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James B. McKenzie
James B. McKenzie (May 1, 1926, Appleton, Wisconsin – February 20, 2002) was an American theater producer best known for heading the Westport Country Playhouse, the American Conservatory Theater, and the Peninsula Players.
A native of Appleton, Wisconsin, McKenzie worked all over the United States as a stage manager, press agent, actor, stagehand, producer, and general manager. In the professional theatre, his career spanned more than half a century, during which he worked on over 2,000 productions. He was the producer or general manager of numerous regional theatres, including the famed Westport Country Playhouse in Westport, CT, Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, NJ, the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, CA, the Peninsula Players Theatre in Fish Creek, WI, Mineola (Long Island) Playhouse and the Royal Poinciana Playhouse in Palm Beach, FL. McKenzie produced over 60 national and international tours, including tours of Russia, Japan, and South America. In the early 1950s, he helped create over 100 original live television shows for NBC, and later produced seven television plays for PBS.
He also co-owned the Merrill-McKenzie advertising agency.
He received his BA from the University of Iowa and his MA from Columbia University. He served in the U.S. Navy in the Pacific during World War II.
For Broadway, McKenzie co-produced three original plays, including And Miss Reardon Drinks a Little starring Julie Harris and Estelle Parsons, which opened on Feb 25, 1971. The Girl in the Freudian Slip, written by William F. Brown and directed by Marc Daniels and starring Susan Brown, Bruce Hyde, and Marjorie Lord, opened May 18, 1967. In November 14, 1972, he co-produced The Secret Affairs of Mildred Wild starring Maureen Stapleton and Florence Stanley.
Written by Paul Zindel and directed by Melvin Bernhardt And Miss Reardon Drinks a Little received two Tony Award® nominations. Tony Award® Best Actress in a Play nomination went to Estelle Parsons for her portrayal of Catherine Reardon, and Rae Allen won the 1971 Tony Award® Best Featured Actress in a Play for her performance of Fleur Stein.
McKenzie was ACT's chief administrator from 1969 to 1985, helping to steer the company through its precarious years under founder and general director William Ball. It was said that McKenzie's practical instincts and placid good nature formed an essential counterweight to Ball's mercurial temperament.
McKenzie's production of Hair at the Geary Theater in 1969 was credited with saving ACT from financial ruin. As a producer he elevated the company's financial state with a 15-month run of Godspell and imported productions of The Elephant Man, Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope as well as mounting numerous other touring productions to San Francisco.
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James B. McKenzie
James B. McKenzie (May 1, 1926, Appleton, Wisconsin – February 20, 2002) was an American theater producer best known for heading the Westport Country Playhouse, the American Conservatory Theater, and the Peninsula Players.
A native of Appleton, Wisconsin, McKenzie worked all over the United States as a stage manager, press agent, actor, stagehand, producer, and general manager. In the professional theatre, his career spanned more than half a century, during which he worked on over 2,000 productions. He was the producer or general manager of numerous regional theatres, including the famed Westport Country Playhouse in Westport, CT, Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, NJ, the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, CA, the Peninsula Players Theatre in Fish Creek, WI, Mineola (Long Island) Playhouse and the Royal Poinciana Playhouse in Palm Beach, FL. McKenzie produced over 60 national and international tours, including tours of Russia, Japan, and South America. In the early 1950s, he helped create over 100 original live television shows for NBC, and later produced seven television plays for PBS.
He also co-owned the Merrill-McKenzie advertising agency.
He received his BA from the University of Iowa and his MA from Columbia University. He served in the U.S. Navy in the Pacific during World War II.
For Broadway, McKenzie co-produced three original plays, including And Miss Reardon Drinks a Little starring Julie Harris and Estelle Parsons, which opened on Feb 25, 1971. The Girl in the Freudian Slip, written by William F. Brown and directed by Marc Daniels and starring Susan Brown, Bruce Hyde, and Marjorie Lord, opened May 18, 1967. In November 14, 1972, he co-produced The Secret Affairs of Mildred Wild starring Maureen Stapleton and Florence Stanley.
Written by Paul Zindel and directed by Melvin Bernhardt And Miss Reardon Drinks a Little received two Tony Award® nominations. Tony Award® Best Actress in a Play nomination went to Estelle Parsons for her portrayal of Catherine Reardon, and Rae Allen won the 1971 Tony Award® Best Featured Actress in a Play for her performance of Fleur Stein.
McKenzie was ACT's chief administrator from 1969 to 1985, helping to steer the company through its precarious years under founder and general director William Ball. It was said that McKenzie's practical instincts and placid good nature formed an essential counterweight to Ball's mercurial temperament.
McKenzie's production of Hair at the Geary Theater in 1969 was credited with saving ACT from financial ruin. As a producer he elevated the company's financial state with a 15-month run of Godspell and imported productions of The Elephant Man, Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope as well as mounting numerous other touring productions to San Francisco.