Cornelia Otis Skinner (May , â€" July , ) was an American author and
actress.Skinner was the daughter of the actor Otis Skinner and actress
Maud Durbin. After attending the all-girls' Baldwin School and Bryn
Mawr College (â€") and studying theatre at the Sorbonne in Paris, she
began her career on the stage in . She appeared in several plays
before embarking on a tour of the United States from to in a
one-woman performance of short character sketches she herself wrote.
She wrote numerous short humorous pieces for publications such as The
New Yorker. These pieces were eventually compiled into a series of
books, including Nuts in May, Dithers and Jitters, Excuse It Please!,
and The Ape in Me, among others.In a "comprehensive study" of
Skinner's work, G. Bruce Loganbill () refers to Skinner's scripts as
"monologue-dramas," which were extensions of the "linked monologues"
developed by Ruth Draper. Skinner's work differed in structure and
content however, creating and performing full-length monologue-dramas
that were based on the lives of historical figures. Such work was a
"unique" and important contribution to the one-person show in America.
actress.Skinner was the daughter of the actor Otis Skinner and actress
Maud Durbin. After attending the all-girls' Baldwin School and Bryn
Mawr College (â€") and studying theatre at the Sorbonne in Paris, she
began her career on the stage in . She appeared in several plays
before embarking on a tour of the United States from to in a
one-woman performance of short character sketches she herself wrote.
She wrote numerous short humorous pieces for publications such as The
New Yorker. These pieces were eventually compiled into a series of
books, including Nuts in May, Dithers and Jitters, Excuse It Please!,
and The Ape in Me, among others.In a "comprehensive study" of
Skinner's work, G. Bruce Loganbill () refers to Skinner's scripts as
"monologue-dramas," which were extensions of the "linked monologues"
developed by Ruth Draper. Skinner's work differed in structure and
content however, creating and performing full-length monologue-dramas
that were based on the lives of historical figures. Such work was a
"unique" and important contribution to the one-person show in America.
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