Andy Propst

Andy Propst (March 7, 1965 – September 6, 2021) was an arts journalist, theater critic, and writer living in Peachtree City, Georgia.

Andy Propst
Born(1965-03-07)March 7, 1965
Urbana, Illinois, U.S.
DiedSeptember 6, 2021(2021-09-06) (aged 56)
Occupation(s)Theater critic, journalist, writer

Early work as a critic

In 1998, he founded what would become one of the Internet's first major theater portals for theater news, reviews and production listings online, AmericanTheaterWeb.com. It was a site that predated[1] and inspired such sites as TheaterMania[2] and BroadwayWorld.com.[3]

The uniqueness of the site and its pioneering nature for the theater community attracted remarkable press coverage, including a feature in The New York Times.[4]

Expanding outlets

Propst continued to run the site through 2009, even as he began to write reviews and features for print publications, including Backstage, The Village Voice,[5] TimeOut NY, and The Sondheim Review.[6] He and AmericanTheaterWeb also became affiliated with XM Satellite Radio's XM 28 On Broadway Channel, and for four years, he provided daily "Broadway and Beyond" reports and served as a deejay for the channel with programs airing Monday-Friday.[7]

In 2009, he joined the staff of TheaterMania, writing news and reviews, and providing ongoing coverage of theater music available digitally and on disc.[8] He also served as Senior Editor when the site launched its iPad magazine app in 2011,[9] a position he retained until 2013. He subsequently contributed to Huffington Post,[10] and served as a writer for Sh-K-Boom/Ghostlight Records.[11]

Other affiliations

In addition to his writing, Propst served for three consecutive years as a nominator for the Drama Desk Awards (2005-2007[12][13][14]) and was secretary and judge for three years for The Village Voice's Obie Awards (2009-2011[15][16][17] ).

Propst is an alum of the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center's National Critics Institute[18] and has returned to the program to serve as a mentor to young critics since 2008.[19] He has also been a reader[20] for and mentor at the organization's National Music Theater Conference.

Propst returned to reviewing for AmericanTheaterWeb.com and for the 2015-2016 season, once again served as a member of the Drama Desk Awards' Nomimnating Committee.[21]

Work as a writer

His first book, You Fascinate Me So: The Life and Times of Cy Coleman, was published in April 2015 by Applause Books.[22] Oxford University Press will release his second book, They Made Us Happy: The Musicals and Movies of Betty Comden and Adolph Green, in March 2019.[23] He is currently at work on The 100 Most Important People in Musical Theater History for Rowman & Littlefield.

In early 2013, Propst provided the liner notes for two-time Tony Award winner Patti LuPone's CD Far Away Places.[24] Since then he has written notes for three CDs from Harbinger Records, including Barnum Backer's Audition[25] and A Jazzman's Broadway.

References
  1. AmericanTheaterWeb.com - Whois.net - creation date: http://whois.net/whois/americantheaterweb.com
  2. TheaterMania.com - Whois.net - creation date: http://whois.net/whois/theatermania.com
  3. BroadwayWorld.com - Whois.net - creation date: http://whois.net/whois/broadwayworld.com
  4. Biersdorfer, J.D. (January 14, 1999). "For Surfers, the World's a Stage". New York Times. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
  5. "Author Archive - Andy Propst". The Village Voice. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
  6. Claire, Felicity. "Index of the First 40 Issues of "The Sondheim Review"". The Sondheim Review. Archived from the original on 2013-05-10. Retrieved 2013-06-14.
  7. "XM 28 - On Broadway". XM Satellite Radio via Internet Archive. Archived from the original on November 13, 2005. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
  8. "Author Archive". TheaterMania. TheaterMania. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
  9. "November 2011 Issue". TheaterMania Magazine. TheaterMania. Archived from the original on May 1, 2012. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
  10. "Author Archive". Huffington Post. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
  11. "The Eclectic Sounds of Pasek & Paul's DOGFIGHT". Sh-K-Boom/Ghostlight Records. Archived from the original on August 14, 2013. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
  12. Simonson, Robert (April 28, 2005). "Drama Desk Nominations Announced April 28". Playbill. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
  13. Simonson, Robert (May 21, 2006). "Harvey Fierstein to Host 2006 Drama Desk Awards May 21". Playbill. Archived from the original on June 15, 2013. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
  14. Gans, Andrew (April 26, 2007). "Nominees for Drama Desk Awards Announced; LoveMusik Garners 12 Noms". Playbill. Archived from the original on September 22, 2013. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
  15. Various writers (May 20, 2009). "The Village Voice Obies Winners". The Village Voice. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
  16. Village Voice contributor (May 17, 2010). "And The 55th Annual OBIES Awards Winners Are. . ". The Village Voice. Retrieved June 6, 2013. {{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  17. "The Village Voice's 56th Annual Obie Awards". The Village Voice. May 16, 2011. Archived from the original on July 3, 2011. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
  18. "NCI History/Application/Staff". Eugene O'Neill Theater Center. Archived from the original on June 5, 2013. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
  19. "O'Neill Center - National Critics Institute". Eugene O'Neill Theater Center. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
  20. "2016 O\u0027Neill Finalists". Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  21. "Nominating Committee & Current Members". Drama Desk Awards. Retrieved February 10, 2016.
  22. Listing for You Fascinate Me So on Amazon.com - https://www.amazon.com/You-Fascinate-Me-So-Coleman/dp/1480355909/
  23. Listing for They Made Us Happy on Amazon.com - https://www.amazon.com/They-Made-Us-Happy-Musicals/dp/0190630930/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1536526285
  24. Listing of Far Away Places CD on CD Universe - http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=8894826
  25. "Harbinger Records Releases Barnum's Backers' Audition Private Recording". Retrieved September 9, 2018.
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