In Memoriam: Gerald Freedman (1927–2020)

Abstract

Acclaimed theater and artistic director Gerald Freedman passed away on 17 March 2020. In a career spanning almost seventy years, Freedman became one of the more accomplished and influential directors in American theater. His credits are almost too numerous to list, but highlights include directing book scenes for the original Broadway productions of West Side Story and Gypsy, and a long association with Joseph Papp's Public Theatre, where he directed the world premiere of Hair and served as artistic director. His other stints as artistic director include The Acting Company with John Houseman and Stratford, Connecticut's American Shakespeare Theatre. Additionally, Freedman had a long tenure as artistic director of the Great Lakes Theater Festival in Cleveland, Ohio, from 1985 to 1997. He also served as Dean of the School of Drama at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.Freedman holds a significant place in the production history of Arthur Miller's work. Miller's 1972 play The Creation of the World and Other Business had much trouble during the rehearsal period over artistic differences between Miller and the production staff. The original director Harold Clurman and most of the cast, including Barbara Harris and Hal Holbrook, were replaced, and Miller rewrote much of the material. Freedman took over the direction, but the Broadway production with Zoe Caldwell, Bob Dishy, and George Grizzard was largely panned and ran for only twenty performances. Freedman had greater critical success with his direction of the 1990 Roundabout Theatre production of The Crucible, which was the first major New York revival in almost twenty years. At the Great Lakes Theatre Festival in 1994, Freedman directed Death of Salesman, featuring Hal Holbrook as Willy Loman and Elizabeth Franz as Linda. The production subsequently went on a seven-city U.S. national tour.When the Arthur Miller Society was formed in 1995, Freedman graciously accepted an invitation to join the honorary board. The theater world is forever changed because of his significant contributions.—Steve Marino