John Moran

Works include Jack Benny', The Manson Family, Everyday Newt Burman (The Trilogy of Cyclic Existence), Mathew in the School of Life, Book of the Dead (2nd Avenue) and John Moran...and his neighbour, Saori. Among the performers who have starred in Moran's work are Uma Thurman (Book of the Dead), Iggy Pop (The Manson Family), Allen Ginsberg (Mathew in the School of Life, and Meet the Locusts—an unreleased album for Philips/PolyGram), Julia Stiles (Everyday, Newt Burman, Mathew in the School of Life) and Saori Tsukada (Saori's Birthday, John Moran and his neighbor, Saori, Zenith 5!, John Moran and Saori (in Thailand)).

In 2013 Moran completed the trilogy of solo-performances with Goodbye, Thailand (Portrait of Eye), the third installment being a commission from Battersea Arts Centre (BAC), London England, and Mayfest Bristol, England. As a solo-performer, Moran was described by Venue Magazine (UK) at its premiere; "It is almost disconcerting, the ease with which Moran appears to leave his body, his own personality entirely vanishing to make way for the personality of the character he creates. His body language, the way his facial muscles move, and of course the voice, every aspect of a person is seamlessly brought together in a minutely detailed portrayal of the protagonists of the story."

In 2012 Moran unveiled a solo-work titled, Etudes: Amsterdam; a joint production of Mayfest Bristol (England), Spoleto Open (Italy) and Fringe Amsterdam (Netherlands) which toured extensively throughout Europe over subsequent years. In 2017, his 1990 opera The Manson Family received a new production in Germany, commissioned by Hellerau Center for European Arts (Dresden) and Schaubühne Lindenfels (Leipzig.

In 2012 Moran unveiled a new solo work (which continued his portrait series, started with John Moran in Thailand) titled, John Moran: The Con Artist (Etudes: Amsterdam), later renamed Etudes: Amsterdam. The work was premiered at Mayfest Bristol, England in May 2012, and performed frequently throughout European venues since its premiere. The work was described as a co-production of Mayfest (England), Spoleto Open (Italy) and Fringe Amsterdam (Netherlands). It won 'Best of Fringe' at Spoleto Open (Spoleto, Italy) and Amsterdam Fringe (Amsterdam, Netherlands) in 2012.

In 2010, Moran and Tsukada debuted their work, John Moran and Saori (in Thailand). Its crediting sited joint production between The Arches, in Glasgow, Scotland and Pumpenhaus in Münster, Germany. The work received praise internationally, and toured extensively throughout Europe, UK and United States over 2010-11. It was presented at the inaugural Days & Nights Festival produced by Philip Glass in Carmel, CA in August 2011.

In 2008, Moran relocated his career to play almost exclusively to European audiences, along with a radical change in format. In interviews Moran describes having turned away from the type of large scale, multimedia productions he was known for throughout the 1990s and instead began to create intimate works, often for one or two performers, sans any type of theatrical setting. His series of duets under the title John Moran..and his neighbor, Saori - with dancer and performer Saori Tsukada - saw praise and European touring throughout the years of 2005-2011. In 2007, The New York Times described Moran and Tsukada as "one of the most important and innovate collaborations of the year."

Their collaborations, under the title John Moran...and his neighbor, Saori seemed to see immediate critical success. In addition to relocating their work to Europe sometime around 2007, Moran and Tsukada premiered several music, dance and theatre works throughout the period of 2005-2010, all of which featured Tsukada and Moran portraying autobiographical representations of themselves. Their work John Moran...and his neighbour, Saori saw much European touring over this five year period. The Guardian UK described the piece as "a work with genius as its foundation." and The New York Times cited their work as "one of the most important and innovative dance collaborations of the year", in 2007. The two performed frequently at venues such as Edinburgh Fringe, Dublin Fringe, Amsterdam Fringe, The Arches, Soho Theatre in London, as well as other theatrical venues across UK, Germany, Israel and Poland.

