Harold Clurman

Harold Clurman , 1901-80, American director, manager, critic, and author, b. New York City. In his early years he acted in minor roles, becoming associated with New York's Group Theatre as founder and managing director in 1931. After his debut as a director with Awake and Sing, he became known for his direction of works by Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller, Eugene O'Neill, and William Inge, among many others. Clurman has written much theater criticism and several books, including The Fervent Years (1945), a history of the Group Theatre.

Bibliography: See his On Directing (1972) and All People are Famous (1974).

Clurman, Harold [Edgar] (1901–80), director and critic. Born in New York, he began his career at the Greenwich Village Playhouse, then worked for the Theatre Guild, acting in small parts and serving as a play reader. In 1931 he was one of the founders of the Group Theatre, for which he directed Awake and Sing! (1935) and Golden Boy (1937), among others. After the company was dissolved, his directorial assignments included The Member of the Wedding (1950), The Time of the Cuckoo (1952), Bus Stop (1955), Waltz of the Toreadors (1957), A Shot in the Dark (1961), and Incident at Vichy (1964), as well as co‐producing All My Sons (1947). From 1949 to 1953 Clurman served as drama critic for the New Republic and then for many years in the same capacity with the Nation. His publications include a history of the Group Theatre titled The Fervent Years (1945), Lies Like Truth: Theatre Essays and Reviews (1958), On Directing (1973), and a loosely structured autobiography, All People Are Famous (1974).