David Rothenberg (activist)

Last updated

David Rothenberg
Born(1933-08-19)August 19, 1933
NationalityAmerican
Occupation(s)Theatrical Agent and producer, Radio Host, Prisoners' Rights Activist
Years active1960–2016
Known forPrisoners' Rights Activist, Broadway Producer, Civil Rights Activist, Radio Host
Notable workFortune in my Eyes, Fortune Society

David Rothenberg is a veteran Broadway producer and prisoners' rights activist. After reading the script for Fortune and Men's Eyes by former prisoner and playwright John Herbert, he was instrumental in producing the play for an off-Broadway production. Later, he was a civilian observer during the Attica Prison riot, which left a deep impression on him and spurred his lifelong activism for prisoner's rights. This inspired him to found the Fortune Society organization, which advocates for prisoner's rights and works with former inmates to aid them in adjusting to life after prison. Rothenberg is an agnostic and lives in the West Village in New York City. [1] [2]

Contents

Early life

Rothenberg was born in Teaneck, New Jersey to parents Leo and Leonore Rothenberg. His parents were both born in New York City. [3] He graduated in 1951 from Teaneck High School. [4] [3] [5] His childhood dream was to pursue sportswriting. [6] His parents were the first Jewish family in northern New Jersey, while one of his grandmothers converted to become a devout Christian Scientist. [7] [8] He attended the University of Denver, where he was part of the Freshman Honor Society. [9] He later became campus president of Students for Democratic Action. His first political hero was Jackie Robinson. [8] [10] Building on his dream to pursue writing, he became the editorial page columnist for the undergraduate newspaper, Clarion. Eventually, Rothenberg became editor in chief in the student academic years '54 and '55, even though a petition was circulated alleging he was a communist, likely as a result of his participation in social and political protests. [11] While at the paper, he exposed the rape of fraternity boys at the university by Francis Van Derbur, the father of former Miss Colorado and Miss America, Marilyn Van Derbur who exposed her father's sexual abuse decades later. This story was suppressed by Francis Van Derbur due to his high standing in the business community and his position on the Alumni Association at the university [12]

Broadway career

Rothenberg arrived in NYC in 1958 after release from the US Army. [13] [14] He was inspired to pursue acting after seeing Joseph Mankiewicz's dialogue in the movie All About Eve. Initially, he worked with ad agencies and book publishers as a typist to make ends meet while simultaneously sending out introduction letters to theatrical producers, agents, and press agents listed in the Manhattan directory. He also answered ads listed in the New York Times related to show business. Rothenberg was eventually hired by Bob Larken to cover interviews with actors, directors and producers by TV and radio stations. [15] Through his press coverage of the hit musical Jamaica he met Alvin Ailey. Their acquaintance grew into a friendship and through it Rothenberg was invited to various rehearsals that helped him grow his professional network. As a result, he attained a theatrical apprenticeship with the help of Bob Ullman, who sponsored him for it with ATPAM and arranged a summer job for him as a press rep. Rothenberg spent the summer of 1960 at Lakewood Theatre in Skowhega, Maine. [3] The theatre saw the likes of Joan Fontaine, Shirley Booth and Henry Morgan perform there and gave Rothenberg great access and networking opportunities. [3] [16] [17] [18] In 1962, David Rothenberg joined Alex Cohen's office, continuing as a press rep. This position allowed him access to the pantheon of American theatre. Through his work he met and befriended titans of American theatre such as John Gielgud, Richard Burton, Alfred Drake, Charles Boyer, Ralph Richardson, and Elizabeth Taylor. [19] Rothenberg was Taylor's date to the opening of Hamlet on Broadway, for which he did press. [3] [5] [17] [20] His first Broadway production was Beyond the Fringe, which emerged to be one of the biggest hits of the decade. [21] It ran for years and many of the cast went on to have distinguished careers. Notably, the production opened at the Golden Theatre on the first day of the Cuban Missile Crisis. [21] Following his success, Rothenberg began representing plays by Pulitzer Prize winning playwrights Edward Albee, Tennessee Williams and England's Harold Pinter, as well as more than 200 Broadway shows over the course of his career. [13] In 1966 Rothenberg was invited by Jordan Charney and Nancy Cooperstein to workshop Megan Terry's Viet Rock, which gave him the opportunity to participate in escalating antiwar protests. Viet Rock was staged at the Sheridan Square Playhouse. By the time Viet Rock opened in New York, Rothenberg had already begun working with Fortune and Men's Eyes, his second standalone production. [22]