Other works by Moran and Tsukada include Saori's Birthday! (2007), commissioned by Performance Space 122 in New York City, and which in addition to Tsuakda featured performance artists Joseph Keckler and Katherine Brook, and a somewhat minor work titled Zenith 5! which played at The Spiegeltent in New York in 2006.

During this period Moran received fellowships from The American Academy of Arts and Letters and The Pen American Center. But, perhaps strangely, it was reported by The New York Times in 2006 that Moran had experienced a period of homelessness upon returning to America at the end of 2005, immediately after the creation of his highly praised work John Moran...and his neighbor, Saori, with Japanese-born dancer Saori Tsukada.

In 2005, Moran began to work exclusively with Japanese-born dancer Saori Tsukada, who in numerous reviews was described as a performer of unusual precision and stage presence. It was said that after seeing Tsukada from a distance on the street one afternoon, the composer knew the two strangers were "meant" to work together, and waited for her to return during a power outage.

In 2004-2005 Moran spent nearly 2 years as artist-in-residence for Mairie de Paris (The City of Paris), however these were described by the composer as less than productive times. In later interviews, Moran related having buried the remains of his former works with dancer Eva Müller under a "popular landmark" in Paris, so that tourists would unknowingly take photographs of its remains. If true, this would likely be in an area of Montmartre, next the iconic Basilique du Sacré-Cœur, where Moran resided at the time.

He then relocated to Germany and re-mounted his work Everyday, Newt Burman in 2001 at Staatstheater Darmstadt, where he apparently met German dancer Eva Müller who starred in the remounted production. Upon returning to America together, Moran began to create duet works for himself and Müller. Regarding these duet performances, TimeOut Magazine wrote that Moran had "reaffirmed his reputation as one of the most important (and underrated) figures in the avantgarde." Also at this time, in 2003, Philip Glass was quoted to say, "I am convinced that there is no more important composer working today than John Moran. His works have been so advanced as to be considered revolutionary." However, possibly owing to disappointing reviews from his ambitious 2000 work, Book of The Dead (2nd Avenue), Moran seemed to resign himself with smaller venues, such as Galapagos Art Space in Brooklyn, and Joe's Pub in New York City.

Moran has been twice commissioned for large-scale works of music-theater by Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (New York), as well as American Repertory Theater at Harvard (Cambridge), The Joseph Papp / New York Shakespeare Festival (New York), Battersea Arts Centre (London), Mayfest (Bristol), The Arches (Glasgow, Scotland), Pümpenhaus Münster (Germany), Hellerau Center for European Arts (Germany) and others. He has received numerous fellowships and awards, including The Pen American Center, and The American Academy of Arts and Letters. His work Book of the Dead (2nd Avenue) received The Henry Hewes Design Award for Best Theatrical Design of New York City (2000), as well as a Village Voice Obie Award in 1995, and several Best of Fringe awards internationally.

In 2000, Moran's opera Book of The Dead (2nd Avenue) was commissioned by Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, and produced by George Wolfe for The New York Shakespeare Festival / Public Theater, in New York City and featured actress Uma Thurman as the work's narrator. The work received less than favorable review, however, and in later autobiographical works Moran himself described the production as "one of the most unhappy times of [his] life.", owing to "the sheer mechanical hugeness of it all." The work (also designed by Moran) received The American Theater Wing Design Award (now called The Hewes Award) for "Best Theatrical Design in New York City (2000)".

At the end of this period, in 1997, his version of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari premiered at American Repertory Theater at Harvard. Concerning Caligari, The Boston Globe described Moran as "a modern day Mozart", but Moran himself expressed an unhappiness with the production, as well as the work's producer Robert Brustein and its presenting partners Ridge Theater, which apparently resulted in a tense and public split with the group. In a 1998 New York Times article the following year, Moran claimed to have seen his staging and visual ideas appropriated by the group, while being publicly uncredited to him by the group's director, Bob McGrath. This partly seems evidenced in the article itself, by Mr. Brustein (attempting to speak in McGrath's defense) mistakenly attributing several of Mr. Moran's theatrical techniques to McGrath (perhaps unknowingly). The article presented other points of view on the subject from the New York theater world of the time, but clearly marked an end to a decade of joint-production by the two parties.

