Muriel Sharon Remembered
MURIEL'S PROFESSIONAL BIO
Muriel Sharon Tillim
Education:
Ohio State University, 1936 – 1938
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Studied with Professor Marjorie Batcheldor, prominent authority on rod puppets in America
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Chairman of the Dramatic Committee of the American Student Alliance
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Danced with Orchesis, girls honorary dance organization
Western Reserve University, School of Education, BS, Graduated 6/11/1941
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Artistic Director of the Jabberwocy Puppeteers – designed scenery and puppets
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Cartoonist and writer on the school paper, active in dramatics
Studied with Martha Graham summer of 1943. Ms. Graham recommended Muriel for an intensive dance colony at Bennington, Vermont in 1943, where she studied Religious Medieval and Secular Medieval Dance. In addition to dancing and choregraphing, Muriel drew caricatures of Martha Graham, Pearl Lang, Erick Hawkins, Sylvia Maslow and others. Exhibited drawings at Karim Dance Bookshop and Gallery, NYC - 1945
Bennington College Summer School, 1945
American School of Ballet, 1945 – 1948
Neighborhood School of Theatre, 1949 – 1950, with Sanford Meisner
Fulbright Fellowship– 1952 -1953. Studied theatre at Bristol University in England. Her introduction to Pollock’s Toy Theatre during her fellowship influenced the scenery and costumes of many of her productions at the 92nd Street Y
Studied Mime with Etienne Decroux, 1960 and 1962
Work:
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Taught art and dancing at the Recreation Rooms and Settlement, Brooklyn, NY 1938 - 1939
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Dance Instructor in Physical Welfare at Ohio University 1942 – 1944, taught a course for the drama department in Movement and Pantomine
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Member of Nina Fonaroff Dance Company, 1945
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Dance teacher, the Barnard School for Girls, 1945 – 1947
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Summer Stock, Actress, Cain Park Theatre in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, 1947 - Duxbury, Mass., 1949
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Equity Library Theatre, Actress, 1947, 1948, 1949
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Taught Creative Drama at Queens Youth Centers, 1953- 1954
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Director of Jack-in-the-Green Players, Westchester Recreation Association, Summer 1954 & 1955
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Production Assistant, Joyce Grenfell Request the Pleasure, NYC, 1955, Tigers at the Gate, NYC, 1955 - 1956
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Taught Creative Dramatics @ NY State College of Home Economics at Cornell University, Summer of 1950, 1951, 1952
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Chairmen of the Children’s Drama Department of the 92nd Street YM-YWHA, 1947 – 1973
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Acting Teacher at the Junior School of The Neighborhood Playhouse, 1967-1968.
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Artistic Director of the Junior School of The Neighborhood Playhouse for 1971-1972 and 1972-1973
Producer - Director of The Pocket Players, a professional children’s theatre company composed of adult and child actors, 1956 – 1964. Charles Pratt, Jr., Vice President. Isaaca Siegel, Secretary – Treasurer. Productions at Finch College, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, The Metropolitan Museum, Philadelphia Academy of Music, the 92nd Street YM-YWHA, the Gramercy Arts Theatre, Westport Theatre in 1957, toured 3 Queens Youth Centers, P.S. 40, 86, 151, Adelphi College’s Children Theatre in 1957 and Region 14 Children’s Theatre Conference
Presentations/Demonstrations/Consultant:
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Ithaca College, Presentation and Demonstration on Children’s Theatre, March 1950, Sarah Lawrence College, British Drama League in London, Consultant for Project Create a Title III Program in Connecticut, Binghampton Theatre Council, University of Vienna and the State University of Albany
Professional Affiliations
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The Open Theatre, Associate Member, Director, 1966 - ?
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Regional Chairman of the Region 14 (NY, Eastern Pennsylvania and NJ) of the Children’s Theatre Conference (CTC), a division of the American Educational Theatre Association, Inc. (AETA)
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Chairman of the New Plays Committee, a project of Children’s Theatre Conference, Region #14. It’s first commissioned play, The Marvelous Adventures of Tyl by Jonathan Levy, directed by Muriel Sharon was performed at the Triangle Theatre, NYC, 1971
“It had been a dream of mine to commission a poet to write a play for children.”
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Delegate representing Professional Theatre for Children, International Association for Children and Young People, First International Congress in Prague, 1966. Member of the executive committee of Association des Amis du Théâtre pour l'Enfance et pour la Jeunesse (ATEJ) and the Association Internationale du Théâtre de l'Enfance et la Jeunesse (ASSITEJ), which Muriel was active in
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Member of the International Theatre Institute (ITI) Advisory Council at the XII Congress meeting in NYC, 1967
DEPARTURE FROM THE Y
