Judith Martin

Person
Biography
Judith Martin founded the Paper Bag Players in 1958 and directed their activities for 51 years, writing, designing, directing, and acting in more than 35 shows seen by five million people. She died in July 2012 on Long Island at the age of 93. The name of this innovative children’s company came from its innovative use of boxes, grocery bags, and wrapping paper as props and costumes. They presented two special performances for children at the Pillow in August of 1960, a program directed by Remy Charlip called “Cut-Ups” which included sections such as “Chocolate Covered Thoughts” and “Two Fish Who Were Thinking While the Ship Was Sinking.” Charlip also designed many of the company’s graphics. The daughter of Russian immigrants, Martin was born in Newark in 1918, and she commuted into New York City as a youngster to study dance and drama. She studied with Martha Graham and performed with Merce Cunningham and Anna Sokolow. In her later years, she was referred to by Clive Barnes as “a national treasure” and she was the recipient of an Obie Award for “raising the level of children’s theater through intelligence and imagination.”
Related Productions
Cut-Ups (dancer)
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