THE ROLE MODEL . OUTSTANDING JEWISH WOMEN
BY STACEY BROOK
Dr.
Elizabeth Swados is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Ford
Fellowship, a Covenant Foundation Grant, 3 Obie Awards, 5 Tony
Nominations, a special Pen Citation and a Cine Award. She has composed,
written and directed over 30 theater pieces including The Trilogy,
Nightclub Cantata, Broadway’s groundbreaking 1977 production
Runaways (Tony nomination), Alice in Concert (starring Meryl
Streep), Doonesbury and Rap Master Ronnie (both in
collaboration with Garry Trudeau). Her work has been seen at The Public
Theater, Manhattan Theatre Club, The Brooklyn Academy of Music as well as
on Broadway, Off-Broadway and in productions around the world. Currently,
she is in production for a new musical Jabu about the life of
Alfred Jarry. This work will be presented at New York’s Flea Theater this
spring and at the Alley Theater in Houston in the fall. As a composer,
Swados has written music for film and television. Her compositions have
been performed at Carnegie Hall, the Asia Society, and in dozens of
cabarets, clubs, churches and synagogues. As an author, Swados has
published 3 novels, 3 non-fiction books and 9 children’s books. In
addition, she has authored articles for The New York Times, The
New York Times Magazine, Vogue and O.
She is currently at work on a memoir/textbook about working with adolescents in the theater and has a project with teenagers called Loss and Gain that will tour the New York public school system. As an author, Ms. Swados has published three novels, three non-fiction books, and nine children's books. Her newest books are My Depression (April 2005) and Sidney's Animal Rescue (now available). She is currently writing a memoir/text book for Faber & Faber about creating theater with adolescents. She has also collaborated on film scripts with Milos Forman (based on her musical "Groundhog"), Marlon Brondo, and Sean Penn, and on television scripts with Tom Fontana and Kelsey Grammer's production company.
Her expertise with young people is exemplified by seven shows made for and with teenagers, including "Runaways" on Broadway, and "The Hating Pot", a PBS Special. Her two most recent works for young adults are "Heart and Mind" about mental illness in children, and "Everything is different", both for national video release. Published plays: "Runaways": A collection of songs sung by troubled children. While the subject is primarily runaway children from broken homes, Runaways also comments on the larger world in which the children live. "Elizabeth Swados makes us eavesdrop on the sufferings of children. That sounds ominous but it isn't.... The calligraphy of childhood is one of the wonders of nature even when the message it writes is heartbreaking."---N.Y. Times. "An immensely affecting show."---Newsweek. First performed at Martinson Hall Public Theater and The Plymouth Theater on Broadway. "Alice in Concert": Meryl Streep made a great impression in this musical directed and produced by Joseph Papp at the Public Theatre. An extremely imaginative rendering of the Alice in Wonderland story, performed on a bare stage. The music encompasses everything from country-western to calypso, all transmogrified by Ms. Swados' inimitable style. "Ms. Swados' new dramatized cantata ... made me think of Carroll very deeply.... [She] magnificently catches most of Carroll's divine nuttiness...Her best musical to date."-- N.Y. Post. "Doonesbury": to make it through commencement, the Walden crowd must fend off Zonker's uncle Duke, who wants to bulldoze their house and replace it with condos. "A larkish lampoon of an entertainment, sometimes sweet and often very funny. The score ranges from rock and calypso to tender ballad and boogie-woogie-- a lively assortment of solos, duets and ensembles."-- Christian Science Monitor. Liz Swados has devoted much of her thirty year career to making shows with, for, and about children and adolescents. These shows are issue-oriented and often tour public and private schools as well as running in professional theaters.
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