Adam Bock

Adam Bock
Bock at the 2019 Pacific Playwrights Festival
Born (1961-11-04) November 4, 1961 (age 63)
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
EducationBrown University (MFA)
OccupationPlaywright
Height1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Parents
  • Paul Bock (father)
  • Judy Bock (mother)
AwardsObie Award for Playwrighting "The Thugs" and Guggenheim Fellowship for Creative Arts, US & Canada

Adam Bock (born November 4, 1961) is a Canadian playwright currently living in the United States. He was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. In the fall of 1984, Bock studied at the National Theater Institute at The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center. He is an artistic associate of the Shotgun Players, an award-winning San Francisco theater group. His play Medea Eats was produced in 2000 by Clubbed Thumb,[1] which subsequently premiered his play The Typographer's Dream in 2002.[2] Five Flights was produced in New York City by the Rattlestick Playwrights Theater in 2004.[3]

The Thugs opened Off-Off-Broadway in a production by SoHo Rep in October 2006, directed by Anne Kauffman.[4] He won a 2006-07 Obie award, Playwriting, for The Thugs.[5]

During the 2007-2008 New York theatrical season, two plays by Bock were produced Off Broadway: The Receptionist at Manhattan Theatre Club in 2007[6] and The Drunken City, originally commissioned by the Kitchen Theatre Company in Ithaca, New York, at Playwrights Horizons.

Bock is openly gay and often writes about homosexuality. He is quoted as saying "I'm a gay playwright. I like being called a gay playwright. It's who I am. It's how I write. I have a very specific take on the world because I'm gay."[7]

Bock has been nominated for two 2007-2008 Outer Critics Circle Awards. Both The Receptionist and The Drunken City were nominated for Outstanding Off-Broadway Play. In 2012, he won a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship for his work.[8]

Bock's play A Small Fire ran December 16, 2010 – January 23, 2011 Off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons, under the direction of Trip Cullman.[9] A Life premiered Off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons on September 30, 2016 (previews), starring David Hyde Pierce and directed by Anne Kauffman.[10] A Life was nominated for the 2017 Drama Desk Awards: Outstanding Play; David Hyde Pierce as Outstanding Actor in a Play; Anne Kauffman for Outstanding Director of a Play; Laura Jellinek for Outstanding Set Design for a Play; and Mikhail Fiksel for Outstanding Sound Design in a Play.[11]

  1. ^ "Clubbed Thumb: New York Theater". Archived from the original on 2008-09-08. Retrieved 2009-08-29.
  2. ^ "Clubbed Thumb: New York Theater". Archived from the original on 2008-09-08. Retrieved 2009-08-29.
  3. ^ Bacalzo, Dan. Five Flights theatermania.com, January 20, 2004
  4. ^ Gutman, Les. "Review. Thugs ", CurtainUp, October 5, 2006
  5. ^ "2006-2007 Obie Awards" infoplease.com, accessed October 25, 2016
  6. ^ Finkle, David. " "The Receptionist" Review" theatermania.com, October 30, 2007
  7. ^ "Outzone Interview". Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-08-30.
  8. ^ Adam Bock Guggenheim Page: "Adam Bock - John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation". Archived from the original on 2012-04-18. Retrieved 2012-04-12.
  9. ^ A Small Fire lortel.org, accessed October 25, 2016
  10. ^ Clement, Olivia. "World Premiere of 'A Life' Begins Tonight", Playbill, September 30, 2016
  11. ^ McPhee, Ryan. " 'Hello, Dolly!', 'Come From Away', and 'Anastasia' Lead 2017 Drama Desk Award Nominations" Playbill, April 27, 2017