David Mayer | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | November 23, 1928
Chicago, Illinois U.S. |
| Died | September 2023 (aged 94) |
| Occupation | Academic |
| Known for | Writing about theatre history, being mistaken for a Chechen terrorist |
| Relatives | Catherine Mayer (daughter), Lise Mayer (daughter) |
| Website |
www |
David Mayer (November 23, 1928 – September 2023) was an American-British theatre historian. He was Emeritus Professor of Drama and Honorary Research Professor at the University of Manchester. Mayer was also known for accidentally being placed on a U.S. terrorism blacklist due to a case of mistaken identity.
In 2016, Mayer discovered that he had been placed on a U.S. security list because a Chechen militant called Akhmed Chatayev, who was wanted by US authorities, had used the alias 'David Mayer'. [1] The case of mistaken identity meant Mayer could not travel to the US or receive mail from the US. [2] [3] [4] [5]
As of November 2020, Mayer was still encountering bureaucratic problems as a result of his name being on a watchlist. [6]
As a theatre historian, [7] his work centres on the "drama of the long 19th century and with the late-Victorian stage’s many links with early [silent] film." [8] [9] In 2012, he received the American Society for Theatre Research (ASTR) Distinguished Scholar Award. [10] In 2017, Mayer supported a campaign to save Harker's Studio, one of the last theatre scenery workshops in the UK. [11]
His publications include Stagestruck Filmmaker, about the film director D.W. Griffith and Harlequin in His Element: The English Pantomime, 1806–1836. [12] [13]
Mayer was a U.S. Army veteran and the father of the UK's Women's Equality Party founder Catherine Mayer, [1] and writer and activist Lise Mayer, who co-created the sitcom The Young Ones. [14]
Mayer died in September 2023, at the age of 94. [15]
References
- ^ a b "Strange case of theatre historian, 90, mistaken for one-armed terrorist". the Guardian. December 16, 2018. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
- ^ "Theatre historian, 90, can't get U.S. mail since ISIS fighter used his name as an alias". CBC. December 17, 2018.
- ^ "A 90-year-old U.S. veteran who shares a name with a Chechen terrorist is having a hard time travelling and receiving packages". New York Daily News. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
- ^ "U.S. Army Veteran Mistaken For ISIS Terrorist". Newsweek. December 16, 2018. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
- ^ "A 90-Year-Old US Army Vet With Same Name As A Terrorist Can't Fly Or Get Packages". Task & Purpose. December 17, 2018. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
- ^ Mayer, Catherine (November 23, 2020). "Twitter post". Twitter. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
- ^ Sanderson, David. "Top actors fight to stop curtain falling on Harker's Studios theatre workshop". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
- ^ "Prof David Mayer | The University of Manchester". www.research.manchester.ac.uk. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
- ^ Hasted, Michael (March 28, 2016). "BANDITS! OR THE COLLAPSING BRIDGE by David Mayer with Bryony Dixon". StageTalk Magazine. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
- ^ "Theatre historian receives award for outstanding achievement in scholarship | StaffNet | The University of Manchester". www.staffnet.manchester.ac.uk. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
- ^ Sanderson, David. "Top actors fight to stop curtain falling on Harker's Studios theatre workshop". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
- ^ Mayer, David; Mayer, Emeritus Professor of Drama David (1969). Harlequin in His Element: The English Pantomime, 1806–1836. Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-37275-7.
- ^ "David Mayer | University of Iowa Press - The University of Iowa". uipress.uiowa.edu. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
- ^ "Lise Mayer". HuffPost UK. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
- ^ "In Memoriam: David Mayer, 1928–2023". American Society for Theatre Research. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
 | This article needs additional or more specific
categories. (November 2022) |
- 1928 births
- 2023 deaths
- Writers from Chicago
- 21st-century American male writers
- 21st-century American historians
- 20th-century American historians
- Academics of the University of Manchester
- 20th-century American male writers
- American expatriate academics
- American expatriates in the United Kingdom
- Historians of theatre