published on in blog

Off Broadway playwright Romulus Linney dies

He adapted 'A Lesson Before Dying'

Off Broadway playwright Romulus Linney, who adapted “A Lesson Before Dying” for the stage, died Saturday in Germantown, N.Y., of lung cancer. The father of actress Laura Linney was 80.

Based on Ernest J. Gaines’ contempo novel, “Dying” centered on a man sentenced to die for a murder he didn’t commit.

The playwright was an Off Broadway and regional theater standard, and his work was showcased in a 1992 season at the Signature Theater.

Related Stories

Illustration of a video game controller surrounded by a recycle icon VIP+

‘Until Dawn,’ ‘Silent Hill 2’ Remakes Show Relevancy of Retreading IP

Secret Level

'Secret Level' Director Tim Miller and Epic Games Execs Talk Hollywood's Relationship With Unreal Engine as Version 5.5 Launches

Linney’s play covered a wide range of topics: “The Sorrows of Frederick” was about the Prussian king; “Childe Byron” centered on the poet Byron and his estrangement from his daughter; “2” revolved around leading Nazi Hermann Goering. But most of his plays were set in and around Appalachia, where he spent most of his youth: “Tennessee,” “Holy Ghosts,” “Sand Mountain,” “Gint” and

Popular on Variety

“Heathen Valley,” which was based on his novel.

A graduate of Ohio’s Oberlin College, Linney did a two-year stint in the Army and then went to the Yale School of Drama.

Besides “Heathen Valley,” he wrote the novel “Slowly, by Thy Hand Unfurled” and compilation “Jesus Tales.”

Only one of his plays was staged on Broadway — 1972’s “The Love Suicide at Schofield Barracks.” starring John Berry, who also directed. Plot concerned a crime in opposition to President Nixon’s war policies in a Hawaiian barracks. It closed after seven previews and five perfs at Anta Playhouse.

At the time of his death, Linney was working on an opera adaptation of “The Sorrows of Frederick” with Scott Wheeler for the Met and Lincoln Theater.

Linney won two Obie awards (one for sustained excellence in playwriting), two National Critics Awards and three Drama-Logue Awards. He was a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, which bestowed upon him the Gold Medal for Drama, among other awards. He was a member of artists community the Corp. of Yaddo in New York state.

In addition to Laura and another daughter, survivors include his wife, Laura Callahan. Donations may be made in Linney’s name to the Signature Theater Company.

Jump to Comments

More from Variety

Most Popular

Must Read

Sign Up for Variety Newsletters

By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy.We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. // This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Variety Confidential

A Variety and iHeartRadio Podcast

ncG1vNJzZmiukae2psDYZ5qopV9nfXJ9jqWcoKGkZLumw9Jopp%2BeXZe%2FsK3DsJiyZaChrrrD0aKeoaxdp7yuwcuuqmakmaO7psWMnaCeq11mfnKEj2xnbGtkZA%3D%3D