Gerald Freedman facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Gerald Freedman
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| Born | June 25, 1927 Lorain, Ohio, U.S.
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| Died | March 17, 2020 (aged 92) |
| Monuments | The Gerald Freedman Theatre at UNCSA (2012) |
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| Title | Dean Emeritus, School of Drama, University of North Carolina School of the Arts |
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| Awards | Obie |
Gerald Alan Freedman (born June 25, 1927, died March 17, 2020) was an important American theatre director. He also wrote stories and songs for musicals. Later in his life, he became a dean at a university.
Contents
Gerald Freedman: A Life in Theater
Early Life and Education
Gerald Freedman was born in Lorain, Ohio, on June 25, 1927. His parents, Fannie and Barnie Freedman, were immigrants from Russia. Fannie was a history teacher, and Barnie was a dentist.
Gerald went to Northwestern University. There, he studied theater with a famous teacher named Alvina Krause. He earned both a bachelor's degree and a master's degree from the university.
Directing on Broadway and Beyond
Freedman began his career helping other directors. He worked on very famous musicals like Bells Are Ringing, West Side Story, and Gypsy.
His first time directing a show on Broadway was in 1961. It was a musical called The Gay Life. He later directed revivals of West Side Story in 1964 and 1980. He also directed The Robber Bridegroom in 1975 and 1976. For these shows, he was nominated for a Drama Desk Award.
Gerald Freedman also directed the first off-Broadway production of the famous rock musical Hair. This show first opened at the Public Theater.
Leading Theater Companies and Teaching
Freedman was a very busy leader in the theater world. From 1960 to 1971, he was a top artistic director for Joseph Papp's New York Shakespeare Festival. He also led the Great Lakes Theater Festival in Cleveland, Ohio, from 1985 to 1997.
He taught acting and directing at important schools. These included the Yale School of Drama and the Juilliard School. From 1991 to 2012, he was the Dean of the Drama School at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.
Gerald Freedman was the first American director ever asked to direct a play at the famous Globe Theatre in London. This theater is a modern copy of William Shakespeare's original Globe Theatre. He was also part of committees at the Kennedy Center.
Gerald Freedman passed away on March 17, 2020. He died at his home in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
