| "And Puppy Dog Tails" Playwright David Gaard (Very Long) | |
| Posted by: Whistler 07:08 pm EDT 07/03/18 | |
| In reply to: re: Has anyone read or seen the gay play "And Puppy Dog Tails", apparently sort of a happier "Boys in the Band"? - charles1055 03:49 pm EDT 07/03/18 | |
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| A bit about David Gaard: David Gaard was born April 4, 1945, in Duluth, Minnesota. He graduated from high school early, just after his 16th birthday. He attended the University of Minnesota; however his participation in Vietnam War protests, a role in a university theater production, and an active social life left little time for his studies. In the autumn, he left school and stayed in Minneapolis, obtaining a role in a community theater production. When the show closed, he convinced his parents of his need to "find himself", and with their blessings he left for Los Angeles. He found a number of positions through the California State Employment Office, including one with a Hollywood casting agency. Gaard also found bit parts in various stage productions through Minnesotan connections. His work and social life continued to leave little time to complete projects; after leaving a group sales position, Gaard returned to writing. For three months, he focused on writing each afternoon, allowing time in the evening for his social life. By early 1967, he had completed his first play, Lee Foster. After receiving positive feedback from friends, he relocated to New York City to sell his play. In the city he found a "dark and depressing studio apartment in the bowels of Hells Kitchen", a job, and within a month met his future life companion, M. Sanford Kaplan, a married graduate anthropology student at New York University. While Kaplan sought to overcome his ambivalence about his future, Gaard returned to writing. By the autumn of 1968, Gaard had completed the play, And Puppy Dog Tails, and he and Kaplan were living together. The play previewed in September, only months after the Stonewall riots, and ran successfully through January 1970 in New York, and through that summer in San Francisco. The following year, Bill Murray played a part in a Chicago production. Off-Off Broadway, with its understanding of the counter culture of which Gaard and Kaplan were a part, was booming. Gaard continued writing and Kaplan continued his graduate work, including a trip to Bali in the early 1970s. They arranged to meet in Nepal; during the trip Gaard purchased a script for Sun Yu's play The Women's Representative. He adapted the play and it was performed in New York. This changed the fortunes of Mr. Sun and led to Gaard's trip to the People's Republic of China a decade later. In New York City, Gaard's works were been performed at The Old Reliable and The Extension; he adapted works for Richard Schechner's Performance Group and was a founding member of the Nighthouse Company. In 1975, Gaard and Kaplan left New York for Northern California. With the advent of AIDS, "the whimsical world of And Puppy Dog Tails had turned into a vicious frightening mad dog". They sold their telecom business, relocated to Woodstock, New York, and Gaard returned to writing in the early 1990s. In 1994, the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers (SSDC) selected one of his plays for a reading of new works at Lincoln Center. In the following years Gaard worked with avant-garde troupes such as GAil GAtes et al, Gorilla Repertory Theatre Company, The International WOW, and New York Fringe Festival. The New Jersey Public Library selected his play, Made for Each Other, for their AIDS awareness series in 1996; however, library officials closed the play during the opening night intermission. Gaard continued with several success productions at the HERE Arts Center. He garnered the Audience Favorite Award for his production of All's Well That Ends Well at the 2000 New York Fringe Festival. Gaard lived in New York, New York with his life companion of 45 years, until his death in March 2012. And: David Gaard’s landmark gay play “And Puppy Dogs Tails” was listed as a “lost” play at the back of Terry Helbing’s “Directory of Gay Plays.” Imagine my surprise when, years ago, I was contacted by him, and informed that the play and its author were not lost, but thriving in New York. I was even more thrilled when I visited David and his partner Sandy during one of my infrequent visits to Manhattan, and spent a warm and enjoyable evening with them. When David decided to give his papers to ONE Archives, I was amazed to see a copy of his “lost” play. David’s passing is a great loss to his husband, his family and friends, and to the GLBT and theater communities. — Bill Kaiser, Purple Circuit editor and founder. David Lostegaard was one of the first gay liberation playwrights to write gay characters that weren’t suicidal, evil, or child molesters. In his 1969 comedy “And Puppy Dog’s Tails,” he featured young men who just had the normal problems of youth. It was among the highest-grossing productions of that theatrical season. After its run at the Astor Place Theater in New York City, productions of “And Puppy Dog Tails” played in Atlanta, Chicago and Los Angeles. Appearing in the Chicago production was actor Bill Murray, before he joined “Saturday Night Live.” For many years, David and M. Sanford Kaplan operated the Off-Off Broadway Nighthouse Theater on West 18th St., in New York City. One of their major productions was the USA premiere of “The Women’s Representative,” a Chinese Communist play from The People’s Republic of China. David also wrote other gay-themed plays which were produced Off-Off Broadway such as “About Bernard Carleton,” which he also directed, “Shadow Boy,” “Befriending Beau,” and “eXs.” [ Please see the Purple Circuit - Playwright Listings for production information. ] David often used the shortened “David Gaard” as the writer or director. He directed several well-received productions of “Stonewall Stories” by Carol Polcovar, first performed in 2007 at the Fresh Fruit Festival and later at the LGBT Community Center, both in Manhattan. To support their theater projects David and Sanford owned telephone answering services in Manhattan and San Francisco. During the short period in 2008, when California permitted same-sex marriage, David and Sanford were married in California by Pastor Hugh Romney (also known as Wavy-Gravy, entertainment and people activist of the Hog Commune and the Woodstock event). Hugh is married to David’s beloved friend from their college days at the University of Minnesota, Bonnie Beecher (now Jahanara Romney). David Bruce Lostegaard was born on April 4, 1941 in Duluth, Minnesota, and was adopted by Edna and Al Lostegaard. He graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1962 and moved to Los Angeles where he worked in the mail room at the American Broadcasting Company. David assisted with production of the first publications of The Advocate, the first national gay newspaper. David also worked for several Hollywood casting agencies. In 1967, he moved to New York City. David died on March 29, 2012 in New York City. The cause of death was brain cancer. He was 71. David Lostegaard was survived by his husband and life companion of 45 years, Sanford Kaplan, his brother-in-law Bob (Renee) Kaplan, his nephews Scott, Bradley and Randy Kaplan, his younger sister Mary and her family, his friends Jahanara and Hugh Romney, his many Minnesota relatives. He is also deeply missed by his publicist and one of his long-time friends, me. Copyright 2012 by Steve Siporin There are also about a dozen black-and-white photos available online that look more like they were taken for After Dark than used for publicity. |
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| Previous: | re: Has anyone read or seen the gay play "And Puppy Dog Tails", apparently sort of a happier "Boys in the Band"? - charles1055 03:49 pm EDT 07/03/18 |
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