Zelda Fichandler
Encyclopedia
Zelda Fichandler is an American stage producer
, director
, and educator, best known as cofounder and longtime artistic director of the Arena Stage
theatre in Washington, D.C.
Fichandler, along with her husband Thomas C. Fichandler, and Edward Mangum, co-founded Arena Stage in 1950. Zelda Fichandler served as its artistic director from then until her retirement at the end of the 1990-91 season. During that time, Arena Stage became known as one of America's premier regional theatres. Fichandler directed numerous plays at Arena Stage including Death of a Salesman
, Uncle Vanya
, A Doll's House
and Six Characters in Search of an Author
. Several of her Arena Stage productions toured internationally, including Inherit the Wind
and The Crucible
.
Since 1984, Fichandler has been chair of the graduate acting program and Master Teacher of Acting and Directing at the Tisch School of the Arts
at New York University
. From 1991-94, she was artistic director of The Acting Company
.
Among Fichandler's many honors and awards have been the Common Wealth Award for distinguished service in the dramatic arts (1985); the Helen Hayes Award
for directing The Crucible
(1988); and the National Medal of Arts
in 1996. She was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame
in 1999, the first artistic leader outside of New York to be so honored.
Theatrical producer
A theatrical producer is the person ultimately responsible for overseeing all aspects of mounting a theatre production. The independent producer will usually be the originator and finder of the script and starts the whole process...
, director
Theatre direction
A theatre director or stage director is a practitioner in the theatre field who oversees and orchestrates the mounting of a theatre production by unifying various endeavours and aspects of production...
, and educator, best known as cofounder and longtime artistic director of the Arena Stage
Arena Stage
Arena Stage is a not-for-profit regional theater based in Southwest Washington, D.C. Its declared mission"is to produce huge plays of all that is passionate, exuberant, profound, deep and dangerous in the American spirit. Arena has broad shoulders and a capacity to produce anything from vast epics...
theatre in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
Fichandler, along with her husband Thomas C. Fichandler, and Edward Mangum, co-founded Arena Stage in 1950. Zelda Fichandler served as its artistic director from then until her retirement at the end of the 1990-91 season. During that time, Arena Stage became known as one of America's premier regional theatres. Fichandler directed numerous plays at Arena Stage including Death of a Salesman
Death of a Salesman
Death of a Salesman is a 1949 play written by American playwright Arthur Miller. It was the recipient of the 1949 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and Tony Award for Best Play. Premiered at the Morosco Theatre in February 1949, the original production ran for a total of 742 performances.-Plot :Willy Loman...
, Uncle Vanya
Uncle Vanya
Uncle Vanya is a play by the Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. It was first published in 1897 and received its Moscow première in 1899 in a production by the Moscow Art Theatre, under the direction of Konstantin Stanislavski....
, A Doll's House
A Doll's House
A Doll's House is a three-act play in prose by the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It premièred at the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 21 December 1879, having been published earlier that month....
and Six Characters in Search of an Author
Six Characters in Search of an Author
Six Characters in Search of an Author is a play by the Italian writer Luigi Pirandello.The play is a satirical tragicomedy. It was first performed in 1921 at the Teatro Valle in Rome, to a very mixed reception, with shouts from the audience of "Manicomio!" .Subsequently the play enjoyed a much...
. Several of her Arena Stage productions toured internationally, including Inherit the Wind
Inherit the Wind (play)
Inherit the Wind is a play by Jerome Lawrence and Robert Edwin Lee. The play, which debuted in 1955, is a parable that fictionalizes the 1925 Scopes "Monkey" Trial as a means to discuss the then-contemporary McCarthy trials.-Background:...
and The Crucible
The Crucible
The Crucible is a 1952 play by the American playwright Arthur Miller. It is a dramatization of the Salem witch trials that took place in the Province of Massachusetts Bay during 1692 and 1693. Miller wrote the play as an allegory of McCarthyism, when the US government blacklisted accused communists...
.
Since 1984, Fichandler has been chair of the graduate acting program and Master Teacher of Acting and Directing at the Tisch School of the Arts
Tisch School of the Arts
Tisch School of the Arts is one of the 15 schools that make up New York University ....
at New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
. From 1991-94, she was artistic director of The Acting Company
The Acting Company
The Acting Company is a theatre company associated with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. It was founded in 1972 by John Houseman, then a professor of acting at the Juilliard School...
.
Among Fichandler's many honors and awards have been the Common Wealth Award for distinguished service in the dramatic arts (1985); the Helen Hayes Award
Helen Hayes Awards Resident Production
These Helen Hayes Awards are given for resident theatre productions in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. They include awards for the production itself, the direction, and the plays themselves.-Best Resident Production:* 1985 Cloud 9 - Arena Stage...
for directing The Crucible
The Crucible
The Crucible is a 1952 play by the American playwright Arthur Miller. It is a dramatization of the Salem witch trials that took place in the Province of Massachusetts Bay during 1692 and 1693. Miller wrote the play as an allegory of McCarthyism, when the US government blacklisted accused communists...
(1988); and the National Medal of Arts
National Medal of Arts
The National Medal of Arts is an award and title created by the United States Congress in 1984, for the purpose of honoring artists and patrons of the arts. It is the highest honor conferred to an individual artist on behalf of the people. Honorees are selected by the National Endowment for the...
in 1996. She was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame
American Theatre Hall of Fame
The American Theatre Hall of Fame in New York City was founded in 1972. Earl Blackwell was the first head of the Executive Committee. In an announcement at a luncheon meeting on March 1972, he said that the new Theater Hall of Fame would be located in the Uris Theatre . James M...
in 1999, the first artistic leader outside of New York to be so honored.