Allen Zwerdling (October 12, 1922 – January 12, 2009) was an American journalist who was co-founder of Backstage, the "casting bible" for theater performers.
In the Army during World War II, Zwerdling directed plays and edited a military newspaper.
[1] They went out on their own and started Back Stage in 1960 with a run of ten thousand copies per week, reaching a peak circulation of 32,000.
despite the seemingly small circulation numbers, the various versions of Back Stage are often passed on between actors and others in related professions looking for work and information about the industry.
[1] Zwerdling died at age 86 on January 12, 2009, at his home in Rosendale, New York, where he had retired to a farm there after selling Back Stage.