S

hapiro, 64, who pre-
ceded Fichandler in
heading up the acting
program at NYU,
thinks of the U-M perform-
ance of his new work as a great
opportunity The production
will be presented after Shapiro,
the director and actors flesh
out the drama.
"I look to director Seth
Gordon to be a kind of part-
ner, seeing things I can't see
and kicking off ideas," says
Shapiro, who has written a
book on directing, The
Director's Companion, and one
on acting, An Actor Performs.
Both are used in study pro-
grams around the country
Shapiro's play explores the
troubled and divided inner and
outer worlds of a brilliant and
beautiful nuclear physicist,
Karen Goodall Dooley, whose
marriage is threatened by the
reappearance of a former lover.
The main character confronts
romantic issues at the same
Shapiro was born into a
Mel Shapiro: As a
time she confronts the dark
Jewish family but had no
director, "its my
implications of her work.
job to interpret the Jewish upbringing. "I guess
Shapiro, v,rho won a Tony
words and be loyal I'm a lost Jew," he says.
for Best Musical in 1972 for
to the integrity of The director, married with
Two Gentlemen of Verona as
two sons, raised his chil-
the playwright."
well as an Obie with John
dren outside the faith.
Guare for House of Blue
He is very proud of the
Leaves, became interested in theater
actors he's raised, including Laura San
while being raised in Brooklyn and
Giacomo of TV's Just Shoot Me and
going to Broadway shows every
Burke Moses of Broadway's Kiss Me
Saturday.
Kate. He is the author of several plays
After joining the Army to get out of
that have been produced regionally.
Brooklyn, he got involved with an
"When I'm a director, I'm working
English-speaking theater group in
for the writer, and it's my job to inter-
Japan and began directing without any pret the words and be loyal to the
training.
integrity of the playwright," says
Formal directing studies began after
Shapiro.
service, when he enrolled at Carnegie
"As a writer, I invent the world total-
Mellon University. After his first job at ly. At the same time I'm writing, I'm
the Arena Stage, he moved on to the
really directing by seeing the world —
Tyrone Guthrie Theatre in
how the characters look and the
Minneapolis and other regional com-
rhythm and the timing of the scenes.
panies before settling in New York,
"Writing and directing are wonder-
where he did a lot of commercial and
ful, joyous experiences, and I hope the
nonprofit theater while getting
Ann Arbor audiences will find my
involved with teaching at NYU.
newest play thought provoking." ❑
He later moved back to Carnegie
to head the acting program for 10
Zelda Fichandler will speak 8
years, before being recruited for
p.m. Friday, June 15, before the
UCLA in 1990.
performance of Divided at the
"I teach acting from the points of view
Trueblood Theatre in the Frieze
of writers and directors. We do a lot of
Building on the corner of State
work relating to the actor's life, and then
and
Huron in Ann Arbor.
we transmute that into character. I teach
Another
presentation of the play
actors to think about the material they're
begins
at
8 p.m. Saturday, June
working on — the author's intention,
16.
$8.
(734)
763-4087.
meaning of the scene, the character's
purpose in the scene."

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