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Christopher Durang first studied theater at Harvard before moving on to the Yale School of Drama and working under Robert Brustein. He began his career as a parodist, penning The Idiots Karamazov and The Vietnamization of New Jersey before finding his trademark blend of satire and black comedy. Influenced by Eugene Ionesco and Tom Stoppard, among others, Durang uses wit and absurdity to take on issues of religion and family. His best-known works are the domestic comedies The Marriage of Bette and Boo and Baby With the Bathwater, and the religious satire Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All for You. Though Durang has written several screenplays, only Beyond Therapy, first staged as a play, has been filmed, under the direction of Robert Altman. As an actor, Durang has contributed spirited cameos to quite a few films, including a turn as Santa in Life With Mikey and as a magical sprite in Simply Irresistible. He has also collaborated on stage projects with Sigourney Weaver.