George Herman (playwright)

George Herman (playwright)
George Adam Herman Jr. (April 12, 1928 – June 22, 2019) was an American playwright and writer.
Biography
Early years and Education
George Adam Herman Jr. was born in Norfolk, Virginia on April 12, 2018. He attended a parochial school and High School in Maryland, and then earned a bachelor's degree in Philosophy from Loyola College. From 1947 to 1949, Herman also spent three summers at the Boston College School of Expressional Art on a playwrighting scholarship. In 1954, he earned a Master of Fine Arts from Catholic University of America.
Career
Herman taught playwrighting and was artist-in-residence at numerous American universities. For 16 years he lived and worked in Hawaii on the staff of the State Superintendent of Education. He directed over 200 plays for numerous schools and theaters, served as the Artistic Director for at least one theatre (the Commedia Repertory Theatre in Hawaii), and designed sets and lighting for more than 40 productions.
While in Hawaii, Herman also worked for as a theater columnist and drama critic. He turned to writing novels at age 65, and published seven novels and one children's book.
As a playwright, Herman won numerous awards from 1953. His best known play is "A Company of Wayward Saints", which has been in print continuously since it was first published in 1963. His plays for radio, television, and the stage have been produced around the world. He had five published plays, and a number of his award-winning unpublished plays are also available through his website. Herman received more than 30 awards for his writing.
Personal life and death
George Herman was married three times and had nine children. He latterly resided in Portland, Oregon, where he died on June 22, 2019, at the age of 91.
Awards
1953 Hartke Playwrighting Award - "The Pygmalion Effect"
1963 McKnight Foundation Humanities Award - "A Company of Wayward Saints"
1974 Julie Harris-Beverly Hills Theatre Award - "The Man in the Cordoban Hat"
1976 Ayling Foundation Awards for new plays for children - "Nine Dragons"
1980 Ayling Foundation Awards for new plays for children - "The Hidden Place"
1985 Roberts Theatre Institute Award - "The King Has Gone to Tenebrae"
1993 Julie Harris-Beverly Hills Theatre Award - "Pious Nine is Falling Down"
Work
Published Plays
A Company of Wayward Saints (1963)
A Smell of Cinnamon
Devil of the Second Stairs
Nine Dragons (1977)
The Hidden Place (1978)
Little Rome - Iowa (2003) ,
Books
Carnival of Saints (1994) ,
A Comedy of Murders (The first adventure of Leonardo da Vinci and Niccolo de Pavia) (1994) ,
The Tears of the Madonna (Second Adventure of Leonardo da Vinci and Niccolo de Pavia) (1996) ,
The Florentine Mourners (Third Adventure of Leonardo da Vinci and Niccolo de Pavia) (1999) ,
The Toys of War (Fourth Adventure of Leonardo da Vinci and Niccolo de Pavia) (2001) , #
Necromancer: The fifth adventure of Leonardo da Vinci and Niccolo da Pavia (2003)
The Arno Serpent: The sixth adventure of Leonardo da Vinci and Niccolo da Pavia (2007) , #
Nine Dragons (2003) , Cardinal Virtues (Seventh Adventure of Leonardo da Vinci and Niccolo da Pavia) (2012)
References
External links
George Herman on Playscripts.com
Official website
1928 births
2019 deaths
20th-century American dramatists and playwrights
Writers from Portland, Oregon
Catholic University of America alumni
Loyola University Maryland alumni
Boston College alumni