B3. S. N. Behrman - From Worcester to Broadway

S[amuel] N[athaniel] Behrman was born in Worcester in 1873 to Orthodox Jewish Lithuanian immigrant parents.  Educated at Clark University, Harvard College and Columbia University, Behrman went on to become one of the most successful and respected playwrights  of the 1920’s, ‘30's and ‘40's.  His numerous successful plays include: The Second Man, Biography, End of Summer, and No Time for Comedy.  He also adapted his memoir, The Worcester Account, into the stage play, The Cold Wind and the Warm.  Although Behrman enjoyed a lucrative and prolific career as a screenwriter in Hollywood, this course will focus on his theatrical writing.

GROUP LEADER:  Ann Marie Shea, PhD is professor emerita from Worcester State University, where she taught a variety of theatre courses for many years.  She is a playwright and director, and has acted in a variety of venues in Worcester and Boston.  She has been teaching in the WISE program since 2007.