Willis Richardson
Playwright, Educator
1889-1977
Years:
Affiliations:
Dunbar High School, Howard University, Karamu House, Broadway
Washington DC
Locations:
Connections:
May Miller, WEB Du Bois, Mary Burrill, Angelina Weld Grimke, Irene Colbert Edmonds, Langston Hughs
According to Christine Rauchfuss Gray, "Richardson is the first African-American playwright to have developed a body of plays explicitly for Black children. Simple, one-act morality tales, their themes are brotherhood and understanding among the races; many of his plays promote racial pride among black children. Published in The Brownies' Book were The King's Dilemma (December 1920); The Gypsy's Finger-Ring (March 1921); The Children's Treasure (June 1921); and The Dragon's Tooth (October 1921)"(Gray).
In 1956, Richardson's collection of plays for children, The King's Dilemma and Other Plays for Children: Episodes of Hope and Dream was published by Exposition Press. This may by the first anthology of Black TYA. The volume included his earlier plays from The Brownies 'Book as well as new plays. "These simple plays have themes that urge equality and kindness to others" (Willis Richardson, Forgotten Pioneer of African-American Drama, 1999.)
Born in Wilmington, North Carolina, Richardson became a key figure in the Harlem Renaissance, using his plays to challenge racial stereotypes and offer complex, authentic portrayals of Black life. Willis Richardson was a trailblazer whose 1923 Broadway play The Chip Woman’s Fortune marked the first non-musical drama by a Black playwright to be produced on Broadway.
Richardson graduated from Dunbar/M Street where he worked with teachers were Mary Burrill & Angelina Grimke (above). W.E.B. Du Bois published his first play. Others were published in Crisis and The Brownies Book. Richardson edited the anthologies Plays and Pageants from the Life of the Negro (1930) and Negro History in Thirteen Plays (1935) with May Miller (above).
Additional Information: https://www.metropolitanplayhouse.org/infocompromise
Willis Richardson, Forgotten Pioneer of African-American Drama (Book) https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780313303739
Check out this podcast on Willis Richardson: https://galsguide.org/2019/02/18/gals-guide-podcast-willis-richardson/