His friend and drama critic at the Toronto Star, Nathan Cohen, informed Rothenberg of the play, which needed New York before it could make it in Toronto. [3] After his first reading, he drafted a letter to the playwright, stating, "I felt that I was locked in a room of four cobras." [8] [23]

Rothenberg took out a loan to finance the play and it opened in February 1967 at the Actor's Playhouse in Greenwich Village. [2] Four of the young actors in the play were Terry Kiser, Vic Arnold, Bob Christian, and Bill Moore. Holy Face starred as well. [8] [24]

As part of his research for the play, Rothenberg visited Rikers Island prison in New York, which was his first trip to such an institution. When inmates were in the dayroom, each of the visitors was placed in a cell and locked for a few minutes. [25]

Critical reception was initially mixed with the New York Times critic Dan Sullivan being dismissive and unmoved by it. Dance critic Clive Barnes thought it exciting and three years later raved about the play's revival after becoming a theatre reviewer for the New York Times. [26] Norman Nadel of New York World joined the Telegram and the Sun reviewers in criticizing the play. [3] In contrast, Jerry Tallnem from the New York Post compared it to The Bicycle Thief and Marat/Sade. Michael Smith from the Village Voice raved about it, contributing to its 13-month initial run. Eventually, the play was the most successful drama in Canadian history, even playing internationally in more than 40 countries, including Turkey. [3] [27]

Fortune Society and activism

John Herbert, the author of Fortune and Men's Eyes', had been incarcerated previously after an altercation by some thugs had caused a mass roundup by police. The judge sentenced him to prison due to his epicene appearance. [28] Being deeply moved by the play, his experience at Rikers, and Herbert's plight, Rothenberg channeled his passion for activism into a non-profit advocacy organization called Fortune Society, borrowing from the play's own name. By the time the play premiered in Canada, the Fortune Society had been created. Initially, the organization began as discussion forums at the Actor's Playhouse featuring a diverse set of interlocutors including parole officers, elected officials, and the formerly incarcerated, among others. [17] [29] [30] Pat McGarry and Clarence Cooper, author of The Farm, agreed on an organization called the Fortune Society, from the play's title, which had been taken from a Shakespearian sonnet, "When in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes, I all alone beweep my outcast state". [30]

Rothenberg's office on West 46th Street became the de facto headquarters of the organization, and the group began fundraising at Tuesday night discussions. In an effort to raise awareness, four men from the society went on The David Susskind Show. Clarence Cooper, Frank Sandiford, Eddie Morris, and Rob Freeley were panelists on the show, leveraging their social status and celebrity. Susskind informed the audience that the men were all part of a new organization, and urged them to connect with them at the Fortune Society at their office address. [31]

The next day 250 former convicts were lined up outside Rothenberg's small theater office, anticipating an organization that could help them with employment and housing. Mel Rivers also came that day to see what the organization was all about, resulting in Rivers, Jackson, McGarry, and Cooper starting as the core of Fortune Society. [32]

Rothenberg began arranging for ex-cons coming to the Fortune Society to attend Broadway plays, and conscripted his close friend and colleague Alvin Ailey to join the organization and provide tickets for the formerly incarcerated whom the society was trying to help. Kenny Jackson joked that when somebody gets out of prison in New York, "you get $40, a baloney sandwich, and two tickets to Alvin Ailey". [30] [33]

Around this time, the Attica Prison riot broke out, and Rothenberg was included on the prisoners' shortlist for civilian observers. This prompted Arthur Eve's office to call on him and recruit him for that role. He was among the three dozen men called in to Attica as observers. [8] [18] [30] [34] The group unanimously agreed to send a smaller delegation to represent observers. The delegation included William Kunstler, Tom Wicker of the New York Times, congressman Herman Badillo, and state senator John Dunne, who returned to New York to plead with governor Nelson Rockefeller, only to find he had ordered troops to take over the prison. The takeover was violent, and there were casualties. After the dust settled, four prisoners' bodies remained unclaimed. Fortune Society made arrangements for these men to receive proper funerals. [3] [35]

