Caris corfman biography of williams
Kate Burton
By Annette Hinkle
The actress and Artistic Associate of Bay Street Theatre appears in “Caris’ Peace,” a documentary about her friend, Caris Corfman (pictured above, left, with Kate). In the early 1990s at the height of her acting career, Caris developed a brain tumor. After several operations, her short term memory was destroyed — as was her career. The film, by Gaylen Ross, will be screened Friday as part of the Hamptons International Film Festival.
How did you first come to meet Caris and what were your initial impressions of her?
I first met Caris at Yale School of Drama. She was a third year actress when I was a first year. Like any hierarchal school, she might as well have already been on Broadway. We idolized her. She was the leading lady of the class and did what she wanted. She was beautiful and talented. I really got to know her later when we were both working in New York.
In the documentary, photos and clips of Caris pre-tumor show a vibrant young woman who had a stellar career — appearing in leading roles on Broadway as well as on television and in films. How did the Caris you knew from those days differ from Caris after the tumor?
I spent some time with her just as she was realizing something was wrong. It was incredible. She was 36 years old when the tumor appeared, and to see someone who had been this extremely beautiful, sexy woman go from being absolutely stunning and within the course of a very short time – less than a few years — transform into a heavy middle aged woman was really unbelievable. It was a total transformation.
Her journey was so heroic — a combination of losing her memory but also seeing the girl she knew vanish when she looked in the mirror. With Caris, she was also dealing with huge medical issues. The medication had added so much weight to her. She was a dancer and had always had an extraordinary body.
One of the things that intrigued me about the movie is that so much of her personality was still very
Fellowships and Scholarships
At David Geffen School of Drama, fellowships and scholarships are awarded exclusively to students with demonstrated financial need.
The Nina Adams and Moreson Kaplan Scholarship was established in 2015 with a gift from Nina Adams ’69 M.S., ’77 M.S.N., and Dr. Moreson Kaplan. The scholarship benefits a student in the Acting program.
The John Badham Scholarship, established in 2006 by John Badham ’63, is awarded to students in the Directing program.
The John M. Badham Fund was established in 1987 by John Badham ’63.
The Mark Bailey Scholarship, established in 1991 through an estate gift from Marcia E. Bailey, is awarded with a preference to graduates of high schools in the state of Maine who show promise in the field of drama.
The George Pierce Baker Memorial Scholarship, established by friends of the late Professor Baker and by alumni of the School in 1960, honors the memory of Professor Baker, who chaired the Yale Department of Drama from its founding in 1925 through 1933.
The Herbert H. and Patricia M. Brodkin Scholarship was established in 1963 by Mr. and Mrs. Brodkin, classes of 1940 and 1941 respectively.
The Patricia M. Brodkin Memorial Scholarship was established in 1983 by Herbert Brodkin ’40, associates, and friends in memory of his wife Patricia ’41.
The Robert Brustein Scholarship, established in 2016 by Rocco Landesman and Heidi Ettinger to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Yale Rep, honors the legacy of Robert Brustein, former dean of the School and founding artistic director of Yale Repertory Theatre. This scholarship is awarded to a student in the Dramaturgy program.
The Paul Carter Scholarship, established in 1995 in memory of Paul Carter, a 1983 Technical Design and Production graduate of the School and author of The Backstage Handbook, by his family and friends, is awarded to a student in the Technical Design and Production program.
The Ciriello Family Scholarship was established in 2
Dreamchild (1985)
A former fellow Florida State University School of Theatre student during the mid-1970s, lovely, talented actress Caris Corfman suffered a tragic and debilitating reversal of fortunes in 1993. Diagnosed with a brain tumor, four operations to remove the benign mass left her with a severe and unrepairable disability. She lost the functioning of the part of her brain that controls short term memory. As a result, she could no longer memorize new lines. What was most amazing was that she could still repeat verbatim passages or monologues she had learned years and years before her operation.
In a bravura turn, Ms. Corfman returned to the stage after over a decade (Flea Theater in Lower Manhattan, October 2005) in an amazing and spiritually rewarding one-woman show entitled "Caris' Peace," in which she talks (via the use of index cards to help keep her focus and continuity of what she covered earlier) about her life and illness, before and after. As writer David Carr expressed in an article about Caris and her showcase, "Her performance is about why she can no longer perform." A filmed documentary entitled "Caris' Peace" chronicles the former actress' story and personal battles. It is obvious to me that this incredibly courageous woman never lost the love and passion she had for the stage.
The Boston-born actress (born in 1955) arrived at FSU in the mid-1970s, about the same time I did. For me, her talent was obvious from the very start. Her showcases while there ranged from a lovely and tender performance as Laura in "The Glass Menagerie" to a strong role in a daring feminist production of "The Taming of the Shrew" in which the actresses took on the male roles and vice versa. Caris played one of the trans-gendered parts with consummate energy, poise and skill. Also appearing in that very cast was another of New York's future preeminent actresses J. Smith-Cameron
Funny Farm (film)
1988 film by George Roy Hill
Funny Farm is a 1988 American comedy film starring Chevy Chase and Madolyn Smith. The film was adapted from a 1985 comedic novel of the same name by Jay Cronley. It was the final film directed by George Roy Hill before his death in 2002.
Plot
Andy Farmer (Chase) is a New York City sports writer who moves with his wife, Elizabeth (Smith), to the seemingly charming town of Redbud, Vermont, so he can write a novel. They do not get along well with the residents, and other quirks arise such as being given exorbitant funeral bills for a long-dead man buried on their land years before they acquired the house.
Marital troubles soon arise from the quirkiness of Redbud as well as the fact that Elizabeth was critical of Andy's manuscript, while writing her own manuscripts for children's books. Andy's publisher comes to town to personally see the manuscript of the novel after letters informing him of his deadline go unanswered. To avoid having to return the advance that the publisher gave him, Andy takes one of Elizabeth's manuscripts and passes it off as his own. After Elizabeth receives a call from Andy's publisher praising the work on "his children's book", she leaves Andy out of anger.
They soon decide to divorce and sell their home. To expedite the sale, the Farmers offer the town's residents a $15,000 donation to Redbud and $50 cash each if they help make a good impression on their prospective home buyers. To that end, the citizens remake Redbud into a perfect Norman Rockwell-style town. Their charade dazzles a pair of prospective buyers, who make the Farmers an offer on the house; however, Andy declines to sell, realizing that he genuinely enjoys small-town living.
He and Elizabeth decide to stay together in Redbud, much to the chagrin of the locals, who are now angry that they lost their promised money. Though the mayor does not hold the Farmers liable for the $15,000, as the sale of their house did no