I first met Irving A. Greenfield in 2015 during rehearsal for the first of many of his plays that I directed at the American Theatre of Actors. Each play Irving wrote incorporated a piece of his own life in it. The play was called “One More Time.” Irving came to a few rehearsals to answer questions the cast had about the play and its characters. The lead character, who was divorced three times, was a successful romance novelist writing under a woman’s name. Irving himself wrote romance novels under the pseudonym Alicia Grace, in honor of his wife, Anita G. Greenfield. At the last performance, Irving told me that he loved how I brought his play to fruition, and then handed me his next play to direct, “Family Matters.”

“Family Matters” was produced in 2016 and the play again had parts of Irving’s life scattered throughout. Irving visited us during the rehearsal process, and it was wonderful having him stop by and share stories about his life. This play dealt with family relationships and the clearing of the air on past matters that were never resolved. The play was a unique directing challenge because two actresses alternated in the lead role of Rose.

In 2017, I directed his play, “P.O.W.” This play was based on a true-life experience that Irving had as a soldier during the Korean War. I loved when Irving came to rehearsals and shared little snippets of his life that pertained to the plot. In order to make the play more contemporary, I thought that it was a stroke of genius for Irving to change the story from the Korean War to Vietnam. He moved it to a time of turmoil in our country when people had very strong emotions about the Vietnam War. What helped in directing this play is that two of my actors were Vietnam Veterans who served in the Navy. One of the actors served two tours of duty in Vietnam. Also, the husband of one of my actresses served in Vietnam as well. These three actors were able to add a rawness and an added layer of truth to the play. At the end of every performance, we had a talk back with the audience. The audience was asked to decide if the main character was guilty or innocent based upon his actions in the play. The last performance was dedicated to Irving’s son who had passed away earlier that year. We sold out that performance. Half of the audience was comprised of Irving’s family and friends who had traveled from different parts of the U.S. and Japan to attend the show. This was a true testament to who Irving was and how he touched so many people, including myself. When sending out draft press releases and emails about this play, I shared with Irving what I had written. His response was, “I am humbled by your reaction to my work.”

The next play I directed in 2018 was “Banned in Bisbee.” This play was based on another true story. Irving’s series of Depth Force books were actually banned by the town of Bisbee, AZ. During one of the rehearsals, Irving told us about receiving a letter and a copy of a local news article from the librarian in Bisbee informing him that his books and his Depth Forth series were banned from the library due to their sexual content. The letter and article inspired Irving to write the play. Irving had a wonderful way of telling a story. In the play, a couple of characters from his books step out of the pages and appear in the dreams of the Mayor of Bisbee and his wife. Irving even wrote a part for himself in the play. Irving and his wife came in during one of our rehearsals so we could film his role. That was a fun day for all. I got to direct Irving in his own play and everyone who interacted with his character added a little flair to the taping. I always enjoyed spending time with Irving and his wife. We would often chat on the phone, share an email, or I would pick them up at their home in Staten Island and we’d all go out for dinner. Those special times were the ones I miss the most, when both Irving and his wife Anita shared personal stories with me.

In 2022, I got to direct Irving’s play, “What Do We Do About Walter?” This one was set on a college campus and was about an English professor who was a successful author. Irving was a college English professor himself as well as a prolific and successful writer.

Irving was always sending me works of his. He wrote over 300 short stories and books. He sent me a screenplay that I liked but I thought it might be tough turning it into a play. He also gave me one of his novels and a book of his short stories. I found two short stories that I asked him to turn into plays. He completed one of them, “My Mother’s Bookie.” It will premiere from January 31^st to February 11^th at the American Theater of Actors. It’s paired with another one of Irving’s plays, “Billy,” which won a Yukon Pacific Playwriting Award when it was produced for Public Access TV, and a NOVA Award for the most original play on CTV (Community Access TV). It also ran off-off-Broadway at the Theatre Studio in NYC.

Irving once said to me in an email, “You have a real feel for the way I write, and you communicate that to the actors.” I am sad that Irving is no longer with us, but audiences will continue to know him through his plays. I am grateful that I had the opportunity to know this wonderful and talented man. He is sorely missed!