In Memoriam tion of Paul Zindel’s Gamma Rays, Melvin rose to prominence as a director both on and off Broadway, working with leading actors of the time, such as Linda Lavin, Julie Harris, and Olympia Dukakis. In 1978, he won a Tony award for Hugh Leonard’s Da, a semi-autobiographical story of a young Irishman visited by the ghosts of his family. As Richard Eder wrote in The New York Times, Melvin directed the play “with artful and canny patience.” Born in Buffalo, New York in 1931, Melvin attended the University of Buffalo, where he surprised his family by choosing to pursue theatre rather than law. His family name was Bernhard, but he added the t when he entered the theater in honor of the great Sarah. After earning his MFA in directing from Yale School of Drama in 1955, he went on to work as a stage manager until his first job as a director at the Cherry Lane Theater in 1965. One of his early successes, was John Guare’s satirical one-act, Cop-Out, starring Linda Lavin and Ron Leibman in 1969, and other notable productions include And Miss Reardon Drinks a Little (1971) and Hide and Seek (1980) starring Elizabeth Ashley. Melvin is remembered for his skillful work with actors, as well as for his ability to bring new plays from obscurity to success in very little time. It was under his influence that Manhattan Theater Club agreed to produce Beth Henley’s first full-length drama, Crimes of the Heart, which soon thereafter won the Pulitzer and transferred to Broadway for a run of 500 performances. Melvin died at the age of 84 on September 12, 2015 He is survived by his husband Jeff Woodman and his brother, Richard Bernhard.
Farewell Robert Ackart ’52 / 12.14.2014 Melvin Bernhardt ’55 / 09.12.2015 Suellen G. Childs ’69 / 07.06.2014 Stan Cornyn ’59 / 05.11.2015 George Corrin, Jr. ’51 / 04.28.2015 Carolyn Browne Dundes ’60 / 10.16.2015 Guy Joseph Gallo ’82 / 1.13.2015 Frank Gilroy ’53 / 9.12.2015 Barbara K. Goodwillie ’51 / 11.07.2014 Mary Dwight Hazzard ’82 / 03.05.2015 John R. Hood, Jr. ’61 / 07.17.2015 Lloyd A. Kaplan ’58 / 08.27.2015 Keith Elsworth Lockhart ’64 / 02.06.2015 John R. Lucas ’64 / 08.29.2015 Lewis R. Marcuson ’54 / 06.20.2015 Thomas Reed Mohan ’75 / 10.11.2014 Rev. Robert A. Morris ’54 / 03.02.2015 Peter Brett Prentiss ’68 / 5.13.2015 Geraldine H. Rehrig ’46 / 04.05.2014 Robert J. Rosenblum ’61 / 03.12.2015 Mark Rucker ’92 / 08.25.2015 Isaac (Ike) Schambelan ’64, DFA ’67 / 02.03.2015 Gordon Curran Stewart ’67 / 11.26.2014 Forrest M. Stone ’85 / 08.11.2015 Elmer Arthur Tag ’51 / 05.19.2015 Yun C. Wu ’49 / 12.31.2014 Genie Zust ’59 / 11.06.2014
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