The Attica Prison riot raised a lot of awareness about the conditions prisoners faced during their incarceration. These events spurred Rothenberg's many friends and colleagues to work with other theater professionals to host fundraising events. Notables like Arlene Francis, Melba Moore, Zoe Caldwell, and Christopher Reeve supported the organization and fundraised for its cause. Even Attica prison publicized Fortune Society to its prisoner population. [36]

Many volunteers offered to help after Attica, providing tutoring and secretarial services. The model tutoring program that still runs today was created at this time, offering classes for illiteracy, GED and college preparation, as well as career services. The society grew in office space and participants with the welcome collaboration of educational institutions [37]

During the infancy of AIDS, the society received letters from inmates with tales of men dying of a strange epidemic. Rothenberg sent literature from the Gay Men's Health Crisis to Deputy Commissioner Marty Horn, who said they could not allow literature with the word gay in it. After discussion with Gay Men's Health Crisis, the word was never spelled out and the wardens permitted the brochures to enter. Thus, the Department of Corrections took its first step in recognizing the epidemic's effect on the inmate population. [38]

Political aspirations

Rothenberg ran for city councilman in 1985 in Manhattan to raise awareness about AIDS, which at the time was seen as a "gay epidemic." He ran as an openly gay candidate, which prompted significant media attention. He was profiled in the Sunday Daily News and in New York magazine. [2] [5] [39] [40] Dave Fleischer was recruited as his campaign manager and under his direction the campaign raised over $250,000, a record for the city council race. Rothenberg was widely endorsed, including by the Daily News, the Village Voice, and the Amsterdam News, among others. [41] Rothenberg garnered 46% of the vote, collecting the third largest number of votes of any candidate in the city's 38 council race. [3] Unfortunately, his opponent had the second greatest number of votes, thus winning the race. [3] [42] [ clarification needed ]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Attica Prison riot</span> 1971 prisoner rebellion in New York

The Attica Prison Riot, also known as the Attica Prison Rebellion, the Attica Uprising, or the Attica Prison Massacre, took place at the state prison in Attica, New York; it started on September 9, 1971, and ended on September 13 with the highest number of fatalities in the history of United States prison uprisings. Of the 43 men who died, all but one guard and three inmates were killed by law enforcement gunfire when the state retook control of the prison on the final day of the uprising. The Attica Uprising has been described as a historic event in the prisoners' rights movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Attica Correctional Facility</span> Maximum-security state prison in New York

Attica Correctional Facility is a maximum security prison campus in the Town of Attica, New York, operated by the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. It was constructed in the 1930s in response to earlier riots within the New York state prisons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miguel Piñero</span> Puerto Rican writer (1946–1988)

Miguel Piñero was a Puerto Rican born American playwright, actor and co-founder of the Nuyorican Poets Café. He was a leading member of the Nuyorican literary movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Incarceration in the United States</span> Form of punishment in United States law

Incarceration in the United States is one of the primary means of punishment for crime in the United States. In 2021, over five million people were under supervision by the criminal justice system, with nearly two million people incarcerated in state or federal prisons and local jails. The United States has the largest known prison population in the world. It has 5% of the world’s population while having 20% of the world’s incarcerated persons. China, with four times more inhabitants, has fewer persons in prison. Prison populations grew dramatically beginning in the 1970s, but began a decline around 2009, dropping 25% by year-end 2021.

Prison rape commonly refers to the rape of inmates in prison by other inmates or prison staff. In 2001, Human Rights Watch estimated that at least 4.3 million inmates had been raped while incarcerated in the United States. A United States Department of Justice report, Sexual Victimization in Prisons and Jails Reported by Inmates, states that "In 2011–12, an estimated 4.0% of state and federal prison inmates and 3.2% of jail inmates reported experiencing one or more incidents of sexual victimization by another inmate or facility staff in the past 12 months or since admission to the facility, if less than 12 months." However, advocates dispute the accuracy of the numbers, saying they seem to under-report the real numbers of sexual assaults in prison, especially among juveniles.

<i>Fortune and Mens Eyes</i> 1971 American film

Fortune and Men's Eyes is a 1967 play and 1971 film written by John Herbert about a young man's experience in prison, exploring themes of homosexuality and sexual slavery.

