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Theater figures

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Theater figures

Lawrence Roman, 86; best known for writing the hit Broadway play “Under the Yum-Yum Tree” and for adapting the farce into the 1963 movie (May 18)

Paul Sills, 80; legendary improvisational director and teacher co-founded the Compass Players in Chicago and was founding director of Chicago’s Second City improvisational comedy cabaret (June 2)

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Gene Persson, 74; producer staged “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” and LeRoi Jones’ controversial play “Dutchman” (June 6)

Luther Davis, 91; TV and stage writer won Tony Award for “Kismet” (July 29)

George Furth, 75; Tony Award-winning playwright who wrote the book for the landmark 1970 Broadway musical “Company” and also wrote the 1971 play “Twigs” (Aug. 11)

Tad Mosel, 86; television screenwriter won Pulitzer Prize for Broadway production of “All the Way Home” (Aug. 24)

Gerald Schoenfeld, 84; longtime head of the powerful Shubert Organization helped bring numerous works to Broadway, including “A Chorus Line,” “Cats” and “Amadeus” (Nov. 25)

William Gibson, 94; Tony Award-winning playwright best known for “The Miracle Worker,” the story of Helen Keller and her teacher, Anne Sullivan (Nov. 25)

Dale Wasserman, 94; playwright who wrote the book for the Broadway musical “Man of La Mancha” and adapted Ken Kesey’s novel “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” for the stage (Dec. 21)

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Harold Pinter, 78; English playwright and Nobel Prize winner whose original style changed the face of 20th century theater (Dec. 24)

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