Christopher Durang
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Christopher Durang (born January 2 1949) is a contemporary playwright, especially popular in the 1980s, known for works of outrageous and often absurd comedy. His work often deals critically with issues of childhood abuse, Catholic culture, and homosexuality. Durang is a particular favorite of college theatre students and fans of alternative and political theatre.
Christopher Durang was born on January 2, 1949, in Montclair, New Jersey. Educated at Harvard College and the Yale School of Drama, he has had plays performed nationwide, including on Broadway and Off-Broadway, including Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You; Beyond Therapy; Baby With the Bathwater; The Nature and Purpose of the Universe; Titanic; A History of the American Film; The Marriage of Bette and Boo; Laughing Wild; 'Dentity Crisis; The Actor's Nightmare; The Vietnamization of New Jersey; and Betty's Summer Vacation. He received Obie Awards for Sister Mary Ignatius and The Marriage of Bette and Boo, received a Tony award nomination for "Best Book of a Musical." He has also written a number of screenplays including Beyond Therapy; The Nun Who Shot Liberty Valence; The House of Husbands (which he co-authored with Wendy Wasserstein); and The Adventures of Lola. He has, however, totally denounced the Robert Altman movie Beyond Therapy (based on Durang's stage play), calling it "horrific" and accusing Altman of totally rewriting the script "so that all psychology is thrown out the window, and the characters dash around acting 'crazy' but with literally no behavioral logic underneath."
Durang has also performed as an actor for both stage and screen.
Durang has been awarded numerous fellowships and high profile grants including a Guggenheim, a Rockefeller, the CBS Playwriting Fellowship, the Lecompte du Nouy Foundation Grant, and the Kenyon Festival Theatre Playwriting Prize. He is a member of the influential Dramatists Guild Council, and is co-chair of the playwriting program at Juilliard.