Schnitzer, Robert C...

Robert C. Schnitzer is a former actor, producer, educator, and theater administrator. As a young actor in New York City, Schnitzer appeared in or stage managed The Brothers Karamazov, Hamlet, An Enemy of the People, Richelieu, Henry V, Richard III, Caponsacchi, Macbeth, and Cyrano de Bergerac. From 1936 to 1939, Schnitzer was the Delaware State Director and Deputy National Director of the WPA Federal Theatre Project. Schnitzer later joined the American National Theater and Academy (ANTA) as general manager for the Experimental Theater in New York, which returned to the New York theater scene under the auspices of ANTA in 1947. The ANTA-sponsored performances managed by Mr. Schnitzer included the first American production of Hamlet to be presented at Elsinore, Denmark; the first European tour of the American Ballet Theatre in 1950; and from 1951 to 1953, three Berlin festivals that showcased American talent such as the Theatre Guild's Oklahoma, the Hall Johnson Choir, and the Julliard String Quartet. In 1954, Mr. Schnitzer took over as general manager for the International Exchange Program through which ANTA helped promote and sponsor cultural exchanges in cooperation with the U.S. State Department. The hundreds of overseas productions arranged by Mr. Schnitzer ran the gamut from college choirs and athletes to notables such as Marian Anderson, the Dave Brubeck Quartet, and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Leonard Berstein. Many of these performers played to audiences in Berlin, Moscow, and other locations behind the Iron Curtain. In 1960, Mr. Schnitzer became the general manager for the American Repertory Company, set up by the Theatre Guild at the request of the U.S. Government to export the best in American theater. He arranged for three plays - The Skin of Our Teeth, The Miracle Worker, and The Glass Menagerie - to tour 28 countries in Europe and South America in 1961. The company included the famous actress Helen Hayes. During the 1970s he was head of the University of Michigan Professional Theatre Program.

Robert C. Schnitzer and Marcella Cisney were producers, actors, administrators and educators who individually, and sometimes in collaboration, spent their entire working lives in the theater.

Robert C. Schnitzer was born in New York in 1906. As a young man he became involved in the Federal Theatre Project, eventually rising to the position of Deputy National Director. He also served as Drama instructor on the faculties of Vassar, Smith, Columbia and the University of Michigan. Over the years Schnitzer acted in a managerial capacity for a variety of producers and institutions, including Cheryl Crawford, Gilbert Miller, Erwin Piscator's Dramatic Workshop, the Kalamazoo Civic Theatre, and the Martha Graham Dance School. As general manager for the international exchange program of ANTA (American National Theatre and Academy) during the 1950s, Schnitzer was responsible for sending over one hundred artists overseas. In 1961 he managed the European and South American tours of the Theatre Guild American Repertory Company. Starting in the 1960s, Schnitzer worked on the development of the University of Michigan's Professional Theatre program in collaboration with his wife, Marcella Cisney, whom he had married in 1953. The couple later moved to Connecticut, where they worked with the Westport Weston Arts Council.

Marcella Cisney (1913-1989) was born in Pennsylvania, and trained at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. From 1946 to 1948 she was a faculty member and director at the Pasadena Playhouse. From there she went to the Warner Brothers studio, where she trained contract players, then to CBS-TV (1950-1954), where she directed a variety of early television programs. In 1961 she directed the Theatre Guild American Repertory Company production of THE SKIN OF OUR TEETH. In the 1960s Cisney worked with her husband, Robert C. Schnitzer, to develop the University of Michigan's Professional Theatre Program. They brought a number of visiting artists to the Ann Arbor campus, including the Association of Producing Artists, the American Conservatory Theatre, the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, and the Phoenix Theatre. Cisney directed a number of productions as part of the New Plays Project, including AN EVENING'S FROST by Donald Hall, AMAZING GRACE by Studs Terkel, THE CASTLE by Ivan Klima, and THE CONJUROR by Evan Hunter. In later years, Cisney and Schnitzer moved to Connecticut, where Cisney organized seminars and staged play readings.

