Production Staff
Voltaire
Source Material
(Based on novel)
(Based on novel)
Leonard Bernstein
Composer
Leonard Bernstein was born on August 25, 1918, in Lawrence, Massachusetts. He took piano lessons as a boy and attended the Garrison and Boston Latin Schools. At Harvard University, he studied with Walter Piston, Edward Burlingame-Hill, and A. Tillman Merritt, among others. Before graduating in 1939, he made an unofficial conducting debut with his own incidental music to "The Birds," and directed and performed in Marc Blitzstein's "The Cradle Will Rock." Then at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, he studied piano with Isabella Vengerova, conducting with Fritz Reiner, and orchestration with Randall Thompson.
In 1940, he studied at the ... read more
Lillian Hellman
Bookwriter
Lillian was born in New Orleans, grew up in New Orleans and New York City and attended New York University and Columbia. Her career as a playwright began in 1934 with The Children's Hour, the first of several plays that would bring her international attention and praise, among them The Little Foxes, Watch on the Rhine, Another Part of the Forest, The Autumn Garden and Toys in the Attic. Hellman was twice the recipient of the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for the best play of the year (for Watch on the Rhine and Toys in the Attic). She ... read more
Dorothy Parker
Lyricist
John La Touche
Lyricist
Richard Wilbur
Lyricist
Leonard Bernstein
Orchestrator
Leonard Bernstein was born on August 25, 1918, in Lawrence, Massachusetts. He took piano lessons as a boy and attended the Garrison and Boston Latin Schools. At Harvard University, he studied with Walter Piston, Edward Burlingame-Hill, and A. Tillman Merritt, among others. Before graduating in 1939, he made an unofficial conducting debut with his own incidental music to "The Birds," and directed and performed in Marc Blitzstein's "The Cradle Will Rock." Then at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, he studied piano with Isabella Vengerova, conducting with Fritz Reiner, and orchestration with Randall Thompson.
In 1940, he studied at the ... read more
Tom Brown
Assistant to the Director
Tyrone Guthrie
Director
Thomas Hammond
Production Associate
Lester Osterman, Jr.
Producer
Producer
Hershy Kay
Orchestrator
Samuel Krachmalnick
Musical Director
Ronald De Mann
Hair Designer
Jack Merigold
Stage Manager
Paul Morrison
Lighting Designer
Lighting Designer
Howard Newman
Press Representative
Ethel Linder Reiner
Producer
Irene Sharaff
Costume Designer
Costumes
Oliver Smith
Scenic Designer
Scenic Designer
Oliver Smith was a Tony Award-winning scenic designer who left an indelible mark on Broadway. Born in Waupun, Wisconsin in 1918, Smith attended the University of Wisconsin before moving to New York City in the early 1940s. He began his career as a dancer and actor, performing in several Broadway shows before transitioning to set design.
Smith's first Broadway credit as a scenic designer was for the 1948 production of "High Button Shoes." He quickly became known for his innovative and visually stunning designs, collaborating with some of the biggest names in the theater world. He worked on over 50 Broadway ... read more
Anna Sokolow
Choreographer
Peter Zeisler
Production Stage Manager
Awards and Nominations
1957 Tony Awards
Best Conductor and Musical Director: Samuel Krachmalnick was nominated but did not win.
Best Costume Design: Irene Sharaff was nominated but did not win.
Best Musical: Leonard Bernstein was nominated but did not win.
Best Scenic Design: Oliver Smith was nominated but did not win.
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