Full Name: Arthur Lee Kopit born Arthur Lee Koenig
Profession: Playwright
Biography: The avant-garde playwright is credited with shaking up off Broadway in the 1960s with such plays as "Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mamma’s Hung You in the Closet and I’m Feelin’ So Sad” (1962) and "Indians" (1969), know for their satirical and absurdist qualities.
He made a return to Broadway in 1978 with "Wings", for which he was nominated for a Tony award, and for which its leading actress Constance Cummings did win the Tony portraying a woman who had had a stroke.
It was one of three nominations throughout his career. In 1982 he was again nominated, for Best Book of a Musical for "Nine" based on Federico Fellini's film 81/2.
Born: May 10, 1937
Birthplace: NYC, New York, USA
Generation: Silent Generation
Chinese Zodiac: Ox
Star Sign: Taurus
Historical Events
- 1962-02-26 Arthur Kopit's play "Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mamma's Hung You in the Closet and I'm Feelin' So Sad" premieres in NYC
- 1968-07-04 Arthur Kopit's "Indians" premieres in London
- 1979-01-28 Arthur Kopit's play "Wings" premieres in NYC
- 1982-05-09 Arthur Kopit's musical "Nine" premieres in NYC
Biographies and Sources
- Arthur Kopit, Whose ‘Oh Dad’ Shook Up the Theater, Dies at 83 - The New York Times
Alan Ayckbourn
Aleksandr Ostrovsky
Joseph Addison
Langston Hughes
Richard Steele
Tom Stoppard