Photo Flashback: Remembering Nicholas Martin
By: Walter McBride May. 02, 2014
As BroadwayWorld reported yeaterday, Tony Award-nominated director Nicholas Martin passed away on April 30th at the age of seventy-five. Most recently, Martin directed the critically acclaimedChristopher Durang play, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, which opened on Broadway last March. For this production, Martin was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Director and an Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Director. Martin also directed the Off-Broadway production of the play in 2012. BroadwayWorld remembers the legendary director below.
Martin left behind a plethora of impressive theatre credits, both as a director and as a performer. He made his Broadway debut in 1966 in The School for Scandal, a revival of Richard Brinsley Sheridan's classic eighteenth century comedy. Martin played the role of the always-gossiping Sir Benjamin Backbite. For the next couple of years, Martin served as alternates in a variety of plays, namely the 1966 revival of Right You Are If You Think You Are, the 1967 revival of The Wild Duck (in which he played the role of Molvik as well as the alternate for Graaberg), and the 1967 revival of You Can't Take It With You. Martin first performed in an original Broadway piece in 1967. He played the role of the Poet in Michel de Ghelderode's original comedy Pantagleize. He reprised this role in 1968 for a nine performance return engagement of the play.
Martin was the former artistic director of both Williamstown Theatre Festival and Boston's Huntington Theatre. His first credited work with the Huntington Theatre is as the artistic director of King Hedley II, an original drama written byAugust Wilson. The play debuted on Broadway in May of 2001, and under Martin's direction, the Huntington Theatre put on a subsequent production. Martin served as artistic director of the Huntington from 2000 through 2008. Some of his directing credits there include Bus Stop, The Corn Is Green, She Loves Me, Present Laughter, Persephone, The Cherry Orchard, Love's Labour's Lost, The Sisters Rosensweig (for which he won an IRNE Award for Best Director), and Sonia Flew (which won the IRNE Award for Best Play as well as Martin's second IRNE award for Best Director).
Photo Credit: Walter McBride
Nicholas Martin, Sigourney Weaver & David Hyde Pierce attending the Opening Night After Party for the Lincoln Center Theater production of 'Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike' at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater in New York City on 11/12/2012
Nicholas Martin & Brooks Ashmankskas attending the Opening Night Performance after Party for PRESENT LAUGHTER at the Roundabout Theatre Company's American Airlines Theatre in New York City. January 21, 2010
Nicholas Martin attending the Opening Night After Party for the Lincoln Center Theater production of 'Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike' at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater in New York City on 11/12/2012
Nicholas Martin attending the Opening Night After Party for the Lincoln Center Theater production of 'Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike' at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater in New York City on 11/12/2012
Billy Magnussen, Genevieve Angelson, Kristine Nielsen, Nicholas Martin, Sigourney Weaver, David Hyde Pierce, Shalita Grant & Christopher Durang attending the Opening Night After Party for the Lincoln Center Theater production of 'Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike' at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater in New York City on 11/12/2012
Playright Christopher Durang & Director Nicholas Martin attending the Cast & Creative Meet & Greet for the Broadway Bound Comedy 'Vanya And Sonia And Marsha And Spike' at the New 42nd Street Studios in New York City on 2/28/2013
playwright Christopher Durang and Director Nicholas Martin attending the Cast & Creative Meet & Greet for the Broadway Bound Comedy 'Vanya And Sonia And Marsha And Spike' at the New 42nd Street Studios in New York City on 2/28/2013
Playright Christopher Durang & Director Nicholas Martin attending the Cast & Creative Meet & Greet for the Broadway Bound Comedy 'Vanya And Sonia And Marsha And Spike' at the New 42nd Street Studios in New York City on 2/28/2013
(L-R) Shalita Grant, Billy Magnussen, Kristine Nielsen, David Hyde Pierce, Sigourney Weaver and Genevive Angelson pose behind playwright Christopher Durang (L) and Director Nicholas Martin attending the Cast & Creative Meet & Greet for the Broadway Bound Comedy 'Vanya And Sonia And Marsha And Spike' at the New 42nd Street Studios in New York City on 2/28/2013
(L-R) Shalita Grant, Billy Magnussen, Kristine Nielsen, David Hyde Pierce, Sigourney Weaver and Genevive Angelson pose behind playwright Christopher Durang (L) and Director Nicholas Martin attending the Cast & Creative Meet & Greet for the Broadway Bound Comedy 'Vanya And Sonia And Marsha And Spike' at the New 42nd Street Studios in New York City on 2/28/2013
Nicholas Martin attending the Broadway Opening Night Performance after party for 'Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike' at the Gotham Hall in New York City on 3/14/2013.
Nicholas Martin attending the Broadway Opening Night Performance after party for 'Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike' at the Gotham Hall in New York City on 3/14/2013.
Nicholas Martin attending the Broadway Opening Night Performance after party for 'Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike' at the Gotham Hall in New York City on 3/14/2013.
Nicholas Martin attending the Broadway Opening Night Performance after party for 'Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike' at the Gotham Hall in New York City on 3/14/2013.
Nicholas Martin attending the Broadway Opening Night Performance after party for 'Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike' at the Gotham Hall in New York City on 3/14/2013.
Billy Magnussen, director Nicholas Martin, and Shalita Grant attending the Broadway Opening Night Performance after party for 'Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike' at the Gotham Hall in New York City on 3/14/2013.
Director Nicholas Martin attending the Cast & Creative Meet & Greet for the Broadway Bound Comedy 'Vanya And Sonia And Marsha And Spike' at the New 42nd Street Studios in New York City on 2/28/2013
Director Nicholas Martin attending the Cast & Creative Meet & Greet for the Broadway Bound Comedy 'Vanya And Sonia And Marsha And Spike' at the New 42nd Street Studios in New York City on 2/28/2013
Director Nicholas Martin attending the Cast & Creative Meet & Greet for the Broadway Bound Comedy 'Vanya And Sonia And Marsha And Spike' at the New 42nd Street Studios in New York City on 2/28/2013
Director Nicholas Martin attending the Cast & Creative Meet & Greet for the Broadway Bound Comedy 'Vanya And Sonia And Marsha And Spike' at the New 42nd Street Studios in New York City on 2/28/2013
Director Nicholas Martin attending the Cast & Creative Meet & Greet for the Broadway Bound Comedy 'Vanya And Sonia And Marsha And Spike' at the New 42nd Street Studios in New York City on 2/28/2013
Director Nicholas Martin attending the Cast & Creative Meet & Greet for the Broadway Bound Comedy 'Vanya And Sonia And Marsha And Spike' at the New 42nd Street Studios in New York City on 2/28/2013
Nicholas Martin arriving at the 67th Annual Tony Awards held at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on June 9, 2013
Nicholas Martin, Christopher Durang attending the 78th Annual New York Drama Critics Circle Awards at 54 Below in New York City on 5/13/2013
Nicholas Martin attending the Broadway Opening Night Performance after party for 'Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike' at the Gotham Hall in New York City on 3/14/2013.
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