Mark Saltzman facts for kids

Mark Saltzman is an American writer. He creates stories for movies, plays, musicals, and TV shows. He worked for many years on the famous children's TV show Sesame Street. He has won seven Emmy Awards for his excellent writing for children's programs.

Mark Saltzman's TV and Film Career

Mark Saltzman went to Cornell University. He started his career writing shows for small theaters in New York City. These shows included musicals and cabaret performances. One popular show he co-wrote was A, My Name is Alice.

Writing for Sesame Street

While working on A, My Name Is Alice, he met Alaina Reed. She was also an actress on Sesame Street. Saltzman began writing for Sesame Street in 1984. He worked there for 15 years.

He helped create new Muppet characters. These included Plácido Flamingo and The Sublime Miss M. He also wrote more than 50 songs for the show. Some of his famous songs are "Caribbean Amphibian" and "I've Got a New Way to Walk." His work on Sesame Street earned him seven Emmy Awards.

Other TV and Movie Projects

Saltzman wrote the holiday musical movie Mrs. Santa Claus for CBS. This movie starred Angela Lansbury and featured songs by Jerry Herman. He also wrote screenplays for films like The Adventures of Milo and Otis and 3 Ninjas Kick Back.

His TV movie The Red Sneakers aired in 2004. It was directed by and starred Gregory Hines. This movie was nominated for a Writers Guild Award. Mark also wrote the screenplay for Third Man Out for the here! network.

In 2007, Saltzman was a writer and producer for the Disney Channel show "Johnny and the Sprites." This show was nominated for an Emmy. He has also written scripts for major movie studios. These include Sony, Universal Studios, and Disney.

Mark Saltzman's Theater Work

Mark Saltzman has written many plays and musicals for the stage.

Notable Musicals and Plays

His musical play The Tin Pan Alley Rag tells a fictional story. It imagines a meeting between famous musicians Scott Joplin and Irving Berlin in 1915. Tin Pan opened in 1997 and was nominated for five Los Angeles Ovation Awards. The show was performed in many theaters across the US. It was later produced Off-Broadway in New York City.

Saltzman's musical Romeo and Bernadette was performed in Miami and New Jersey. His comedy Mr. Shaw Goes to Hollywood is based on a true story. It's about writer George Bernard Shaw's visit to MGM in 1933. His play Clutter premiered in 2004. In 2002, he adapted the classic musical Show Boat for a Hollywood Bowl performance.

In 2009, his play "Setup and Punch" premiered in Los Angeles.

Rocket City Play

His play Rocket City premiered in 2008. It was part of the Alabama Shakespeare Festival's Southern Writers' Project. This project encourages plays about Southern issues and the African American experience.

Rocket City is based on the true story of Wernher von Braun. Von Braun was a German rocket scientist. He was brought to the US after World War II. He worked on the U.S. missile program and the Saturn V rocket. The Saturn V was used in the Apollo program.

Saltzman's play combines von Braun's real life in Huntsville, Alabama, with a fictional story. In the play, a young Jewish woman in Huntsville learns about von Braun's past. She tries to raise awareness about it in her community and the country.

Mark Saltzman's Affiliations

Mark Saltzman has been a mentor for many years. He helps young writers at the Blank Theatre Company's Young Playwrights’ Festival in Los Angeles. He is also the president of the Arnold Glassman Fund. This foundation provides money for film and theater projects. He studied English and Theater at Cornell University.

Mark Saltzman's Personal Life

Mark Saltzman's partner was Arnold "Arnie" Glassman. Arnie was a film editor. They were together for 20 years before Arnie passed away in 2003. Mark Saltzman has shared that his relationship with Arnie inspired the special bond between the Sesame Street characters Bert and Ernie. He wrote their playful and loving connection based on his own experiences.

Saltzman lives in Los Angeles today.