Norris Houghton

Short Biography

Charles Norris Houghton (26 December 1909 – 9 October 2001) was a renowned theatre visionary whose career spanned seven decades. Credited with over 50 theatre productions, he was stage manager, scenic designer, producer, director, theatre manager, academician, author, and public policy advocate: these myriad roles reflect his chosen life as a “generalist, ” a multifaceted “theatre man.” He is celebrated for accomplishments that reflect this span: as the premier American expert of 20th-century Russian Theatre; as a major force in creating the “off-Broadway” movement and inspiring live theater throughout the country; as a mentor to actors and innovators in world theatre; as an influential advocate of arts education; and as a student and educator of global theater chosen by prestigious foundations to study and report on theater across the U.S., Europe, and Asia. His career culminated with his accomplishments as a distinguished scholar and teacher, selected to teach and promote theatre as part of a liberal education in such prominent universities as Princeton, Columbia, and Vassar; his academic career was completed at the State University of New York, where he helped create the SUNY Purchase campus and served as founding Dean of Theatre and Film. A prolific author, this multifaceted life is documented in his books and articles, and his work has been the subject of analysis and commentary by admiring colleagues and reviewers in numerous articles, books, journals, and newspapers. His books and papers are preserved for study in prestigious university and college library, archives, and rare book collections.