Author Profile:  Shubert Fendrich

Shubert Fendrich, founder of Pioneer Drama Service, produced his first dramatic script as a junior high school student, but it was not until his college days at the University of Oregon that his love of theatre truly began.

It was while he was active in community theatre in Cody, Wyoming that the idea of a theatre publishing house was developed.  After all, he published a free distribution shopper, and press time was available!  He advertised in literary magazines, specifically requesting one-act plays for publication.

His knowledge of the many types of theatre and their markets grew as did the publishing house.  Without a background of experience built on other long established play publishers, Pioneer Drama Service, Inc.  developed its own unique personality.

Writing had long been one of his talents, and, at first, he created melodramas for a summer stock group in Cody called Ye Olde Faithful Players.  The classic melodrama of that period is Blazing Guns At Roaring Gulch.  With the development of a musical category for the publishing house, he began to develop book and lyrics for new titles.  Among the favorites are Ducktails And Bobbysox and Give My Regards To Broadway.

Mr. Fendrich was a member of the Dramatists Guild, a graduate of the University of Oregon, and held an MA in Theatre from the University of Wyoming.  The Shubert Fendrich Memorial Playwriting Award was established in his memory after his death in 1989.