Soggy Bottom U.S.A.

Theodore Jonas "Ted" Flicker is an American playwright, theatrical producer, television and film director, actor, screenwriter, author, and sculptor. Born in Freehold Borough, New Jersey, Flicker attended Admiral Farragut Academy in Tom's River, New Jersey from 1947 to 1949. From 1949 to 1951, he... studied at Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, alongside fellow drama students Joan Collins and Larry Hagman. In 1954, he became a member of Chicago's Compass Theater, America's first theater of improvisational comedy, a sub-genre he founded along with fellow comedy pioneer Elaine May. Together, they set the form's official rules, which are still followed by contemporary humorists. Eventually, he worked as producer, director, and performer with the Compass Players in St. Louis. The company was such a success that he was able to raise money to establish the Crystal Palace Theater, then the only monthly repertory stage in the country. In 1959 he wrote the book and directed the Broadway musical The Nervous Set. Fran Landesman provided the lyrics, and Tommy Wolf the musical score.
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