John Herbert was the pen name of John Herbert Brundage, a Canadian playwright, drag queen, and theatre director best known for his 1967 play Fortune and Men's Eyes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision</span> Department of the New York State government

The New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (NYSDOCCS) is the department of the New York State government that administers the state prison and parole system, including 44 prisons funded by the state government.

<i>Short Eyes</i> (play) Play written by Miguel Piñero

Short Eyes is a 1974 drama written by playwright Miguel Piñero. The play premiered at the Theater of the Riverside Church, was then produced off-Broadway at the Joseph Papp Public Theater on February 28, 1974, and transferred after 54 performances to the Vivian Beaumont Theater on Broadway on May 23, 1974. Short Eyes, prison slang for a child molester, was written for a prisoners' writing workshop during Piñero's incarceration for armed robbery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sam Melville</span> American activist and convict (1934–1971)

Samuel Joseph Melville, was the principal conspirator and bomb setter in the 1969 bombings of eight government and commercial office buildings in New York City. Melville cited his opposition to the Vietnam War and U.S. imperialism as the motivation for the bombings. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy and to bombing the Federal Office Building in lower Manhattan, as well as to assaulting a marshal in a failed escape attempt. A key figure in the 1971 Attica Prison riots, he was shot by the police and killed when the uprising was put down by force.

<i>Not About Nightingales</i>

Not About Nightingales is a three-act play by Tennessee Williams. He wrote the play late in 1938, after reading in a newspaper about striking inmates of a Holmesburg, Pennsylvania prison in August 1938, who had been placed in "an isolation unit lined with radiators, where four died from temperatures approaching 150 degrees.".

<i>Against the Wall</i> (1994 film) American television film by John Frankenheimer

Against the Wall is a 1994 American action historical drama television film directed by John Frankenheimer, written by Ron Hutchinson, and starring Samuel L. Jackson and Kyle MacLachlan. It aired on HBO on March 26, 1994. The film was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Jackson and won a Primetime Emmy Award for Frankenheimer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT people in prison</span> Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people in prison

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people face difficulties in prison such as increased vulnerability to sexual assault, other kinds of violence, and trouble accessing necessary medical care. While much of the available data on LGBTQ inmates comes from the United States, Amnesty International maintains records of known incidents internationally in which LGBTQ prisoners and those perceived to be lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender have suffered torture, ill-treatment and violence at the hands of fellow inmates as well as prison officials.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jerry Rosenberg</span> American criminal & convict (1937–2009)

Jerome "Jerry" Rosenberg was a New York State convict, mobster, and jail house lawyer. He was incarcerated for 46 years, longer than any other prisoner in New York State history. Rosenberg was sentenced to death for his involvement in the 1962 double homicide of two New York City police officers during a robbery carried out with two other Mafia-connected gangsters. His sentence was commuted to life in prison in June 1965, after capital punishment was abolished in New York. Rosenberg went on to become the first New York State inmate to earn a law degree and in turn gave legal advice to several inmates, including the leaders of the Attica Prison riot. A book was written about Rosenberg and his time in prison which was adapted into a 1988, made-for-TV movie, Doing Life, starring Tony Danza.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jalil Muntaqim</span> American activist convicted of murder, former political prisoner

Jalil Abdul Muntaqim is a political activist and former member of the Black Panther Party (BPP) and the Black Liberation Army (BLA) who served 49 years in prison for two counts of first-degree murder. In August 1971, he was arrested in California along with Albert “Nuh” Washington and Herman Bell and charged with the killing of two NYPD police officers, Waverly Jones and Joseph A. Piagentini, in New York City on May 21. In 1975, he was convicted on two counts of first-degree murder and sentenced to life imprisonment with possible parole after 22 years. Muntaqim had been the subject of attention for being repeatedly denied parole despite having been eligible since 1993. In June 2020, Muntaqim was reportedly sick with COVID-19. He was released from prison on October 7, 2020, after more than 49 years of incarceration and 11 parole denials.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prisoner</span> Person who is deprived of liberty against their will

A prisoner is a person who is deprived of liberty against their will. This can be by confinement or captivity in a prison, or physical restraint. The term usually applies to one serving a sentence in prison.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Greer</span> American actor

Michael Greer was an American actor, comedian and cabaret performer. He is best known for his appearances in the films The Gay Deceivers and Fortune and Men's Eyes, and for being one of the first openly gay actors to appear in major Hollywood films.

