Melvin Bernhardt began his career as a
stage manager. He served as the stage manager for the original
Broadway theatre productions of
Diary of a Scoundrel and ''
Livin' the Life. Bernhardt directed his first play, Conerico was Here to Stay'', at the
Cherry Lane Theatre in
Manhattan in 1965. He is currently a member of the Honorary Advisory Committee of the
Stage Directors and Choreographers Society.
Broadway In addition to winning multiple
Obie awards for his
Off-Broadway work, Bernhardt has had a successful career as a Broadway theatre director. His first Broadway production came in 1969 when he directed
Home Fires and
Cop-Out, a pair of one-act plays written by
John Guare. 1 May 1978 marked the debut of the original Broadway production of
Da, a comedy by
Hugh Leonard which proved to be one of the more successful plays in Bernhardt's career. The play, which ran for nearly 700 performances at the
Morosco Theatre, earned Bernhardt the 1978
Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play and the 1978
Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Play. Bernhardt's other major Broadway success was
Crimes of the Heart, which opened at the
John Golden Theatre on 4 November 1981. The production earned a slew of awards and nominations, including nominations for the 1981 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Direction of a Play and the 1982 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play.
Television Although the majority of Bernhardt's directorial work has taken place on the stage, he has also had some experience in
television directing. His work on
Another World earned him a nomination for the 1979 and 1980
Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series Directing Team. He earned another nomination for this award in 1985 for his work on
One Life to Live. Other television work includes several episodes of
All My Children, and, in 1984, a live production of
Mister Roberts for
NBC Live Theater. == References ==