Rob Ackerman (playwright)

Rob Ackerman (born December 1, 1958) is a contemporary American playwright and screenwriter. His plays include Tabletop, which won the 2001 Drama Desk Award for Best Ensemble Performance, Volleygirls, which won the New York Musical Theater Festival Best in Fest, Call Me Waldo, Dropping Gumballs on Luke Wilson (directed by Theresa Rebeck in 2019 and produced by Working Theater at A.R.T. in New York), and Loyalty.[1][2][3][4][5] In 2021, Ackerman wrote an opinion piece for CNN called "I'm a prop master, and I see red flags everywhere", about the fatality on the movie set of Rust in New Mexico.[6]

Rob Ackerman
Ackerman in 2011
Ackerman in 2011
BornRob Ackerman
(1958-12-01) December 1, 1958
Columbus, Ohio
OccupationPlaywright
NationalityAmerican
Notable worksTabletop, Volleygirls, Dropping Gumballs on Luke Wilson
SpouseCarol Weston
ChildrenLizzi Ackerman, Emme Ackerman

Early life and education

Ackerman was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio. He is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Middlebury College, where he majored in Theater and Spanish. He earned his M.F.A. in Stage Directing at Northwestern University.

Career

Ackerman's first success was Tabletop, staged at the American Place Theatre in 2000.[7][8] John Simon, writing for New York Magazine, called it "acidly funny" and "spot-on about the making of a T.V. commercial."[9] Ackerman's other plays include Disconnect] (2005, Working Theater, Classic Stage Company), Icarus of Ohio (2008, NYU Tisch School of the Arts), Volleygirls (2009, American Conservatory Theater), and Call Me Waldo (2012, Working Theater, Off Broadway and Kitchen Theater, Ithaca).[10] His debut play, Origin of the Species, became a movie starring Amanda Peet, Michael Kelly, and Jean Louisa Kelly, and directed by Andrés Heinz, who wrote the original screenplay that became Black Swan.[11] Ackerman won an award for Screenwriting at the Huntington International Independent Film Festival.[12] He and Sam Forman along with Carol Weston have written a full-length screenplay for her novel Speed of Life. His current project is Stargazer, a feature film written with Kate Ginna and directed by Alan McIntyre Smith and starring Matt Bogart, Ginna, and Lei Nico.

Volleygirls was developed and produced by Monica Raymund under the direction of Neil Patrick Stewart with songs by Sam Forman and Eli Bolin.[13] In 2013, it was staged as part of the New York Musical Theater Festival and won Best of Fest, Outstanding Ensemble, and Most Promising New Musical. It later received the New World Stages Development Award and was workshopped at the University of Florida and performed at Grace Church School.[14] Ackerman and Forman and Bolin also collaborated on a musical commissioned and produced by Grace Church School titled In the Air in 2016.

Ackerman's work has been published by Dramatists Play Service, Smith and Kraus, Vintage Books, and Playscripts, Inc. It has been nurtured at Yaddo, Flux, The Lark, Access Theatre, At Hand Theatre, and Dorset Theatre Festival. For 25 years, he worked as property master for the Saturday Night Live Film Unit,[15] working on such shorts as Complicit, Conway, Karate Meet, and Grouch.

Personal life

He currently lives in Manhattan with his wife, author Carol Weston. They have two daughters, Emme and Lizzi Ackerman.[16]

References
  1. "High-Stakes Drama of High School Sports Centerstage in World Premier of Volleygirls: Artist Biographies". American Conservatory Theater. Archived from the original on 24 April 2012. Retrieved 2 July 2012.
  2. "Rob Ackerman". Dollee. Retrieved 2 July 2012.
  3. Titus, Tom. "Playhouse Will Lift the Curtain on Tabletop". Coastline Pilot. Retrieved 26 June 2012.
  4. "Playbill Volleygirls and More Receive NYMF 2013 Awards".
  5. "Working Theater Season".
  6. Ackerman, Rob (2021-10-28). "I'm a prop master, and I see red flags everywhere in the 'Rust' fatal shooting". cnn.com. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
  7. Sommer, Elyse. "Tabletop, a CurtainUp Review". CurtainUp. Retrieved 2 July 2012.
  8. Bruckner, D. (25 July 2000). "A Tyrannical Boss Meets More Than His Match". New York Times. Retrieved 2 July 2012.
  9. Simon, John (14 August 2000). "Ad Glib". New York Magazine. Retrieved 26 June 2012.
  10. "Call Me Waldo: Meet the Creative Team". The Working Theater. Archived from the original on 23 November 2013. Retrieved 2 July 2012.
  11. "Origin of the Species Credits". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2011. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 2 July 2012.
  12. "Origin of the Species Screening". Origin of the Species Movie. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
  13. Gans, Andrew. "Andrea Burns, Joseph Cassidy, David Hess Set for Reading of New Musical Volleygirls". Playbill. Archived from the original on 26 July 2014. Retrieved 2 July 2012.
  14. "Hit New York Musical". 22 May 2015. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  15. Weston, Carol. "Rob Ackerman". CarolWeston.com. Archived from the original on 4 April 2014. Retrieved 2 July 2012.
  16. "25th Anniversary Season Bios". Working Theater. Archived from the original on 29 July 2013. Retrieved 2 July 2012.
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