In 1995 and 1996 his opera Mathew in The School of Life premiered at The Kitchen in New York City. The work featured vocals by poet Allen Ginsberg and a small part voiced by actress Julia Stiles. As a performer, The NY Times compared Moran with figures like Merce Cunningham and Twyla Tharp, and as a composer he received an Obie Award. In these later early works by Moran, one can find him expanding into work with theatrical illusions and detailed specifications regarding the works staging. The use of doubled performers, playing the same part were often employed in his scoring of these events, to mimic the effect of cinematic-style editing.

In 1993, Moran's trilogy opera Everyday, Newt Burman (The Trilogy of Cyclic Existence) debuted at the larger Annex space at La Mama E.T.C. in New York City to wide critical acclaim. Owing to the opera, Moran was awarded a Bessie Award. Moran also received a 1995 Foundation for Contemporary Arts Grants to Artists Award.

In 1990, Moran was commissioned by Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts to create his second opera, The Manson Family. A recording of the opera, which starred Iggy Pop, was produced by Glass and released on POINT Music/Philips/PolyGram Records. Although the recording was almost immediately recalled by its parent label for obscene language and content [receiving one of the country's first Parental Advisory stickers]. This is the only recording by Moran to present, which has ever received public release. In another unusual anecdote concerning Moran's early career, Charles Manson was thought to have taken it upon himself to send a letter to Wall Street Journal critic Mark Swed, for his penning a negative review of the opera upon its release.

Major works by Moran include: Jack Benny! (1988), The Manson Family: An Opera (1990), Everyday, Newt Burman (The Trilogy of Cyclic-Existence) (1993), Mathew in the School of Life (1997), Book of the Dead (2nd Avenue) (2000), John Moran...and his neighbor, Saori (2005), Saori's Birthday! (2007), John Moran and Saori (in Thailand) (2010), Etudes: Amsterdam (2012), 'everyone' (2019).

Moran's first opera, Jack Benny, was created in 1988, and composed entirely of snippets of sound from the Jack Benny television series. The piece was staged at New York's La Mama Experimental Theater Club, where it was presented by performance troupe Ridge Theater, and received strong praise in publications such as The New York Times. Although the work was considered a benchmark for modern composition at the time, the work itself was reportedly stolen in a Lower East Side apartment robbery, and has not been presented again. There are many unusual anecdotes about Moran's life at this time, including his living "behind the couch" of Philip Glass for several years, after showing up on the older composer's doorstep and announcing himself Glass' protégé. Glass himself confirmed such stories in several interviews (The Boston Globe, 1997 and The New York Times, 2000).

John Moran is an American composer, author, and choreographer. He was born in Lincoln, Nebraska in 1965.

John Moran is often considered the protégé of composer Philip Glass. He was born in Lincoln, Nebraska in 1965, and began his career with the debut of his first opera in 1988. His works as a composer and theater artist are unusual, in that actors or dancers are generally expected to work silently (as mimes) to a score of highly edited voices and sound-effects. These works are known for such specific interaction between sound and movement that they have sometimes been categorized as dance. Whatever the description of Moran's works, what most have agreed is that they defy any conventional classification. Over the last 2 decades, his work has featured performers such as Uma Thurman, Allen Ginsberg, Julia Stiles and Iggy Pop, at venues like Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, American Repertory Theater, New York Shakespeare Festival / Public Theater and many more internationally. Publications like The New York Times have referred to Moran as "one of the leading vanguards of American music-theater.", and The Boston Globe has written, "Moran is a modern-day Mozart." In 2003, Philip Glass was quoted as saying, "I am convinced that there is no more important composer working today, than John Moran."