Weinstein, Arnold 1927–2005

OBITUARY NOTICE—See index for CA sketch: Born June 10, 1927, in New York, NY; died of liver cancer, September 4, 2005, in New York, NY. Theatrical director and author. Associated in his early years with the New York school of artists, Weinstein was a poet, playwright, and librettist who had many of his works performed on Broadway. After serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II, he used his G.I. Bill money to earn a B.A. at Hunter College in 1951. From there, he went on to Harvard University, where he completed an M.A. in 1953; later, he studied at the University of Florence on a Fulbright fellowship. While in Italy he was discovered by composer Darius Milhaud, who suggested that he collaborate with another composer, William Bolcom. Their first collaboration, the satirical musical Dynamite Tonight (1966), was based on Weinstein's libretto A Comedy of Horrors. Several more collaborative efforts would follow, including Greatshot (1969), McTeague: An Opera in Two Acts in English (1992), and A Wedding (2004). Weinstein also partnered with such composers as Philip Glass and Henry Threadgill, as well as with playwright Arthur Miller, with whom he worked on the adaptation of A View from the Bridge (2002). In addition to his writings for the theater, he was also a director for the Drama Workshop at Wagner College in 1964 and 1965, as well as director for such groups as the Free Theatre in Chicago, the Actors Studio in New York and Los Angeles, and the Rock Theatre and Guerilla Theatre in Los Angeles. He served, too, as the director of individual productions of such plays as Arthur Miller's A Memory of Two Mondays and Jules Feiffer's The White House Murder Case. Somewhat notorious for his bohemian lifestyle, Weinstein was also a fan of improvisational theater; thus, he became involved with the group Second City, serving as a codirector there in the mid-1960s, and working with other improvisational groups. Weinstein spent many years as a teacher as well. Among his teaching positions, he was professor of dramatic literature at the New School from 1965 to 1966, chair of the department of play writing at Yale University from 1965 to 1969, chair of the drama department at Columbia College in Chicago from 1969 to 1970, and professor of English at Columbia University beginning in 1979. Among Weinstein's other credits are the play Red Eye of Love (1961), which won an Off-Broadway award in 1962, The American Revolution (1973), Monkey (1978), and Casino Paradise (1990), as well as two television plays and the poetry collection Different Poems by the Same Author (1960).

OBITUARIES AND OTHER SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Independent (London, England), September 27, 2005, p. 34.

New York Times, September 6, 2005, p. A29.