Al Carmines

Carmines was born in Hampton, Virginia. Although his musical talent appeared early, he decided to enter the ministry, attending Swarthmore College, majoring in English and philosophy, and then Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York, earning a bachelor of divinity in 1961 and a master of sacred theology in 1963. Carmines was hired by Howard Moody as an assistant minister at Judson Memorial Church on Washington Square Park, New York, to found a theater in the sanctuary of the Greenwich Village church in conjunction with playwright Robert Nichols. He began composing in 1962 and acted as well. His Bible study group grew into the Rauschenbusch Memorial United Church of Christ, with Carmines as pastor. Carmines is perhaps best remembered in the church for the hymn "Many Gifts, One Spirit" #114 in the United Methodist Hymnal. He was commissioned by the United Methodist Women to write this hymn for their General Assembly in 1974. Carmines' Judson Poets' Theater, along with other Off-off Broadway theaters; Caffe Cino, La MaMa E.T.C. and Theatre Genesis, were different to Off Broadway and Broadway houses due to their experimental nature and small size. His 1973 musical The Faggot was a critical success which transferred from the Judson Memorial Church to the Truck and Warehouse Theatre and ran for 203 performances. In 1977, he had a cerebral aneurysm that required months of therapy. He underwent surgery a second time in 1985, which only then cured his crippling headaches. He died in St. Vincent's Hospital in New York.

• Name — Al Carmines • Birth Name — Alvin Allison Carmines • Born — 25 July 1936 • Birthplace — Hampton, Virginia, U.S. • Died — 9 August 2005 • Place of death — New York City, New York, U.S. • Occupation — Composer, lyricist, playwright, minister

• Year — Title — Role — Notes — Ref. • 1963 — What Happened — Composer • 1963 — Home Movies — Consists of two one act musicals: Softly and Consider the Nearness • 1964 — Patter for a Soft Shoe Dance • 1964 — Sing Ho for a Bear • 1965 — The Promenade — Book and Lyrics by María Irene Fornés. • 1966 — Pomegranada — Composer/Lyricist • 1967 — Gorilla Queen — Additional music by Robert Cosmos Savage. • 1967 — San Francisco's Burning — Composer — Words by Helen Adam. • 1967 — In Circles — Transferred Off-Broadway. • 1968 — The Sayings of Mao Tse-tung • 1968 — Peace — Composer/Lyricist — Transferred Off-Broadway in 1969. • 1969 — Christmas Rappings — Composer/Lyricist/Playwright • 1969 — Promenade — Composer — Originally titledThe Promenade. Book and lyrics by María Irene Fornés. • 1969 — The Urban Crisis — Composer/Lyricist/Playwright • 1970 — The Playful Tyrant • 1970 — About Time — Composer • 1971 — W.C. — Composer/Lyricist — A musical based on the life of W. C. Fields, which starred Mickey Rooney and Bernadette Peters but closed out-of-town. • 1971 — Sister — Composer/Lyricist — Unproduced. Written with Paul Zindel for Angela Lansbury. • 1971 — The Journey of Snow White — Composer/Lyricist/Playwright • 1971 — Wanted — Composer/Lyricist — Transferred Off-Broadway in 1972. Produced by Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company in 1995. • 1971 — Joan — Composer/Lyricist/Playwright — Transferred Off-Broadway in 1972. • 1972 — The Duel — An opera based on the lives of Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr • 1972 — A Look at the Fifties — Transferred to Arena Stage in 1973. Produced by Seattle Rep in 1974. • 1972 — The Life of a Man • 1972 — The Making of Americans — Composer • 1973 — Religion — Composer/Lyricist/Playwright • 1973 — The Faggot — Transferred Off-Broadway. • 1974 — The Future • 1974 — Listen to Me — Composer • 1974 — Christmas '74 — Arranger • 1975 — Why I Love New York — Composer/Lyricist/Playwright • 1976 — The Bonus Army — Composer/Lyricist • 1976 — Camp Meeting — Composer/Lyricist/Playwright — Originally titled Camp Meeting: 1840 • 1976 — A Meditation on Beauty • 1976 — A Manoir — Composer — Gertrude Stein adaptation • 1978 — In Praise of Death — Composer/Lyricist/Playwright • 1979 — Someone's in the Kitchen with Dinah • 1979 — Doctor Faustus Lights the Lights — Composer • 1980 — The Agony of Paul — Composer/Lyricist/Playwright • 1981 — T.S. Eliot: Midwinter Vigil(ante) — Last show at Judson Poets' Theater • 1989 — Máslova — Composer