Horovitz Announces Retirement from
Gloucester Stage

Playwright Israel Horovitz has announced his retirement as active artistic director of Gloucester Stage, effective December 31st, 2006. Horovitz founded Gloucester Stage and has been the company's sole artistic leader since its inception, 27 years ago. His replacement will be announced in September.

Says Horovitz, "Nothing is forever. There's much I want to do with my life while I'm still old and gray. I'm going to direct a couple of films I've written. One's set in France, the other in Latvia. I'm also going to spend six months in St. Andrews, Scotland, during 2007, writing, teaching at University of St. Andrews, and doing some much-needed work on my short-game. It's taken a long, long time for Gloucester Stage to stand on its own, artistically and financially. It finally seems to be the right moment for both of us to start new adventures."

During Horovitz's near-three decades as the theatre's artistic head, Gloucester Stage has gained an international reputation as a creator of new writing. Says Horovitz, "I've never been shy about asking playwright-friends to have a first look at their new work at Gloucester Stage. Over the years, my goal has been to have Gloucester Stage be regarded as a safe harbor for new writing. I think we've accomplished that. Our audiences have been extremely responsive to new work. Plays that have premiered at Gloucester Stage have often found their way to Broadway, off-Broadway, and beyond."

Since Gloucester Stage's inception in 1979, the theatre has built a reputation for staging world, national and local premieres of new plays by such esteemed writers as Terrence McNally, Wendy Wasserstein, Peter Parnell, Richard Vetere, Kevin Wade, Elizabeth Diggs, Richard Dresser, Neena Beber, Jim Cartwright, Michael Brady, David Williamson, Peter Gill, and Stephen Jeffreys as well as several new plays by Horovitz, himself.

Horovitz, an internationally-acclaimed playwright, is author of more than 50 produced plays, many of which have been translated and performed in as many as 30 languages, worldwide. Horovitz's best-known plays that had their world premieres at Gloucester Stage include "Park Your Car In Harvard Yard", which starred Jason Robards and Judith Ivey in its subsequent Broadway premiere, and has been recently adapted for a film to star Julianne Moore; "The Widow's Blind Date", which transferred from Gloucester Stage to the Circle-in-the-Square Theatre, NYC; "North Shore Fish", which was filmed for Showtime, starring Mercedes Ruehl and Tony Danza; "My Old Lady", which starred Sian Philips in its subsequent NYC premiere; "Free Gift", "Stations of the Cross", "Lebensraum" and many others. Horovitz's newest play, "The Secret of Mme Bonnard's Bath", will have its world premiere at Gloucester Stage in August.

"Gloucester, Massachusetts, has never been an obvious place for a professional theatre doing serious fare. It's a city of great physical beauty, but with a population that falls to half in non-summer months. Gloucester is located at land's end, so, people don't tend to drive through town, accidentally, unless they're heading to Ireland or England the hard way. Given our location and economic circumstance, we've built a remarkably sophisticated, large and loyal audience."

Horovitz was born in Wakefield, Massachusetts, in 1939, and graduated from Wakefield High School in 1956. He studied at The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, 1962-63; and did a PhD program in English Literature at the City University of New York, 1973-76. He was Playwright-in-Residence with England's Royal Shakespeare Company in 1965. In the past few decades, Horovitz has divided his time between America and France, where he is the reckoned to be the most-produced American playwright in French theatre history. More than 30 Horovitz plays have been translated and performed in French language, to date.

Horovitz's success as a playwright, screenwriter and director is mirrored in the accomplishments of his five children. His daughter Rachael Horovitz is a noted film producer, with award-winning films to her credit such as "Next Stop, Wonderland" and "About Schmidt". His oldest son Matthew Horovitz is a TV producer and director for the NBA Channel. Horovitz's middle son, Adam, is a performer-songwriter with the world-acclaimed Beastie Boys. Horovitz's youngest children are twins: Oliver Horovitz, a visual studies major at Harvard, who has already won awards for his films, and has published major articles in Sports Illustrated and other national magazines; and Hannah Horovitz, who is Music Director of radio station WVRK, based at Vassar College. Horovitz is married to Gillian Adams Horovitz, former English National Marathon Champion and record-holder.

Of his retirement, Horovitz notes "Gloucester Stage will always be my artistic home. I'll now have the title Founding Artistic Director, which, simply said, means I'll be hands-off, and my successor will be hands-on. He or she will choose and direct each new season, and I'll be in touch with gentle advice, as well as with my own new work and with new work from playwright-friends. Gloucester Stage's mission will not radically change. We'll always be dedicated to serious, new writing - to work that reflects life as it's lived on our little spot on the planet Earth. For 27 years, Gloucester Stage has been at the center of my life. It is only stepping to an edge. It's a happy, exciting time. Change really is opportunity. Hopefully, Gloucester Stage will be my legacy, what I leave behind me -- in a place I dearly love."

A summer-long tribute to Horovitz is planned at Gloucester Stage, with such long-time Horovitz pals as Jill Clayburgh, Judith Ivey and Peter Boyle coming to Gloucester for special events honoring their esteemed friend.

Throughout his career, Horovitz has won many awards for his plays and screenplays, including the OBIE twice (for "The Indian Wants the Bronx" and "The Honest-to-God Schnozzola"), The New York Drama Desk Award, an Award in Literature of The American Academy of Arts and Letters, The Christopher Award, the Prix du Jury of the Cannes Film Festival (for "The Strawberry Statement"), the Sony Radio Academy Award (for "Man In Snow"), The European Film Academy Award - Best Screenplay (For "Sunshine"), The Lifetime Achievement Award of B'Nai Brith, The Elliot Norton Prize (for his work with Gloucester Stage), The Boston Public Library's Literary Lights Award, Prix du Plaisir du Theatre (for "Line", which ran for 11 years in Paris, and is now in its 32nd year at NYC's 13th St. Theatre). On March 29th the Commonwealth of Massachusetts will award a Governor’s Leadership Award to Horovitz.

Horovitz divides his time among homes in Gloucester, New York and London. He teaches a Master Class in Screenwriting at Columbia University, NYC; and, this Spring, will teach a bi-lingual workshop in screenwriting with students from Columbia and La Femis, France's national film school. He recently formed a film-production company with producer Barbara DeFina ("The Age of Innocence", "New York Stories"). Horovitz will direct a feature film, "The Little Shock", under the banner of their new company.


(Revised March 24, 2006)