Rinde Eckert, finalist for the 2007 Pulitzer Prize in Drama, is a writer, composer, performer and director. His Opera / New Music Theatre productions have toured throughout America, and to major festivals in Europe and Asia. His career began as a writer/performer in the 1980’s, writing librettos for Paul Dresher (Pioneer, Power Failure, Slow Fire, Ravenshead). Working subsequently with choreographers Margaret Jenkins and Sarah Shelton Mann, Eckert began composing dance scores, including the evening-length Woman, Window, Squarefor The Margaret Jenkins Dance Company. With The Gardening of Thomas D., his 1992 homage to Dante which was performed on tour in the United States and France, Rinde Eckert began composing and performing his own music/theater pieces. His staged works for solo performer include An Idiot Divine, Romeo Sierra Tango, and Quit This House. He wrote Shoot the Moving Things and Four Songs Lost in a Wall for radio. Recent writing credits include Horizon (2007-08 Drama Desk Nominations: Best Play and Best Director, Lucille Lortel Award: “Unique Theatrical Experience”); Orpheus X (Pulitzer Prize nomination); Highway Ulysses, and Four Songs Lost in a Wall (The American Academy of Arts and Letters 2005 Marc Blitzstein Award); And God Created Great Whales (OBIE Award: Best Performance, Drama Desk Nomination: “Unique Theatrical Experience”); and the two, one-act plays An Idiot Divine. Current music projects include directing virtuoso percussionist Steven Schick in an evening-length solo-theater work composed/produced by Paul Dresher which debuts in March 2009. Eckert also wrote the text and directed the ensemble Zeitgeist in Sound Stage with Dresher. Eckert and composer Steve Mackey are creating, writing and will perform with the new music ensemble 8th blackbird in the concert-length music/theater work Slide, debuting in June 2009. Eckert wrote text and sang in Mackey’s oratorio Dream House, and the two musicians are members of BIG FARM, the 4-person ‘prog-rock’ band. Rinde Eckert’s uniquely eclectic music is available on the Intuition label in Germany and through Songline/Tonefield Productions. The critically acclaimed Sandhills Reunion (music by Jerry Granelli, text by Eckert) was released in 2005. Rinde Eckert lives in New York with his wife, Ellen McLaughlin, the playwright and actress.
