Audrey Wood | |
|---|---|
| Born | Audrey Violet Wood (1905-02-28)February 28, 1905 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | December 27, 1985(1985-12-27) (aged 80) |
| Occupation | Literary agent |
| Organization(s) | Liebling-Wood, Inc. |
| Spouse | William Liebling |
Audrey Violet Wood (February 28, 1905 – December 27, 1985)[1] was an American literary and theatrical agent. Wood was influential in the careers of several of the most recognized dramatic playwrights of the mid-20th century, includingTennessee Williams,Carson McCullers,Robert Anderson,Mary Chase,William Inge, andArthur Kopit.[2][3]
Wood's agency, Liebling-Wood, Inc. opened its doors at30 Rockefeller Plaza on April 23, 1937, in partnership with her husband, William Liebling.[3] Wood's clients were chiefly playwrights, while Liebling was known for his list of actors; both partners established strong reputations for representing artists in their respective fields who rose to prominence on the stage and screen.
One of Wood's early clients wasTennessee Williams who produced many of his most well-regarded stage plays while represented by Wood. In 1939, Wood helped Williams obtain a $1,000 grant from theRockefeller Foundation (about $25,000 in 2025), in recognition of his playBattle of Angels (1940). Based on their correspondence, scholar Albert J. Devlin has characterized Wood as Williams' "primary and most trusted reader for at least the first two decades of their association."[4]
Williams apparently blamed Wood for discouraging or censoring him in some cases, for instance in the early drafts ofCamino Real (1953), but scholars seem to agree the realities were more nuanced than one might conclude relying on only the representations in Williams' part of the correspondence or on Wood's responses.[4][5]
A partial listing of plays, movies and other properties Wood was associated with:
| Year | Title | Author |
|---|---|---|
| 1944 | The Glass Menagerie | Tennessee Williams |
| 1947 | A Streetcar Named Desire | Tennessee Williams |
| 1948 | Summer and Smoke | Tennessee Williams |
| 1953 | Picnic | William Inge |
| 1953 | Tea and Sympathy | Robert Anderson |
| 1949 | Come Back, Little Sheba | William Inge |
| 1967 | Indians | Arthur Kopit |
| 1977 | A Texas Trilogy | Preston Jones |
Wood suffered astroke on April 30, 1981, outside theRoyalton Hotel inManhattan, where she had lived since the 1930s. She remained in acoma until her death on December 27, 1985.[6][7]
The Audrey Wood Scholarship was established in 1983 by friends of Wood, and is awarded to students in the Playwriting department ofYale University.[8]In 1984, a 199-seat section of theJack Lawrence Theater was renamed the Audrey Wood Theater in her honor. Management had apparently wanted to name the space for Tennessee Williams, an attempt that was disputed by the Williams estate. Jack Lawrence sold the entire theater to a developer in 1987, after struggling to compete with otherOff-Broadway venues.[9][10]
In 1990Max Wilk releasedMr. Williams and Miss Wood: A Two Character Play, as a tribute to the thirty-year relationship between the playwright and his agent. The two-act play was adapted fromRepresented by Audrey Wood, amemoir which Wilk co-wrote with Wood.[11] Wilk's play has been staged several times over the years, most recently by the Ashland Contemporary Theatre ofAshland, Oregon, in 2014.[12][13][14]
Audrey Wood's papers are held at theHarry Ransom Center of theUniversity of Texas at Austin, along with the papers of Tennessee Williams. Wood's collection includesplaybills,scripts,musical scores, photographs, correspondence and the business records of the Liebling-Wood Agency.[15][16]
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