Theater Director, Producer. A pioneer of the American resident theater movement. She discovered playwright Tennessee Williams and co-directed the premiere on Broadway of his drama "The Glass Menagerie." From 1936 to 1942 Jones also founded and directed the Community Players in Houston, working with the late writer and actor Cy Howard, who later created the TV series "My Friend Irma," and Emmy-winning actor Ray Walston, who starred in the TV series "My Favorite Martian" and in other TV productions and movies. Jones founded what began as Dallas' Theater '47, the first professional theater-in-the-round in the nation. It was the inspiration for Nina Vance's Alley Theatre in Houston and similar ventures elsewhere. At Dallas, most of her productions were world premieres. Among actors who got their start with Jones in Dallas were Larry Hagman and Jack Warden. She produced and directed plays such as "On Whitman Avenue," "Joan of Lorraine," "You Touched Me," "The Purification" and "Summer and Smoke." Margo Jones died in Dallas on July 24, 1955, accidentally poisoned by carbon tetrachloride that had been used to clean the carpet in her apartment. In 1961 playwrights Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee established the Margo Jones Award and the Texas Historical Commission has designated Jones' birthplace in Livingston a state landmark. Her full name was Margaret Virginia Jones.
Theater Director, Producer. A pioneer of the American resident theater movement. She discovered playwright Tennessee Williams and co-directed the premiere on Broadway of his drama "The Glass Menagerie." From 1936 to 1942 Jones also founded and directed the Community Players in Houston, working with the late writer and actor Cy Howard, who later created the TV series "My Friend Irma," and Emmy-winning actor Ray Walston, who starred in the TV series "My Favorite Martian" and in other TV productions and movies. Jones founded what began as Dallas' Theater '47, the first professional theater-in-the-round in the nation. It was the inspiration for Nina Vance's Alley Theatre in Houston and similar ventures elsewhere. At Dallas, most of her productions were world premieres. Among actors who got their start with Jones in Dallas were Larry Hagman and Jack Warden. She produced and directed plays such as "On Whitman Avenue," "Joan of Lorraine," "You Touched Me," "The Purification" and "Summer and Smoke." Margo Jones died in Dallas on July 24, 1955, accidentally poisoned by carbon tetrachloride that had been used to clean the carpet in her apartment. In 1961 playwrights Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee established the Margo Jones Award and the Texas Historical Commission has designated Jones' birthplace in Livingston a state landmark. Her full name was Margaret Virginia Jones.
Bio by: José L Bernabé Tronchoni
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