Paul Monroe

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Noah, Mordecai Manuel (1785–1851), playwright. The son of a Portuguese Jew, he was born in Philadelphia where he became an avid theatregoer, then moved to Charleston, studying law there and becoming editor of the City Gazette. His strongly anti‐British stance led him to fight several duels, but also came to the attention of President Monroe, who appointed him consul in Tunis. His first play, Paul and Alexis (1812), was mounted in Charleston before his departure. On his return he settled in New York, advancing in local politics until he was appointed Supreme Court Commissioner, and actively contributing to numerous New York newspapers. Noah also became a leading advocate of establishing a special homeland for his fellow Jews, attempting at one point to convert an island near Buffalo into a Jewish city to be called Ararat. Despite these varied occupations he found time to continue writing plays, such as The Siege of Tripoli (1820), Marion; or, The Hero of Lake George (1821), The Grecian Captive (1822), and The Siege of Yorktown (1824). All these were essentially patriotic spectacles, even his history of Greco‐Turkish conflict seen in terms of its similarity to America's fight for independence. His best‐known work, depicting a then‐recent incident, was the war drama She Would Be a Soldier; or, The Plains of Chippewa (1819). In the preface to his published plays Noah offers interesting pictures of the contemporary American theatre and discusses the problems confronting an American playwright in the face of the popularity of English comedies and dramas.

Actors Studio, Inc. The preeminent workshop for professional actors, it was founded in 1947 by Cheryl Crawford, Elia Kazan, and Robert Lewis. Membership is limited to those invited after an audition. In 1948 Lee Strasberg joined the group and soon became its prime mover as the Studio evolved into the leading proponent of “method” acting, a school of performing that encouraged actors to respond as much to their own deepest feelings as to the requirements of the text or dramatic effectiveness. The style of acting developed into a major force in contemporary theatre. Among its proponents were Geraldine Page and Kim Stanley, while such Hollywood stars as Marilyn Monroe, Paul Newman, and Joanne Woodward sometimes came east to study with the group. In the late 1950s and early 1960s the Studio established special units for playwrights, for directors, and for production. This last unit mounted several noteworthy offerings, including a fine 1963 revival of Strange Interlude. Since Strasberg's death in 1982, its directors have included Ellen Burstyn, Al Pacino, and Frank Corsaro. Well‐known alumni of the Studio include Marlon Brando, James Dean, Montgomery Clift, Dustin Hoffman, and Robert DeNiro.

Paul Monroe 1869–1947, American educator, b. North Madison, Ind., grad. Franklin College, 1890, Ph.D. Univ. of Chicago, 1897. At Teachers College, Columbia, he was professor of education from 1902 until his retirement in 1938; he also served as director of the School of Education (1915–23) and of the International Institute after 1923. In 1932 he became president of Robert College and of the American College for Girls, both in Istanbul. Monroe made school surveys in the Philippine Islands, Puerto Rico, and Iraq. He edited the Cyclopedia of Education and Principles of Secondary Education (1914) and wrote China, a Nation in Evolution (1928) and several works on education, including Founding of the American Public School System (1940).