Andy Propst Explained

Andy Propst
Birth Date:7 March 1965
Birth Place:Urbana, Illinois, U.S.
Occupation:Theater critic, journalist, writer

Andy Propst (March 7, 1965 – September 6, 2021) was an arts journalist, theater critic, and writer living in Peachtree City, Georgia.

Early work as a critic

In 1998, he founded what would become one of the Internet's first major theater portals for theater news, reviews and production listings online, AmericanTheaterWeb.com. It was a site that predated[1] and inspired such sites as TheaterMania[2] and BroadwayWorld.com.[3]

The uniqueness of the site and its pioneering nature for the theater community attracted remarkable press coverage, including a feature in The New York Times.[4]

Expanding outlets

Propst continued to run the site through 2009, even as he began to write reviews and features for print publications, including Backstage, The Village Voice,[5] TimeOut NY, and The Sondheim Review.[6] He and AmericanTheaterWeb also became affiliated with XM Satellite Radio's XM 28 On Broadway Channel, and for four years, he provided daily "Broadway and Beyond" reports and served as a deejay for the channel with programs airing Monday-Friday.[7]

In 2009, he joined the staff of TheaterMania, writing news and reviews, and providing ongoing coverage of theater music available digitally and on disc.[8] He also served as Senior Editor when the site launched its iPad magazine app in 2011,[9] a position he retained until 2013. He subsequently contributed to Huffington Post,[10] and served as a writer for Sh-K-Boom/Ghostlight Records.[11]

Other affiliations

In addition to his writing, Propst served for three consecutive years as a nominator for the Drama Desk Awards (2005-2007[12] [13] [14]) and was secretary and judge for three years for The Village Voice's Obie Awards (2009-2011[15] [16] [17]).

Propst is an alum of the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center's National Critics Institute[18] and has returned to the program to serve as a mentor to young critics since 2008.[19] He has also been a reader[20] for and mentor at the organization's National Music Theater Conference.

Propst returned to reviewing for AmericanTheaterWeb.com and for the 2015-2016 season, once again served as a member of the Drama Desk Awards' Nomimnating Committee.[21]

Work as a writer

His first book, You Fascinate Me So: The Life and Times of Cy Coleman, was published in April 2015 by Applause Books.[22] Oxford University Press will release his second book, They Made Us Happy: The Musicals and Movies of Betty Comden and Adolph Green, in March 2019.[23] He is currently at work on The 100 Most Important People in Musical Theater History for Rowman & Littlefield.

In early 2013, Propst provided the liner notes for two-time Tony Award winner Patti LuPone's CD Far Away Places.[24] Since then he has written notes for three CDs from Harbinger Records, including Barnum Backer's Audition[25] and A Jazzman's Broadway.

Notes and References

  1. AmericanTheaterWeb.com - Whois.net - creation date: http://whois.net/whois/americantheaterweb.com
  2. TheaterMania.com - Whois.net - creation date: http://whois.net/whois/theatermania.com
  3. BroadwayWorld.com - Whois.net - creation date: http://whois.net/whois/broadwayworld.com
  4. News: Biersdorfer. J.D.. For Surfers, the World's a Stage. June 6, 2013. New York Times. January 14, 1999.
  5. News: Author Archive - Andy Propst. June 6, 2013. The Village Voice.
  6. Web site: Claire . Felicity . Index of the First 40 Issues of "The Sondheim Review" . The Sondheim Review . 2013-06-14 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130510234308/http://www.sondheimreview.com/index-k-z.htm . 2013-05-10 .
  7. Web site: XM 28 - On Broadway . XM Satellite Radio via Internet Archive . June 6, 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20051113225925/http://www.xmradio.com/programming/channel_page.jsp?ch=28 . November 13, 2005 .
  8. Web site: Author Archive. TheaterMania. June 6, 2013.
  9. Web site: November 2011 Issue . TheaterMania Magazine . TheaterMania . June 6, 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120501171651/http://www.theatermania.com/magazine/previous-issues/1/ . May 1, 2012 .
  10. Web site: Author Archive. Huffington Post. June 6, 2013.
  11. Web site: The Eclectic Sounds of Pasek & Paul's DOGFIGHT. Sh-K-Boom/Ghostlight Records. June 6, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130814222946/http://www.sh-k-boom.com/the-eclectic-sounds-of-pasek-paul-dogfight-by-andy-probst. August 14, 2013. dead.
  12. News: Robert Simonson. Simonson. Robert. Drama Desk Nominations Announced April 28. June 6, 2013. Playbill. April 28, 2005. https://web.archive.org/web/20110604182702/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/92606-Drama-Desk-Nominations-Announced-April-28. June 4, 2011. dead.
  13. News: Simonson. Robert. Harvey Fierstein to Host 2006 Drama Desk Awards May 21. https://archive.today/20130615214211/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/98749-Harvey-Fierstein-to-Host-2006-Drama-Desk-Awards-May-21. dead. June 15, 2013. June 6, 2013. Playbill. May 21, 2006.
  14. News: Gans. Andrew. Nominees for Drama Desk Awards Announced; LoveMusik Garners 12 Noms. June 6, 2013. Playbill. April 26, 2007. https://web.archive.org/web/20130922124819/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/107626-Nominees-for-Drama-Desk-Awards-Announced-LoveMusik-Garners-12-Noms. September 22, 2013. dead.
  15. News: Various writers. The Village Voice Obies Winners. June 6, 2013. The Village Voice. May 20, 2009.
  16. News: Village Voice contributor. And The 55th Annual OBIES Awards Winners Are. . .. June 6, 2013. The Village Voice. May 17, 2010.
  17. News: The Village Voice's 56th Annual Obie Awards. June 6, 2013. The Village Voice. May 16, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110703031450/http://obies.villagevoice.com/2011/. July 3, 2011. dead.
  18. Web site: NCI History/Application/Staff . Eugene O'Neill Theater Center . June 6, 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130605065314/http://www.theoneill.org/professional-development-and-education/nci/history-staff-apply/ . June 5, 2013 .
  19. Web site: O'Neill Center - National Critics Institute. Eugene O'Neill Theater Center. June 6, 2013.
  20. Web site: 2016 O\u0027Neill Finalists. September 9, 2018.
  21. Web site: Nominating Committee & Current Members. Drama Desk Awards. February 10, 2016.
  22. Listing for You Fascinate Me So on Amazon.com - https://www.amazon.com/You-Fascinate-Me-So-Coleman/dp/1480355909/
  23. Listing for They Made Us Happy on Amazon.com - https://www.amazon.com/They-Made-Us-Happy-Musicals/dp/0190630930/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1536526285
  24. Listing of Far Away Places CD on CD Universe - http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=8894826
  25. Web site: Harbinger Records Releases Barnum's Backers' Audition Private Recording. 30 January 2018 . September 9, 2018.

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