The Brick Playhouse on South Street, Philadelphia was a playwright’s development theater, offering a membership of theater people dedicated to help and define a playwright’s skills and talents. For fifteen years, I served as a staff director and was weekly audience to new plays in development written by members of The Brick. Finally The Brick acknowledged their mission in bringing production evenings of one acts, and later full length plays, to full production. I associated with many local playwrights – Joe Papryzicki, Mark Cofta – and nationally acknowledged playwrights – Roger Cornish, and Michael Hollinger over my 15 years membership.
During this same period I mentored and directed Central High School’s Drama Society (10 years). I directed their Drama Society in such plays as “The Crucible,” “You Can’t Take It With You,” “God’s Favorite,” “Lend Me a Tenor” (2xs), “The Man Who Came to Dinner,”
Discovering the Central High Creative Writing Class had, as their last assignment, the creation of a one act play, for five or more years, I used my Brick connections, and was responsible for the Creative Writing Class having their One Acts performed as reader’s theatre at the Brick with Staff Directors and Professional Actors producing and performing their pieces.
For 17 years, I held an annual Film Audition for the Temple Undergraduate Film Production Course. For several years I brought actors to the class and read and critiqued student scripts to be produced for that year. Also, at the start of the year I individually scheduled over 100 actors to audition for as many as 30 individual film productions. This audition was open to any student film maker from any university or School/Independent Film Maker who wished to attend and cast their film. Additionally, I was the GoTo for the eventual and inevitable “uh oh moments” that can occur in the making and production of that many films.
I am a professional actor, Union since 1971 (AFTRA) and ’72 (SAG & AEA).
I have often served as an ear/voice to many Playwrights and Film Writers advising them on their new scripts. I have been hired to direct new works by new playwrights on several occasions and, in the course of which, the playwright and I have critically worked their new script to betterment.
The last 6 years I took a Master of Arts at Villanova, Theatre. I wrote and produced and performed my Thesis project, a solo performance, “Sholem Aleichem: Laughter in the Darkness,” in October, 2020
I adapted the writings of Damon Runyon, “An Evening of Damon Runyon” for Philadelphia Fringe Festival to great acclaim.
I have always been happy and concerned with Educational Theatre, in my work at Temple with their Film Students, with my time at Central High School, and also, with my work with individual writers who have come to me to advise and be a critical eye for their writings. I find helping a new playwright discover their voice, and bringing that voice to an artistic height to be most satisfying.
Barry Brait / Classic Theatre Productions 