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Rob Urbinati

ROB URBINATI  

 Nationality:    USA
email:    Click here to contact     Website:    Click here

Literary Agent:    Abrams Artists Agency  represented by Morgan Jenness


Rob was a Theatre Consultant for Home Box Office in New York City from 1985-1989. He received an M.A. from the University of Nebraska and a Ph.D. from the University of Oregon, and directed over forty plays at theatres across the country before returning to New York in 1995. Since that time, Rob directed a workshop production of Hazelwood Jr. High, his first play, for the Directors Company. The play was then directed by Scott Elliott for the New Group, starring Chloe Sevigny. A scene from the play is published in Smith & Kraus's "Best Stage Scenes 2000." Rob curated Lunatics & Lovers: A Strindberg Salon for the Culture Project, and his adaptation of Miss Julie in Hollywood, which was part of that event, transferred to the 78th Street Theatre Lab. His adaptation of Mary McCarthy's short story, Cruel & Barbarous Treatment, which premiered at the Culture Project, transferred to Israel Horowitz' Gloucester Stage Company in Massachusetts (Ten Best Productions of the Year, The Boston Phoenix.) Rob directed Staceyann Chin's Border/Clash for the Culture Project, James Armstrong's Foggy Bottom at the Abingdon, Pirandello's The Man With the Flower in His Mouth for Classic Stage Company, Angel Street at the Pearl Theatre, Maria Irene Fornes' Springtime at HERE, the premiere of Eric Bogosian's Griller for Lincoln Center Directors Lab, Kirk Bromley's Syndrome at the Greenwich St. Theatre, and Bromley and Jessica Grace Wing's Lost for the 2003 New York Fringe Festival (Best Musical). Since receiving a Fellowship from the Drama League in 1995, Rob has enjoyed a continuing relationship with that organization. He has served on the Selection Committees for the Fall Directors Program, the Summer Directors Program, the New Plays Program, and the Drama League Nominating Committee. For the Drama League, he directed Inge's The Boy in the Basement at Westbeth, Max Sparber's Cruelties as part of their New Works Program, Tom Grady's Global Village for their New American Plays Initiative and Sparber's The Older Gentleman as part of the Vital Drama League Alumnifest. Rob directed Kirk Smith's Deluge at Concordia College, Wasserman's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest at the University of Oregon, Hellman's The Children's Hour for Bloomsburg University, Anderson's Bad Seed at Doane College, Guare's Landscape of the Body and Shakepspeare's The Winter's Tale at the University of Nebraska, and Jeff Whitty's Suicide Weather at New York University. At the Blue Barn Theatre in Omaha, he directed Toxic Avenger: The Musical! for which he wrote book and lyrics, and Sparber's Cruelties & Chelsea: From A to B and Back Again. Rob is Director of New Play Development at Queens Theatre in the Park, where he curates the Immigrant Voices Project, a new play program which develops plays by writers who represent the diverse demographic of New York City. IVP has presented over thirty readings, workshops and full productions including Andy Bragen's Greater Messapia and Qui Nguyen's Trial By Water. At QTP, he has directed many plays including Marry Me A Little with Brent Barrett and Sally Mayes, Angel Street, Over the River and Through the Woods, I Love My Wife, Master Class and Max Sparber's Minstrel Show or The Lynching of William Brown, which he then directed at the Connelly Theatre in Manhattan, the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburg, the Blue Barn Theatre in Nebraska and Theatreworks in Colorado. Also at Theatreworks, Rob directed Kiss Me, Kate with Robert Westenberg and Kim Crosby, and his adaptation of Cole Porter's Nymph Errant (Best Musical, Denver Post). His play, Karaoke Night at the Suicide Shack, premiered at QTP directed by Dan Fields and Alex Aron. The People Speak, his adaptation of Howard Zinn and Anthony Arnove's "Voices of a People's History of the United States" premiered at the Culture Project in September 2006 as part of the Impact Festival. His new musical, Shangri La, based on the sixties girl group, opened at QTP in November. Recently, he directed Suzan-Lori Parks' 365 Days/365 Plays at QTP and the Public Theatre. His new play, West Moon Street, based on a novella by Oscar Wilde, was presented as part of The Acting Company's Salon Series, with Dana Ivey and by the Prospect Theatre Company in New York directed by Davis McCallum. Rob also recently directed Jan Buttram's The President and Her Mistress at the Abingdon Theatre and Minstrel Show or the Lynching of William Brown at New Jersey Repertory Company. Three productions that Rob has directed, Lost, Syndrome, and Border/Clash, and one that he wrote, Hazelwood Jr. High, were selected to be videotaped for the Theatre on Film and Tape Archive at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. Rob is a member of the Dramatists Guild, and the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers He is represented by Bruce Ostler at Bret Adams Ltd.

