Gary Austin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Gary Austin
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Austin at San Francisco State University, 1963
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| Born | Gary Moore October 18, 1941 Duncan, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Died | April 1, 2017 (aged 75) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Theater director, teacher, actor, writer, musician |
| Alma mater | San Francisco State University |
| Years active | 1962–2017 |
| Children | Audrey Austin Moore |
Gary Austin was an American teacher, writer, and director. He was born Gary Moore on October 18, 1941, and passed away on April 1, 2017. He is best known for starting The Groundlings, a famous improvisational theatre company, in 1974.
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Early Life and Education
Gary Austin grew up in Oklahoma, Texas, and California. His family was part of the Nazarene Church. They also lived in oil camps run by the Halliburton company.
He finished Santa Fe High School in Santa Fe Springs, California, in 1960. Later, he earned his degree in Theatre from San Francisco State University in 1964.
Starting in Improv Theatre
After college, Austin moved to Los Angeles. There, he worked as a stage manager for "The Committee." This was a famous comedy group from San Francisco.
He worked with other improvisers like Del Close from The Second City. Austin began to create different characters during this time. When the Los Angeles group closed in 1969, Austin joined The Committee in San Francisco.
Working at The Comedy Store
After leaving The Committee, Austin returned to Los Angeles. He started working at the new Comedy Store. He performed improv with "The Comedy Store Players." He also worked as an emcee and did stand-up comedy.
In 1972, Gary brought together a group of actors. He started the Gary Austin Workshops. After a year, he felt it was time for the actors to perform for the public. He began directing shows in Los Angeles. Soon, people heard about the workshop. The improvisers started performing at different places in Hollywood.
Founding The Groundlings
In January 1974, Austin created a non-profit improv theatre company. He named it The Groundlings. The first members were from his workshops. The company moved into the Oxford Theatre in East Hollywood. Austin continued to be the Artistic Director.
Choosing the Name Groundlings
A non-profit company needs a name that all members agree on. Gary took a poll, and most members wanted to call the company "The Working Class." But the night before the vote, Austin was reading a speech from Shakespeare's play Hamlet.
In the play, Hamlet talks about "groundlings." These were the audience members who stood on the ground in front of the stage. They watched plays at the Globe Theatre in Shakespeare's time. Austin liked this name. The next day, he suggested "The Groundlings." After much discussion, that name won.
Growing Popularity
Within a year, The Groundlings became well-known in Hollywood. They performed in a small thirty-seat theatre. There were twenty-five actors, and sometimes more actors than audience members!
Sylvie Drake, a theatre critic for the Los Angeles Times, interviewed Austin. Her article said, "This could be the start of something big." She gave The Groundlings many great reviews.
National Attention
As the company grew, the entertainment industry noticed them. Comedian Lily Tomlin often watched their shows. Lorne Michaels, who created Saturday Night Live, was also a regular.
Several Groundlings actors were hired for Lily, a TV special that won an Emmy Award in 1975. Gary was hired to direct parts of the show. Later that year, Lorne Michaels asked Groundling Laraine Newman to join his new show, Saturday Night Live.
He also asked Gary to move to New York City to direct the cast. But Austin said no. He wanted to keep working with The Groundlings. Soon, the company grew to 90 performers. Auditions became necessary to join. Phil Hartman, who later became a famous actor, was in that first audition. He got in, but it took over a year before he performed.
A New Home for Improv
As the company grew, they needed a new theatre. In 1975, Austin saw a "For Rent" sign on a building at 7307 Melrose Avenue. The company members rented the empty space. They built The Groundling Theatre themselves.
It took four years for the theatre to open to the public. This was due to building rules and other issues. During this time, The Groundlings performed in many other places. They appeared on the Merv Griffin Show and an NBC special. A year after their new theatre opened, Austin left the company. He returned in 1990 to direct for a short time.
Other Creative Work
Gary Austin was the Artistic Director for The Gary Austin Workshops. These workshops were held in Los Angeles, Seattle, and Washington D.C. He also worked in New York at Artistic New Directions.
He wrote two solo shows, "Church" and "Oil." He performed these shows across the country. In 2014, he released his album The Traveler. It featured both songs and stories. His last show at The Groundlings was "Gary Austin in Word and Song" in 2016.
Death
Gary Austin passed away from cancer in Los Angeles, California. He was 75 years old. He was survived by his wife, Wenndy MacKenzie, and his daughter, Audrey Moore.
