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Eric Samuelsen

Eric Roy Samuelsen (April 10, 1956 – September 20, 2019)[1][2] was an American playwright and emeritus professor of theatre at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. He is considered one of the most important Mormon playwrights.[3] He won the Association for Mormon Letters (AML) drama award in 1994,[4] 1997,[5] and 1999,[6] and was AML president from 2007 to 2009. In 2012 he received the Smith–Pettit Foundation Award for Outstanding Contribution to Mormon Letters.[7]

Biography

Eric Samuelsen was born in Provo, Utah, but spent most of his early life in Bloomington, Indiana. His father Roy was an opera singer, which introduced young Samuelsen to a love for theater productions.[8] As a young man he served in Norway as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).[9][10] He received a bachelor's degree in theatre from BYU in 1983 and returned to Bloomington and earned a Ph.D. from Indiana University in 1991. He taught at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio before joining the faculty at BYU in 1992.

From 1999-2011 Samuelsen ran BYU's playwrighting program. Throughout his career, at least 24 of Samuelsen's plays were produced professionally throughout the United States, including California, Indiana, Louisiana, New York, and Utah.[11]

Most of Samuelsen's early plays were produced at BYU, but around 2003 he began a relationship with Plan-B Theatre Company.[12] Since 2006, Plan-B premiered a Samuelsen play every year. He became its playwright in residence in 2012, and many of his newer plays were produced there.[11][13] This may be due to a more controversial bent in later plays; Borderlands has a character who is an openly gay Mormon youth.

Following illness and a diagnosis of polymyositis, a degenerative muscular disease, Samuelsen retired from BYU in 2012, where he had taught for 20 years.[14] The next year, Plan-B Theatre Company dedicated 2013 as the "Season of Eric", presenting four of Samuelsen's plays.[15]

Works

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

References

  1. ^ "We'll be back".
  2. ^ Janine Michelle Sobeck (March 2–19, 2005). Study Guide: Family: A new play by Eric Samuelsen (PDF). Brigham Young University College of Fine Arts and Communications, Department of Theatre and Media Arts. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-07-08. Retrieved 2015-04-22.
  3. ^ James Michael Hunter, ed. (2012). Mormons and Popular Culture: The Global Influence of an American Phenomenon. ABC-CLIO. p. 259. ISBN 978-0313391675. Retrieved 2015-04-22.
  4. ^ "AML Awards for 1994". Mormonletters.org. Archived from the original on 2011-07-27. Retrieved 2012-06-25.
  5. ^ "AML Awards for 1997". Mormonletters.org. Archived from the original on 2012-02-19. Retrieved 2012-06-25.
  6. ^ "AML Awards for 1999". Mormonletters.org. Archived from the original on 2012-02-19. Retrieved 2012-06-25.
  7. ^ "Report on AML Conference 2013 and List of Awards". Dawning of a Brighter Day. Association for Mormon Letters. March 31, 2013. Retrieved 2015-04-22.
  8. ^ Ellen Fagg (September 3, 2006). "A meaty look at modern life". Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 2015-04-22.
  9. ^ Mahonri Stewart (May 14, 2012). "The Mormon Ibsen: A Tribute to Eric Samuelsen". Dawning of a Brighter Day. Association for Mormon Letters. Retrieved 2015-04-22.
  10. ^ "Eric Samuelsen". College of Fine Arts and Communications. Brigham Young University. January 14, 2015. Retrieved 2015-04-22.
  11. ^ a b "Class Notes..." (PDF). Stages. Indiana University Department of Theatre, Drame, + Contemporary Dance: 10–11. Fall 2013. Retrieved 2015-04-22.
  12. ^ Mahonri Stewart (February 2011). "Eric Samuelsen". Mormon Artist. Retrieved 2015-04-22.
  13. ^ "Eric Samuelsen". Zion Theatricals. May 31, 2013. Retrieved 2015-04-22.
  14. ^ Dale Thompson (February 2014). "Eric Samuelsen in Three Acts". 15 Bytes: Utah's Art Magazine. Artists of Utah. Retrieved 2015-04-22.
  15. ^ Barbara Bannon (August 18, 2013). "'Ghosts' kicks off Plan-B's season dedicated to Utah playwright". Salt Lake Tribune. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved 2015-04-22.
  16. ^ Samuelson, Eric. "Mormon Literature Database - Accommodations". Mormonlit.lib.byu.edu. Retrieved 2012-06-25.
  17. ^ Christi C. Babbitt (June 5, 1996). "'Seating of Senator Smoot' A Smooth Bit of Utah History". Deseret News. Retrieved 2015-04-22.
  18. ^ "Display Review". Mormonletters.org. 2001-09-14. Archived from the original on 2012-03-16. Retrieved 2012-06-25.
  19. ^ "Lots of Christmas productions to choose from this week". Deseret News. November 16, 1997. Retrieved 2015-04-22.
  20. ^ "'Three Women' plays touch on sensitive subjects". Deseret News. February 20, 2001. Retrieved 2015-04-22.
  21. ^ Andrew Hall (December 9, 2011) [January 2002]. "2001 Mormon Literature Year in Review". Dawning of a Brighter Day. Association for Mormon Letters. Retrieved 2015-04-22.
  22. ^ Keri Stevens (March 31, 2011). "Perfect Date: 'The Plan' for a date". Daily Herald. Retrieved 2015-04-22.

External links