Norman René | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1951 (1951) |
| Died | May 24, 1996 (aged 44–45) New York City, US |
| Occupation(s) | Film director,film producer,theatre director |
Norman René (1951 – May 24, 1996) was an American theater and film director and film producer who frequently collaborated with playwrightCraig Lucas.
René was born inBristol, Rhode Island. He studiedpsychology for a year atJohns Hopkins University before transferring toCarnegie Mellon University to pursue acting. While there, he realized he was better suited for directing, and during three summer breaks he ran therepertory Red Barn Theater inPittsburgh.
After graduating in 1974, René moved to New York City. Three years later he teamed with three Carnegie Mellon alumni to found theoff-off-Broadway Production Company, where he served asartistic director and directed and/or supervised productions such asThe Guardsman andBlues in the Night. The company includedJulie Hagerty,Judith Ivey,Treat Williams,Mark Linn-Baker, andJohn Glover.
René met Craig Lucas in 1979. Their first collaboration wasMarry Me a Little in 1981. The two wrote a script incorporating songs that had been written for but discarded fromStephen Sondheim musicals, and René also directed. They followed this with the playsMissing Persons (1981) andBlue Window (1984);Three Postcards (1987), an original music by Lucas andCraig Carnelia; and another play,Reckless (1988).
In 1990, they joined forces for what would prove to be their biggest commercial and critical success,Prelude to a Kiss, for which René won theObie Award for Best Director.Prelude later transferred to Broadway, where he had directedPrecious Sons byGeorge Furth in 1986.
René was nominated twice for theDrama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Play, forReckless andPrelude.
René directed an episode ofAmerican Playhouse in 1987, and made his feature film directorial debut withLongtime Companion, scripted by Lucas, in 1990. For his work on that film, he won the Audience Award and was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at theSundance Film Festival, and was nominated for the Critics Award at theDeauville Film Festival. He co-produced and directed the1992 screen adaptation ofPrelude withAlec Baldwin andMeg Ryan and directed the1995 film version ofReckless withMia Farrow andMary-Louise Parker.
Kevin McKenna was René's long-term boyfriend. René died of complications from AIDS in New York City.[1]
