Claudia Shear

Background

Shear was born in Brooklyn and attended the City University of New New York

Career

Shear first came to prominence with her self-penned solo performance piece Blown Sideways Through Life (described by Frank Rich as an "autobiographical monologue"). The show premiered at the New York Theatre Workshop in September 1993. The show then opened at the Office-Broadway Cherry Lane Theatre on January 7, 1994, closing on July 17, 1994 after 221 performances.

She adapted it for a 1995 presentation on the Public Broadcasting Service series American Playhouse.

Shear wrote the play Dirty Blonde, her exploration of the life and career of Mae West. The play premiered Office-Broadway at the New York Theatre Workshop, running from January 10, 2000 to February 13, 2000 and then opened on Broadway at the Helen Hayes Theatre on April 14, 2000 (previews).

Both productions were directed by James Lapine. Shear"s acting credits include the films lieutenant Could Happen to You (1994) and Living Out Loud (1998) and a guest appearance as the "fake Monica" on the National Broadcasting Company sitcom Friends in 1994.

She has also written for such publications as The New York Times, Vogue, and Travel & Leisure, among others

Restoration, a new play written by her, premiered in June 2009 at Louisiana Jolla Playhouse in Louisiana Jolla, California, commissioned by Louisiana Jolla Playhouse Artistic Director Christopher Ashley after an idea by Shear. In Restoration, Shear plays "Giulia, a down-on-her-luck art restorer from Brooklyn who receives what could possibly be a career-reviving job of "refreshing" Michelangelo’s David in time for its quincentennial celebration in Florence." Christopher Ashley, who staged the world premiere of Restoration at Louisiana Jolla Playhouse, directed the work for its New York debut. The play premiered Office-Broadway at the New York Theatre Workshop on April 30, 2010 (previews) and officially on May 19, 2010 through June 13, 2010.

Shear appeared in the Broadway play by Michele Lowe, The Smell of the Kill, which had a brief run of 40 performances in 2002.

Shear wrote the book for the new musical based on the book Tuck Everlasting, also titled Tuck Everlasting. The music and lyrics are written by Chris Miller and Nathan Tysen.

The musical premiered at the Alliance Theatre, Atlanta, from January 21, 2015 to February 22, 2015. The musical is expected to open on Broadway in April 2016.

Achievements

• She was nominated for the Tony Award, Best Play and Best Actress for her play Dirty Blonde. Shear won an Obie Award, Special Citation and a 1994 Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Solo Performance. She earned Tony and Drama Desk Award nominations for both Best Play and Best Actress and won the Theatre World Award.

Membership

Shear"s employment experiences as a member of the American work force - sixty-four jobs in all, including pastry chef, nude model, waitress, whorehouse receptionist, proofreader, and Italian translator - provided her with a wealth of material for her piece.