Shank, Theodore (Junior) 1929-

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SHANK, Theodore (Junior) 1929-

PERSONAL: Born February 1, 1929, in Brawley, CA; son of Theodore Benjamin (a farmer) and Anna Alice (a homemaker; maiden name, Kretz) Shank; married Patricia Currier, 1953 (divorced, 1966); married Adele Edling (a playwright and professor), December 25, 1967; children: Theodore Stanley, Kendra Ann. Education: University of California—Santa Barbara, B.A., 1950; University of California—Los Angeles, M.A., 1951; Stanford University, Ph.D., 1956.

ADDRESSES: Offıce—Department of Theater, University of California—San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr., La Jolla, CA 92093-0344. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: University of California—Davis, Davis, professor of dramatic art, 1956-89, department chair, 1956-69, faculty chair, College of Letters and Science; University of California—San Diego, La Jolla, affiliate of Department of Theater. Member of board of directors, Snake Theater, 1979-80, San Francisco International Theater Festival, 1980-85, Welfare State Theater International (England), 1980-90, Soon 3, 1980-89, Nightfire Theater, 1980-89, Antenna Theater, 1980-89, Theater Forum of Northern California, 1985-86, and Playwrights Foundation, 1988-2002; California State Performing Arts Center, past member of board of directors; Arts Council of Great Britain, past member of Committee on New Applications and Projects; consultant and member of theater advisory boards. Exhibitions: Photographer, with exhibitions in the United States and Europe. Military service: U.S. Army, 1953-55; became sergeant.

MEMBER: Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers, Dramatists Guild.

WRITINGS:

(Editor) 500 Plays: Plot Outlines and Production Notes, Crowell Collier (New York, NY), 1963, reprinted, Drama Book Publishers (New York, NY), 1988.

(Under name Theodore Shank) The Art of Dramatic Art, foreword by Martin Esslin, Dickenson (Belmont, CA), 1969.

(And photographer) Theatre in Real Time—America, Inghilterra dal 1968: Materiali per uno studio sul nuovo teatro, Studio Forma (Turin, Italy), 1980.

(And photographer) American Alternative Theatre, Grove Press (New York, NY), 1982.

Wild Indian! (play), first produced in Chicago, IL, at Victory Gardens Theater, 1985.

(Librettist) Fly Away All (opera), music by Brenda Hutchinson, first produced in Minneapolis, MN, at Minnesota Opera, 1988.

(And photographer) California Performance, Volume 1: San Francisco Bay Area, Mime Journal (Fayetteville, AR), 1989.

(Editor) Contemporary British Theatre, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1994, reprinted with additions, 1996.

Beyond the Boundaries: American Alternative Theatre, University of Michigan Press (Ann Arbor, MI), 2002.

Contributor to books, including Popular Theater for Social Change in Latin America, edited by Gerardo Luzuriaga, Latin American Center, University of California—Los Angeles (Los Angeles, CA), 1978. Author of a play, Codex, and partial libretto for an opera, Dubliners, based on James Joyce's book of the same title. Contributor to drama and performing arts journals in the United States and abroad. Founding editor, Theatre Forum, 1992—; contributing editor, Drama Review, 1976-86; advisory editor, New Theatre Quarterly, 1986-95.

WORK IN PROGRESS: Concept, book, and lyrics for Black Wings, a "jazz, blues, gospel, country musical" with music by William Harper; a libretto for an opera based on his play Wild Indian!