Heather Ann Thompson is an American historian, author, activist, professor, and speaker from Detroit, Michigan. Thompson won the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for History, the 2016 Bancroft Prize, and other awards for her work Blood in the Water: The Attica Prison Uprising of 1971 and Its Legacy.

The Fortune Society is a New York City-based non-profit organization that provides support to the formerly incarcerated. Some of the services offered include help with finding housing and jobs, adjusting to civilian life, and educational opportunities. It was founded by David Rothenberg in 1967 as a result of his experience at Riker's Island while researching for the play Fortune and Men's Eyes.

The National Gay Prisoners Coalition was founded in the early 1970s by Charles C. Wheeler, an inmate at Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla, Washington during this time. Wheeler formed the coalition after realizing that, unlike other minority groups, LGBT+ people did not have a major organization in U.S. prisons to protect their interests and safety within the prison walls. Thus, Wheeler decided to form what he believed was the first LGBT+ prisoner rights organizations in Washington.

References

  1. ↑ Rothenberg, pages 59, 211
  2. 1 2 3 Myers, JoAnne (2013). Historical Dictionary of the Lesbian and Gay Liberation Movements. Scarecrow Press. p. 320. ISBN   978-0810874688.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Tallmer, Jerry (October 25, 2012). "David Rothenberg's new book took a lifetime to write" . Retrieved May 4, 2016.
  4. ↑ Beckerman, Jim. "A play about ex-cons, played by themselves", The Record , July 6, 2008. Accessed January 21, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "That's the combined prison time of the four ex-convicts who play themselves in this unique off-Broadway play, conceived and directed by Bergen County native David Rothenberg.... Rothenberg, who grew up in Ridge-field Park and Teaneck (Teaneck High School, class of 1951), began his career as a part-time sports writer for The Record."
  5. 1 2 3 Yorio, Kara (April 11, 2013). "Teaneck native David Rothenberg returns home to sign his memoir" . Retrieved May 4, 2016.
  6. ↑ Rothenberg, page ?
  7. ↑ Rothenberg, page 82
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 Horwitz, Simi (June 19, 2013). "Theater Legend David Rothenberg Does Some of His Best Work Offstage" . Retrieved May 4, 2016.
  9. ↑ Rothenberg, page 86
  10. ↑ Rothenberg, page 85-88
  11. ↑ Rothenberg, pages 89–91,44
  12. ↑ Rothenberg, pages 92–95
  13. 1 2 Glasgow, Greg (August 28, 2013). "Alum chronicles adventures in activism and show biz" . Retrieved May 4, 2016.
  14. ↑ Rothenberg, page 16
  15. ↑ Rothenberg, pages 17–20
  16. ↑ Rothenberg, pages 19–22
  17. 1 2 3 "David Rothenberg, author and activist, to speak at library". August 1, 2013. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
  18. 1 2 Humm, Andy (October 23, 2012). "On the Cusp of 80, David Rothenberg Looks Back" . Retrieved May 4, 2016.
  19. ↑ Rothenberg, 30–32
  20. ↑ Rothenberg, page 40
  21. 1 2 Rothenberg, page 33
  22. ↑ Rothenberg, pages 47–50
  23. ↑ Rothenberg, pages 50–51
  24. ↑ Rothenberg, page 52
  25. ↑ Rothenberg, page 53
  26. ↑ Rothenberg, page 55
  27. ↑ Rothenberg, pages 56–60
  28. ↑ Rothenberg, page 58
  29. ↑ Rothenberg, page 62
  30. 1 2 3 4 Lurie, Kathryn (October 8, 2012). "From Agent to Activist". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
  31. ↑ Rothenberg, page 63
  32. ↑ Rothenberg, page 64
  33. ↑ Rothenberg, pages 65–66
  34. ↑ Rothenberg, pages 2–3
  35. ↑ Rothenberg, pages 2–6
  36. ↑ Rothenberg, page 66
  37. ↑ Rothenberg, page 68
  38. ↑ Rothenberg, page 71
  39. ↑ "Homosexual Candidate Opposing Gay Rights Supporter". Schenectady Gazette. August 28, 1985. p. 24. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
  40. ↑ Rothenberg, page 201-204
  41. ↑ Rothenberg, page 204-207
  42. ↑ Rothenberg, page 210

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.