Biography of Marsha Lee Sheiness

MARSHA LEE SHEINESS (Playwright) has been produced on television, Off-Broadway, Off-Off Broadway, in regional, community and university theatres across the United States. Her plays have also been produced in Japan, Canada and England. As a playwright-in-residence at Playwrights Horizons in New York City she participated in eleven productions of her work. BEST ALL 'ROUND was produced at the Perry Street in New York City, PROFESSOR GEORGE and THE SPELLING BEE were first presented by the Eugene O'Neill National Playwrights Conference in Waterford, Connecticut, and her play, MONKEY, MONKEY BOTTLE OF BEER, HOW MANY MONKEYS HAVE WE HERE? aired on "Theater in America" produced by PBS Channel 13/WNET.Her musical adaptation of GREAT EXPECTATIONS, music and lyrics by Robert Bendorff, was a 1997 finalist for the Richard Rodgers Award, The Family Opera/Music Theater Institute at the Eugene O'Neill National Playwrights Conference in Waterford Connecticut, and the Festival of Contemporary Musical Theatre. The ASCAP Musical Theatre Workshop presented Forty-five minutes of GREAT EXPECTATIONS in spring 1995. That fall it was produced by AMAS Musical Theatre for the '6 O'clock Series', directed by Gabriel Barre. AMAS produced the entire musical as a staged reading in March 1996 again directed by Gabriel Barre. THE GENDER NET (under the title of A VIRTUAL WOMAN), a musical review dramatizing the plight of women around the world had two developmental staged readings at New York City's AMAS Musical Theatre. It was presented at The Theatre Building Chicago's 2006 series under the title HALF THE SKY. Commissions: Actor's Theatre of Louisville: BERNIE AND THE BEAST and RECEPTION. With a BA in Speech and Drama she began her professional career as an actress in Los Angeles performing both on stage and television. After moving to New York City she toured with the National Repertory Theatre under the direction of Margaret Webster performing onstage with Eva LeGalliene, Sylvia Sydney and Leora Dana. She worked backstage with the successful production of THE KNACK with Sam Waterston and as assistant stage manager with the Off Broadway production of AMERICA HURRAH. She was Artistic/Producing Director of THE YOUNG PEOPLE'S THEATRE at The Harbor Playhouse in Corpus Christi, Texas and Interim Artistic Director of The Harbor Playhouse. She taught playwriting at The New School in New York City, and both playwrighting and acting at The Harbor Playhouse School of Dramatic Arts. She has directed many productions of her own work as well as BUS STOP, LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, THE MIRACLE WORKER and DR. KEEHL. Her television credits include writing for the soap opera THE DOCTORS and a four-hour pilot script for a new soap, ROCHESTER. Screen writing credits include HAVE A NICE WEEKEND and THE FALL. She received the National Endowment for the Arts in Playwriting as well as other awards and prizes. Member: Dramatist Guild, Writers Guild East, Screen Actors Guild, Actors Equity, PEN, and the BMI Librettist Workshop. Published by Samuel French, Inc.