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Robert

Theater director, writer, and professor

About Me

Theatre director and professor. Author & editor of four books: The Theater and Cinema of Buster Keaton (Princeton, 1999), Theater of the Avant-Garde, 1890-1950 (Yale, 2001), Theater and Film (Yale, 2004), The Director as Collaborator (Pearson, 2005). Most recent productions: *Loot* by Joe Orton, Irish Classical Theatre Co. (April/May 2006). Directed for: NYC's Town Hall 9-11 Marathon, Cherry Lane, Circle-in-the-Square Downtown, and Circle Rep Lab. Director and adaptor, *Hidden Dragon*, NPR Playhouse. I'm particularly drawn to movement and sound-based theatrical "events" such as Blue Man Group (see "I'd Like to Meet" below) and De La Guarda, both of whom I've written about in an attempt to absorb whatever I can from these brave artists.For a taste of De La Guarda, watch this video:
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My Interests

Theater, film, skiing, golf

I'd like to meet:


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Music:

Michael Hedges, Rusted Root, Thomas Newman, and John Lennon. Check out this one by the late great Hedges, probably one of the best guitarists to ever live, and certainly one of the most innovate.
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Movies:

Annie Hall, Sherlock Jr., The Third Man... and Pee Wee's Big Adventure. Sample the infamous Tequila dance:
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Television:

Six Feet Under, Entourage, and The Sopranos. Recently, I watched some reruns of two shows that I would add to the list, strange as these may seem: *Northern Exposure* (which time has been kind to) and *I Love Lucy* (sheer genius).

Books:

Recent: Living Justice, by Erik Jensen and Jessica Blank

Heroes:

Comedian Steven Wright, famous for the deadpan surreal one-liner. Here are some of my favorites: *I'd kill for a Nobel Peace Prize. *Half the people you know are below average. *All those who believe in psychokinesis, raise my hand. *Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm. *Ambition is a poor excuse for not having enough sense to be lazy. *I intend to live forever; so far, so good. *If Barbie is so popular, why do you have to buy her friends? *Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines. *What happens if you get scared half to death twice? *My mechanic told me, "I couldn't repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder." *Why do psychics have to ask you for your name? *A conclusion is the place where you got tired of thinking. *To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research. *Everyone has a photographic memory; some just don't have film. *If your car could travel at the speed of light, would your headlights work? *It's a small world, but I wouldn't want to paint it. *I dropped some spot remover on my rug, and now I can't find my dog.