Charles Ludlam

Passions

Vocation

American actor, director, and playwright. Ludlam received a degree in dramatic literature from Hofstra University in 1964. He joined John Vaccaro's Play-House of the Ridiculous, and after a falling out, became founder of the Ridiculous Theatrical Company in New York City in 1967. Ludlam usually appeared in his plays (particularly noted for his female roles), and had written one of the first plays to deal (though tangentially) with HIV infection. His most popular play, and the only one to enter the standard repertory, is The Mystery of Irma Vep, in which two actors manage, through a variety of quick-change techniques, to play seven roles in a send-up of gothic horror novels. In order to ensure cross-dressing, rights to perform the play include a stipulation that the actors must be of the same sex. In 1991, Irma Vep was the most produced play in the United States; and in 2003, it became the longest-running play ever produced in Brazil. Ludlam was diagnosed with AIDS in March 1987. He died on 28 May 1987 of PCP pneumonia in St. Vincent's Hospital, New York. Link to Wikipedia biography