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below is a list of Rob Urbinati's plays - click on a Play Title for more information

 Cruel & Barbarous Treatment         Hazelwood Jr High         Karaoke Night at the Suicide Shack         Miss Julie in Hollywood         Nymph Errant         Other Heart, The         Rebel Voices         Shangri La         Toxic Avenger: The Musical!         West Moon Street

Cruel & Barbarous Treatment

Synopsis:
Cruel & Barbarous Treatment adapted from the story of the same name by Mary McCarthy. A married socialite in the 1930's has an affair with another man. She contemplates the pleasures of deception, and the pain of divorce and a life of solitude.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
The Salon    1999

Company:
The Culture Project

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Hazelwood Jr High

Rob Urbinati
Based on a true story, a lesbian love triangle at a junior high in Indiana goes horribly wrong. When Shanda, the new girl at school, catches Amanda's eye, Amanda's girlfriend Melinda is furious. Melinda enlists the aid of a disturbed "goth" girl and her friends, and they set out to teach Shanda a lesson.

Notes:
The site-specific production was performed in the Auditorium of A New York City junior high school

1st Produced:
I.S. 70 Auditorium, Chelsea, NYC    20 Feb 1998

Company:
The New Group

1st Published:

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  6            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Karaoke Night at the Suicide Shack

Synopsis:
Karaoke Night at the Suicide Shack. Eleven American "celebrities" - Ernest Hemingway, Sylvia Plath, Anne Sexton, James Whale, Lupe Velez, Margaret Mary Ray, Diane Linkletter, Kurt Cobain, Mark Rothko, Dorothy Dandridge and Abbie Hoffman - all of whom committed suicide - gather over drinks and songs to discuss an artist's responsibilities - to society, to their families, and to their art.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Queens Theatre in the Park    2002

Company:
Queens Theatre in the Park

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Comedy/Drama

Parts:
Male:  5            Female:  6            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Miss Julie in Hollywood

Synopsis:
Set in Beverly Hills in the 1950's, John, a Mexican immigrant, becomes involved in a power struggle with the tempestuous daughter of a studio mogul.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Company:
78th Street Theatre Lab

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Nymph Errant

Synopsis:
Five pretty girls graduate from an English boarding school and set out to begin their lives. Adapted from a Cole Porter musical, "Nymph Errant" follows the adventures of one of the students, Eve, as she travels the world in search of someone to love. On her journey, she stumbles upon her classmates, each of whom is involved in a sexual adventure. Or is the whole play Eve's dream of what the future may hold?

Notes:
Cole Porter's Nymph Errant

1st Produced:
Theatreworks, Colorado Springs,    2002

Company:
Theatreworks

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Musical

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  7            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Other Heart, The

Synopsis:
When a prim and proper dance student receives a new heart, she undergoes a major personality shift, which consequently alters the lives of everyone around her. Is her new personality the result of "cellular memory," a documented medical phenomenon, or was it just time for a change?

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Doane College, Nebraska    2002

Company:
Doane College

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  6            Female:  6            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Rebel Voices

Synopsis:
A stage adaptation of Howard Zinn and Anthony Arnove's, "Voices of a People's History of the United States" Rebel Voices is a new play about the United States today as seen through the prism of history. The play brings to life incendiary and inspirational stories of dissent from U.S. history, past and present. The "voices," include such major historical figures as Fredrick Douglass, Susan B. Anthony and Malcolm X.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
The Culture Project,    2007

Company:
The Culture Project

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Historical Drama

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Shangri La

Synopsis:
Shangri La - Three high school girls from a tough neighborhood in Queens are determined to make it to the top of the charts. With a little grit and a lot of talent, they transform themselves into singing sensations. And that was the easy part.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Queen Theatre in the Park    2006

Company:
Queens Theatre in the Park and Craig Bowley

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Musical

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Toxic Avenger: The Musical!

Synopsis:
A nerdy kid is shoved by bullies into a barrel of toxic waste. He develops super powers, battles corruption, and gets the girl in this adaptation of the Troma film.

Notes:
Music by David Bryan; lyrics And book Roy Urbinati. Based on the movie "The Toxic Avenger" screenplay by Joe Ritter

1st Produced:
Blue Barn Theatre,    2004

Company:
Blue Barn Theatre

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Musical

Parts:
Male:  6            Female:  6            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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West Moon Street

Rob Urbinati
Young Lord Arthur is deliriously happy - just down from Oxford and engaged to be married - when a mysterious palm reader predicts that he will commit a murder. A proper English gentleman, Arthur believes it is his Duty to get this killing business over with before he marries. But his education has not provided him with the required skills, and a hilarious series of mishaps ensues as he sets about finding a victim.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Hudson Guild, NY    2007

Company:
Prospect Theater Company

1st Published:

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Comedy

Parts:
Male:  4            Female:  4            Other:  doubling possible

Further Reference:
-

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