Martin Zurla(1944-2022)

Martin Zurla is the founder and Artistic Director of the Title Theatre and the Raft Theatre (Theatre Row, NYC). His stage play, "Old Friends," won the Forest A. Roberts Playwrights Award and his play, "February, The Present," won the Stanley Drama Award. Mr. Zurla's plays won the Colorado University Playwrights Competition for two consecutive years. His collection of one-act plays, "Aftermath: The Vietnam Experience," has been published by Open Passages, New York. Mr. Zurla has produced over two hundred plays and directed just as many. In addition to those mentioned, he has received numerous other threatrical awards, including the prestigious Theatre of Renewal Award for his "resplendent contribution to the development of American Theatre." Mr. Zurla has been a professional screenwriter for the past fifteen years, scripting such films as "Dogwatch," "Raw Deal," "Sometimes They Come Back" and "King Kong Lives." His screenplay, "Ground Zero," is currently in development at Castle Rock Entertainment. Mr. Zurla has taught at Columbia University, and currently teaches theatre at West Los Angeles Community College in Culver City, CA. He is a Vietnam Veteran and lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Katherine.