Playwright Jack Richardson Dies at 78

Playwright Jack Richardson, known for his work on and off Broadway in the 1960s, passed away Sunday, July 1, 2012. He was 78.

Richardson's first play The Prodigal, based on the story of Orestes, won Obie and Drama Desk awards for its production Off-Broadway in 1960. He finished a combination of two short plays, Gallows Humor, in 1961. During his prime playwriting years, Richardson wrote alongside fellow promising American theatre talents Edward Albee, Jack Gelber and Arthur Kopit.

Richardson's works Lorenzo and Xmas in Las Vegas were produced for short runs on Broadway in 1963 and 1965, respectively, but to little acclaim.

In the '70s, Richardson began writing drama criticism for magazines. He also penned the novels Memoir of a Gambler and The Prison Life of Harris Filmore. He has written for The New York Times, New York Review of Books, Esquire and Commentary.

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