Harold Prince, the director and producer who has won more Tony Awards than any other person in the history of American theater, will speak at the University of Rochester's 147th commencement on Sunday, May 25, 1997. Prince also will receive an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree.
Prince has directed and/or produced more than 50 musicals, plays and operas around the world. Hailed internationally as one of the foremost directors of our time, Prince apprenticed to the legendary director George Abbott in the early 1950s and has collaborated for years with composer/lyricist Stephen Sondheim. Abbott was a 1911 University of Rochester graduate.
Among the shows Prince has directed are some of the best- loved productions in the history of American theater: Show Boat, Kiss of the Spider Woman, The Phantom of the Opera, Evita, Sweeney Todd, Candide, A Little Night Music, Follies, and Cabaret. His productions include West Side Story, Fiddler on the Roof, Pajama Game, Damn Yankees, Fiorello!, and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.
Prince has won 20 Tony Awards, several Critics Circle awards, and a Pulitzer Prize, and he is a 1994 Kennedy Center honoree.
Born in New York City in 1928, Prince graduated with an A.B. degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1948.
To arrange an interview, call Sally Parker at (585) 275-7800.