Murray Horwitz

Murray Horwitz is an American playwright, lyricist, NPR broadcaster, and arts administrator.^[1]

Education

Horwitz graduated from Kenyon College with a bachelor of arts degree, with a dual major, in English and Drama.^[2] In 1992, he received an honorary doctorate of fine arts from Kenyon College.^[2]

Career

Horwitz began his career working with Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus as a clown for three years.^[2]

In 1973, after moving to New York City, Horwitz appeared in the one-man show, An Evening Of Sholom Aleichem, which was directed by Richard Maltby, Jr., and in which he continues to perform at The Kennedy Center, The Manhattan Theatre Club, and The New York Shakespeare Festival/Public Theater. In 1978, Horwitz and Maltby created the Broadway musical Ain’t Misbehavin’, which won Tony, Obie, Emmy, Grammy, and New York Drama Critics' Circle awards.

He became the assistant director of Opera-Musical Theater at the National Endowment for the Arts in 1987.^[3] Horwitz created Ain't Misbehavin' with Richard Maltby, Jr.^[2] The musical is named after a Fats Waller song.^[4] Horwitz received multiple awards for co-writing Ain't Misbehavin', including a Tony, Obie, Emmy, Grammy, and New York Drama Critics' Circle award.^[2]

Since 1998, Horwitz has been creative consultant to the annual Mark Twain Prize ceremonies at the Kennedy Center.

In 1989, he began his career at NPR, where he created several series, including Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me, Wynton Marsalis: Making the Music, and The NPR Basic Jazz Record Library.^[5] Horwitz received three Peabody awards for his work at NPR.^[2]

In 2002, Horwitz became the founding director of the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center, in Silver Spring, Maryland. He later served in fundraising positions at Washington National Opera and the Washington Performing Arts Society.^[3] He created the radio game show Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!.^[2] He is also frequently a panelist on another NPR game show, Says You!. Horwitz was the director and chief executive officer of the AFI Silver Theatre and Culture Center from 2002^[2] until 2009.^[6][7][8][9]

In 2016, Horowitz took over as host of the WAMU's The Big Broadcast old-time radio show.^[10]

Credits and Achievements

(in chronological and subject order)^[1]

• STAGE DEBUT—Clown, Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey Circus, 1970-1972.
• NEW YORK DEBUT—An Evening with Sholom Aleichem, Manhattan Theatre Club,1975-1976.
• LONDON DEBUT—Co-author, associate director, Ain't Misbehavin', Her Majesty's Theatre, 1979.
• PRINCIPAL THEATER APPEARANCES
  • An Evening of Sholom Aleichem, Grendel's Lair, Philadelphia, PA, 1975-1976.
  • The Body Politic, Chicago, IL, 1979.
  • An Evening of Yiddish Poetry, New York Shakespeare Festival, 1980;The Ballroom, NY, 1983.
• PRINCIPAL THEATRE WORK
  • Comedy consultant, Puntila, Yale Repertory Theatre, New Haven, CT, 1977.
  • Co-author, associate director, lyricist, Ain't Misbehavin, Longacre Theatre, NY, Plymouth Theatre, NY, Morosco Theatre, NY, London, and Paris, 1978--. Also, director, Ain't Misbehavin, Stagewest, Alaska Repertory Theatre, and Kansas City Starlight Theatre.
  • Director, Jus' Like Livin', Chelsea's West Side Theatre, NY, 1979.
  • Actor, writer, and director, Hard Sell, New York Shakespeare Festival, 1980.
  • Writer and director, Carnegie at Midnight (ninetieth anniversary celebration), Carnegie Hall, NY, 1981.
  • Actor and director, A Comedy Cabaret with Jonathan Winters, Kenyon Festival, OH, 1981.
  • Writer and director, While Shubert Slept, reopening of the Shubert Theatre, New Haven, CT, 1984.
  • Writer and director, This Is Opening Night, reopening of the State Theatre, Cleveland, OH, 1984.
  • Co-author and co-director, Haarlem Nocturne, La Mama Experimental TheatreClub, NY, then Latin Quarter Theatre, NY, 1984.
• PRINCIPAL CONCERT WORK
  • Producer, writer, and director, A Tribute to Stan Kenton, Kool Jazz Festival, Avery Fisher Hall, NY, 1982.
• PRINCIPAL FILM APPEARANCES
  • Yogurt man, Night of the Juggler, Columbia, 1980.
• PRINCIPAL TELEVISION WORK; DIRECTOR
  • Guiding Light, CBS, 1985.
  • As the World Turns, CBS, 1985.
  • Search for Tomorrow, NBC, 1985-1986.
• PRODUCER
  • The Making of a Song, Arts and Entertainment Network, 1981.
  • America, Where It All Happens, Arts and Entertainment, 1981.
  • Jazz Comes Home to Newport, PBS, 1984.
• WRITER
  • (In addition to the above items) Talking Morosco Blues (cabaret), Upstairs at O'Neals, NY, 1982-1983.
  • (Screenplay with others) Soldier Boy, Universal, 1982.

Personal

Horwitz was born in Dayton, Ohio on September 28, 1949 to Alan S. (a physician) and Charlotte (Vangrov) Horwitz. He is married to singer Lisa Miller and has three children, Charles, Ann, and Alexander. They live in Washington D.C.^[11]

References