A Biography
Christopher Durang was born on January 2, 1949, in Montclair, New Jersey. Educated at Harvard and the Yale School of Drama, he has had plays both on and off Broadway, including THE NATURE AND PURPOSE OF THE UNIVERSE; TITANIC; A HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN FILM; SISTER MARY IGNATIUS EXPLAINS IT ALL FOR YOU; BEYOND THERAPY; BABY WITH THE BATHWATER; THE MARRIAGE OF BETTE AND BOO; LAUGHING WILD; and BETTY'S SUMMER VACATION. He won Obie Awards for SISTER MARY IGNATIUS and THE MARRIAGE OF BETTE AND BOO, received a Tony nomination for Best Book of a Musical, for A HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN FILM, and received a Drama Desk nomination for BETTY'S SUMMER VACATION. He has also written several screenplays including BEYOND THERAPY; THE NUN WHO SHOT LIBERRTY VALENCE; THE HOUSE OF HUSBANDS (which he co-authored with Wendy Wasserstein); and THE ADVENTURES OF LOLA.
Durang has also performed for both stage and screen. As an actor, he appeared in LAUGHING WILD in Los Angeles and THE MARRIAGE OF BETTE AND BOO in New York (for which he shared an acting ensemble Obie Award). He performed his cabaret CHRIS DURANG AND DAWNE in numerous venues, earning himself a 1996 Bistro Award. He also appeared with Julie Andrews in the Sondheim review PUTTING IT TOGETHER and with Sigourney Weaver in the Brecht-Weill parody DAS LUISTANIA SONGSPIEL - which they co-wrote. He has made guest appearances on several sitcoms including FRASIER and has had supporting roles in several feature films including THE OUT OF TOWNERS; SIMPLY IRRESISTIBLE; JOE'S APARTMENT; THE COWBOY WAY; LIFE WITH MIKEY; HOUSITTER; THE BUTCHER'S WIFE; IN THE SPIRIT; A SHOCK TO THE SYSTEM; PENN & TELLER GET KILLED; MR. NORTH; THE SECRET OF MY SUCCESS; and HEAVEN HELP US.
Durang has been awarded numerous fellowships and grants including a Guggeheim, a Rockefeller, the CBS Playwriting Fellowship, the Lecompte du Nouy Foundation Grant, the Kenyon Festival Theatre Playwriting Prize, and the Lila Wallace Readers Digest Writers Award. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild Council and is co-chair of playwriting programs at Julliard.