Richard France (born May 5, 1938) is an American playwright, author,
and film and drama critic. He is a recognized authority on the stage
work of American filmmaker Orson Welles. His publication, The Theatre
of Orson Welles, which received a CHOICE Outstanding Academic Book
Award in 1979, has been called "a landmark study" and has been
translated into Japanese. His 1990 companion volume, Orson Welles on
Shakespeare has been praised by Welles critics and biographers.Richard
France was born Richard Zagami in Boston, Massachusetts, son of N. Roy
Zagami, a U.S. Army officer, and Rita Foster Zagami. His father's
military postings led France to spend nearly half of his early years
abroad: in Japan (1947â€"49), Australia (1949â€"50), and Germany
(1953â€"57). France dropped out of high school in 1955 in
Kaiserslauten and returned to the United States, where he began
working at odd jobs, including apprentice trophy maker, radio
announcer, and encyclopedia salesman. The resonant, expressive voice
that would make France a sought-after narrator and voice-over
performer was already evident when he found employment in the mail
room at NBC Studios, and was chosen to participate in the NBC Radio
Workshop, whose members were coached and mentored by many of the
network's distinguished announcing staff.While never attending college
at the undergraduate level, France was admitted to the Yale School of
Drama as a Special Fellow in Playwriting (1964â€"66). From there, he
went on to earn an M.F.A. in Dramatic Writing (1970) and a Ph.D. in
Theatre History / Dramatic Literature (1973) from Carnegie-Mellon
University.While serving as a psychiatric aide in New York
(1958â€"59), France met Czechoslovakian playwright Mirko Tuma, a
survivor of the Nazi concentration camp Terezin. Tuma, who had not
previously written in English, suggested that they collaborate on a
play, with France's native fluency complementing Tuma's playwriting
skills. The Walk (later retitled Don't You Know It's Raining?)
received four Broadway options between 1960 and 1971 and premiered at
the Dallas Theatre Center, in cooperation with the Rockefeller-funded
Office for Advanced Drama Research, in August 1970.
and film and drama critic. He is a recognized authority on the stage
work of American filmmaker Orson Welles. His publication, The Theatre
of Orson Welles, which received a CHOICE Outstanding Academic Book
Award in 1979, has been called "a landmark study" and has been
translated into Japanese. His 1990 companion volume, Orson Welles on
Shakespeare has been praised by Welles critics and biographers.Richard
France was born Richard Zagami in Boston, Massachusetts, son of N. Roy
Zagami, a U.S. Army officer, and Rita Foster Zagami. His father's
military postings led France to spend nearly half of his early years
abroad: in Japan (1947â€"49), Australia (1949â€"50), and Germany
(1953â€"57). France dropped out of high school in 1955 in
Kaiserslauten and returned to the United States, where he began
working at odd jobs, including apprentice trophy maker, radio
announcer, and encyclopedia salesman. The resonant, expressive voice
that would make France a sought-after narrator and voice-over
performer was already evident when he found employment in the mail
room at NBC Studios, and was chosen to participate in the NBC Radio
Workshop, whose members were coached and mentored by many of the
network's distinguished announcing staff.While never attending college
at the undergraduate level, France was admitted to the Yale School of
Drama as a Special Fellow in Playwriting (1964â€"66). From there, he
went on to earn an M.F.A. in Dramatic Writing (1970) and a Ph.D. in
Theatre History / Dramatic Literature (1973) from Carnegie-Mellon
University.While serving as a psychiatric aide in New York
(1958â€"59), France met Czechoslovakian playwright Mirko Tuma, a
survivor of the Nazi concentration camp Terezin. Tuma, who had not
previously written in English, suggested that they collaborate on a
play, with France's native fluency complementing Tuma's playwriting
skills. The Walk (later retitled Don't You Know It's Raining?)
received four Broadway options between 1960 and 1971 and premiered at
the Dallas Theatre Center, in cooperation with the Rockefeller-funded
Office for Advanced Drama Research, in August 1970.
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