Entrances

Schneider became famous in the late 1950s and early '60s as the director who introduced the plays of Samuel Beckett and Edward Albee to the U.S. In this autobiography (completed shortly before he was fatally struck by a motorcycle in 1984), he tells of his early struggles, conventional Broadway successes and eventual discovery of the kinds of plays he responded to most deeplyplays that were unknown territory at the time and that sometimes baffled even the actors who performed in them. Schneider delineates the specifics (often agonizing) of production: casting problems, producers' betrayals, stars who refuse direction or resent the laughs gotten by other cast members. Students of Beckett will appreciate the author's portrayal of the shy, compassionate and surprisingly accommodating playwright. The book follows Schneider's career only to 1966; a second volume is to be published later. Photos. First serial to the New York Times Magazine, Baltimore Sun, Washingtonian, American Theatre and Performance Arts magazines. January