Background
Audrey Wood was born on February 28, 1905 in New York, United States, in the theatrical family of William H. and Ida M. (Gaubatz) Wood.
Audrey Wood was born on February 28, 1905 in New York, United States, in the theatrical family of William H. and Ida M. (Gaubatz) Wood.
Audrey graduated from George Washington High School and then attended Hunter College in 1925.
Joining the Century Play Company in her early 20's, she rose to become head of its play department. In 1937, she opened her own agency and continued her lifetime search for talented playwrights.
Wood's agency, Liebling-Wood, Inc. opened its doors at 30 Rockefeller Plaza on April 23, 1937 in partnership with her husband, William Liebling. Wood's clients were chiefly playwrights, while Liebling was known for his list of actors; both partners established strong reputations for representing artists in their respective fields who rose to prominence on the stage and screen. One of Wood's early clients was Tennessee Williams who produced many of his most well-regarded stage plays while represented by Wood.
As head of the drama department of International Creative Management, the artists' and authors' agency, Miss Wood represented dozens of playwrights, including Robert Anderson, Brian Friel, Arthur Kopit, Eve Merriam and Murray Schisgal.
Miss Wood served on the board of the American National Theater and Academy, the American Theater Wing and the New Dramatists Committee. She conducted a course in playwriting at Wesleyan University and workshops on several other campuses.
Wood suffered a stroke that left her in a coma for four years.
On March 24, 1938, Audrey married a talent representative William Liebling, but he died on December 29, 1969. The couple did not have any children.