Robert C. Schnitzer, actor, educator, theatrical manager and administrator, was born on September 8, 1906 in New York. Schnitzer served on the faculties of Vassar, Smith, Columbia and the University of Michigan. He served as Delaware State Director and later as Deputy National Director of the Federal Theatre Project. Over the years Schnitzer used his managerial skills for a variety of producers and institutions including Cheryl Crawford, Gilbert Miller, Erwin Piscator's Dramatic Workshop, the Kalamazoo Civic Theatre, and the Martha Graham Dance School. As the general manager for the American National Theatre and Academy's (ANTA) international exchange program, Schnitzer was responsible for sending over one hundred American artists overseas. In 1961 Schnitzer was selected to manage the European and South American tours of the Theatre Guild American Repertory Company.

Marcella Cisney (1913-1989), actor, producer, director, educator and administrator, was born Marcella Ruth Abels in Altoona, Pennsylvania on July 15, 1913. Marcella Abels was married to Edwin J. Smith, whose professional name was Michael Cisney, from 1937 to 1953. After the marriage she used the name Marcella Cisney professionally throughout her career. Marcella Cisney was married to Robert Schnitzer in 1953. The daughter of Rabbi Moses J.S. Abels and Anne Epstein, Cisney spent her childhood in Pennsylvania and New York. She was trained at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, and began her career on the stage in a 1932 production of Girls in Uniform . From 1946 to 1948 she was a faculty member and director at the Pasadena Playhouse. She also managed and directed theater seasons at the Laguna and Las Palmas Playhouses. Working for Warner Brothers in 1949-1950 she held the position of Head Coach for the training and development of contract players and stars. Cisney spent four years at CBS TV (1950-1954) directing a wide variety of programs. In 1961 she directed the Theatre Guild American Repertory Company production of The Skin of Our Teeth .

After their work with the Theatre Guild American Repertory Company, Schnitzer and Cisney moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan to develop the University of Michigan's Professional Theatre Program. Schnitzer served as the executive director with Cisney serving as the artistic director. Their work in Ann Arbor brought a number of visiting companies to the campus including the Association of Producing Artists, the American Conservatory Theatre, the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, and the Phoenix Theatre. They also encouraged the production of new works including An Evening's Frost by Donald Hall, Amazing Grace by Studs Terkel, The Castle by Ivan Klima, and The Conjuror by Evan Hunter. Cisney directed these productions as part of the New Plays Project.

In 1973 Schnitzer became the executive director of the University Resident Theater Association. After moving permanently to Connecticut, both Schnitzer and Cisney worked with the Westport - Weston Arts Council where Cisney organized seminars and staged a series of play readings during the 1980s.

Robert C. Schnitzer is a former actor, producer, educator, and theater administrator. As a young actor in New York City, Schnitzer appeared in or stage managed The Brothers Karamazov, Hamlet, An Enemy of the People, Richelieu, Henry V, Richard III, Caponsacchi, Macbeth, and Cyrano de Bergerac. From 1936 to 1939, Schnitzer was Delaware's State Director and Deputy National Director of the WPA's Federal Theatre Project.

Schnitzer later joined the American National Theater and Academy (ANTA) as general manager for the Experimental Theater in New York, which returned to the New York theater scene under the auspices of ANTA in 1947. The ANTA-sponsored performances managed by Mr. Schnitzer included the first American production of Hamlet to be presented at Elsinore, Denmark; the first European tour of the American Ballet Theatre in 1950; and from 1951 to 1953, three Berlin festivals that showcased American talent such as the Theatre Guild's Oklahoma, the Hall Johnson Choir, and the Julliard String Quartet.

In 1954, Mr. Schnitzer took over as general manager for the International Exchange Program through which ANTA helped promote and sponsor cultural exchanges in cooperation with the U.S. State Department. The hundreds of overseas productions arranged by Mr. Schnitzer ran the gamut from college choirs and athletes to notables such as Marian Anderson, the Dave Brubeck Quartet, and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Leonard Berstein. Many of these performers played to audiences in Berlin, Moscow, and other locations behind the Iron Curtain.

In 1960, Mr. Schnitzer became the general manager for the American Repertory Company, set up by the Theatre Guild at the request of the U.S. Government to export the best in American theater. He arranged for three plays - The Skin of Our Teeth, The Miracle Worker, and The Glass Menagerie - to tour 28 countries in Europe and South America in 1961. The company included the famous actress Helen Hayes. During the 1970s he was head of the University of Michigan's Professional Theatre Program.