A.R. Gurney
Writer

The prolific, award-winning playwright A.R. Gurney adapted his original "Far East" script especially for this STAGE ON SCREEN production. Past collaborations between Thirteen and Mr. Gurney include adaptations of his plays "The Dining Room" and "The Golden Fleece" and of John Cheever's "O Youth and Beauty!," and the libretto for the one-act opera "Strawberry Fields," part of the triptych "Central Park."

Over the course of his 30-year career, Mr. Gurney has won numerous awards for his portrayals of middle class American life, including a Drama Desk Award, a Rockefeller Award and two Lucille Lortel Awards. His works, often inspired by his own experiences, have been produced all over the world. They include "Human Events," "Scenes from American Life," "The Dining Room," "The Middle Ages," "The Golden Age," "What I Did Last Summer," "The Wayside Motor Inn," "Another Antigone," "The Cocktail Hour," "Love Letters," and "A Cheever Evening." He also penned several novels, including THE SNOW BALL, which he later adapted for the stage; THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOE, and ENTERTAINING STRANGERS.

Mr. Gurney served in the United States Navy during the Korean War, writing special plays for military personnel. Upon his discharge, he enrolled in the Yale School of Drama, where he earned a master's degree in playwriting. Later, he joined the faculty of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he taught English literature until 1987.