Ron Vawater:

Ron Vawter American, 1948–1994

Roy Cohn/Jack Smith stage set 1992

Your first impression of this set is what is its purpose? Who are Roy Cohn and Jack Smith, what do they have to do with this set? Upon looking further into the background you learn the sad story that it represents. 


Ron Vawter is a play write/ set director/ actor that was part of the experimental theater company known as the Wooster Group. The Wooster's emerged between 1975-198. In the year 1992 he worked on the set for a play known as Roy Cohn/Jack Smith. The play is two monologues that follow the story of two men who died from AIDS. 

Ron Vawter has done more preformance art versus visual art, in fact the set design for Roy Cohn/ Jack Smith is the only work that has been recorded today. He has been in many movies and plays such as Silence of the Lambs,  Philadelphia, and Swoon 


I would classify Roy Vawater as a very talented artist, I had no idea what his set design was about and really doubted his credibility, I think that any kind of design has its hard parts and the material he was designing for was very controversial at this time and he executed it thoroughly and respectfully. Set design can be difficult especially for plays. They have to be able to have multiple purposes, simple yet tell a story, and be practical to construct. 


Ron Vwater lives from 1948-1994 and was suffering from AIDS himself.