Mary de Havilland is a British American film and stage actress. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1946 and 1949. She is the elder sister of actress Joan Fontaine. The sisters are among the last surviving leading ladies from Hollywood of the 1930s.-Early life:Olivia de Havilland...
, Henry Fonda
Henry Fonda
Henry Jaynes Fonda was an American film and stage actor.Fonda made his mark early as a Broadway actor. He also appeared in 1938 in plays performed in White Plains, New York, with Joan Tompkins...
, and Joseph Campanella
Joseph Campanella
Joseph Campanella in Lewistown, Pennsylvania is an American character actor who has appeared in over 200 TV and film roles since 1955, including such shows as The Eleventh Hour, The Fugitive, Mission: Impossible, Gunsmoke, The Road West, The Golden Girls and Mama's Family. He also had a role in...
; the latter of which garnered a 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...
nomination for his performance in the play.
In 1964 Snyder joined the faculty at the University of Tennessee at Martin. He taught a variety of theatre subjects including acting, playwrighting, and directing during his thirty two years at the University. For most of his tenure at the University he was director of the UT Martin Vanguard Theatre; notably directing somewhere between 150-200 productions at the University during his career. In 1990 he was awarded the highest honor bestowed on faculty members by the University, the University of Tennessee National Alumni Association Distinguished Professor award. After his retirement in 1996 he moved to Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. He died twelve years later at the age of 78 due to complications from Alzheimer's Disease
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death...
.