Edgar Oliver
Edgar Oliver (born 1956?[1]) is an American stage and film actor, poet, performance artist and playwright. Born in Savannah, Georgia, he has lived and worked in New York City since 1977.[1] He is considered "a legend" of the downtown New York theatre scene.[2][3][4] Edgar developed a cult following after multiple appearances on the TV series "Oddities." It was under the leadership of Elyse Blouin that Edgar's cult following grew substantially across the southeast.
Career
Oliver first started performing in New York City at the Pyramid Club in the mid-1980s. Notable New York City productions include his roles in Edward II with Cliplight Theater and numerous productions at the Axis Theatre Company including A Glance at New York (which played at the Edinburgh Festival) and his autobiographical one-man show East 10th Street: Self Portrait With Empty House which enjoyed an extended run with Axis.
His film credits include the Independent Spirit Award winning The Jimmy Show and the multi-award winning Henry May Long. He appeared in the latest Jared Hess film Gentlemen Broncos. He is a frequent performer/storyteller with The Moth.
As a playwright Oliver has frequently been produced at La MaMa ETC, most notably the 2000 production of his play The Drowning Pages starred Deborah Harry (of Blondie fame).[5]
Oliver has published three poetry collections: A Portrait of New York by a Wanderer There, Summer and The Man Who Loved Plants.
Oliver also appeared on the Discovery Channel series "Oddities" and was notable for his line "Is that a straitjacket?", which was featured in the show's promos.
Notes and references
- ^ a b Brantley, Ben. "So Inviting, That Dark at the Top of the Stairs", The New York Times, 16 February 2009.
- ^ Edgar Oliver Interview at Papermag.com
- ^ Axis Theatre Company presents: East 10th Street - Self Portrait with Empty House
- ^ Jackson, Sharyn. "Positively 10th Street: Edgar Oliver's East Village", Village Voice, 4 February 2009.
- ^ Ehren, Christine. "Deborah Harry Reads Oliver's Gloomy Drowning Pages May 6-14 At La MaMa", Playbill, 6 May 2000.