Douglas turner ward biography of william shakespeare

Douglas Turner Ward

American playwright and actor (–)

Douglas Turner Ward

Ward in the documentary, The Lion at Rest

BornRoosevelt Ward Jr.
()May 5,
Burnside, Louisiana, U.S.
DiedFebruary 20, () (aged&#;90)
Manhattan, New York, U.S.
OccupationPlaywright, actor, director, theatrical producer
Alma&#;materUniversity of Michigan
Period–
Notable awardsDrama Desk Award
Happy Ending and Day of Absence

Douglas Turner Ward (May 5, &#;&#; February 20, ) was an American playwright, actor, director, and theatrical producer.

He was noted for being a founder and artistic director of the Negro Ensemble Company (NEC).[1] He was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play in for his role in The River Niger, which he also directed.

Early life

Ward was born Roosevelt Ward Jr. in Burnside, Louisiana, on May 5, [2] His parents, Roosevelt Ward and Dorothy (Short),[3] were poor farmers who also owned a tailoring business.

They relocated to New Orleans when Ward was eight years old, and he went to Xavier University Preparatory School. He was accepted by Wilberforce University in , before transferring to the University of Michigan. He majored in politics and theater, but dropped out of college at the age of 19 and relocated to New York City. There, he became friends with Lorraine Hansberry and Lonne Elder III.[2]

Ward became a member of the Progressive Party at the end of the s and aligned himself on the left of the political spectrum.

Biography of william shakespeare pdf: Ward, Anne c. Comic, not militant or angry, his plays tend to be extended jokes, ironic situations that he develops into short dramatic pieces. Ward, Cornelius. His specialty was the depiction of the lives of common, working-class black people.

He was imprisoned in New Orleans while appealing his conviction for draft evasion. After his conviction was reversed, he returned to New York and worked as a reporter for the Daily Worker. Ward also joined the Paul Mann Actors Workshop to study theater. He subsequently adopted the stage name Douglas Turner Ward, a tribute to his two role models: Frederick Douglass and Nat Turner.[2]

Career

As an actor, Turner made one of his first performances in The Iceman Cometh by Eugene O'Neill in , at the Circle in the Square Theatre.[2] Three years later, he made his Broadway debut in a small role in A Raisin in the Sun, alongside Sidney Poitier and Claudia McNeil.[2][4] His first significant artistic achievement would be as a playwright, however.

Happy Ending/Day of Absence, a program of two one-act plays, premiered at the St. Mark's Playhouse in Manhattan on November 15, [5][6] It ultimately ran for performances over 15 months,[5] enduring through the transit strike.[2] That same year, Ward authored an opinion piece in The New York Times titled "American Theater: For Whites Only?"[2] The piece garnered a grant from W.

McNeil Lowry of the Ford Foundation.[2] He later received his first Drama Desk Award for outstanding new playwright.[2][5]

Ward was one of the founders of the Negro Ensemble Company in , and served for many years as its artistic director.

Douglas turner ward biography of william shakespeare He was Ward, Hugh. His parents moved to New Orleans when he was only eight years old, where his father, Roosevelt Ward, took a position as foreman on the docks during World War II. Marks Playhouse.

It notably produced The River Niger (), which won the Tony Award for Best Play in and was adapted as a film of the same name two years later. Ward himself acted in and directed that play, receiving a nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Play. The company also produced Home () by Samm-Art Williams and A Soldier's Play () by Charles Fuller.

The latter won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and was adapted into the film A Soldier's Story.[2]

Ward was enshrined into the American Theater Hall of Fame in He was also conferred the Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Award. He published The Haitian Chronicles in March , having worked on the three-play series for around four decades.

He viewed the series, which focused on the Haitian Revolution, as his magnum opus and intended to have it staged by NEC alumni.[2]

Personal life

Ward married Diana Powell Ward in [2] Together, they had two children: Elizabeth Ward–Cuprill[7] and Douglas Powell Ward.[2]

Ward died on February 20, , at his home in Manhattan.

He was [2]

Selected credits

Theatre

Directing

Writing

Year Production Theatre(s) Notes
The Redeemer[16]Theatre Four Part of a program of three one-act plays, entitled About Heaven and Earth
Day of Absence[14]St.

Mark's Playhouse

Part of a program of two one-act plays with Brotherhood
Brotherhood[14]St. Mark's Playhouse Part of a program of two one-act plays with Day of Absence
The Reckoning[17]St.

Mark's Playhouse

Day of Absence[18]St. Mark's Playhouse Part of a program of two one-act plays with Happy Ending
Happy Ending[18]St.

  • Happy Ending (By D.T. Ward) : Book by Douglas Turner Ward ...
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  • Details

    • Mark's Playhouse

    		Part of a program of two one-act plays with Day of Absence

    Acting

    Awards and nominations

    • Drama Desk Award for Happy Ending and Day of Absence[6]
    • Drama Desk Award (with Robert Hooks and Gerald S.

      Krone,[23]Negro Ensemble Company)[6]

    • Drama Desk Award (Outstanding Performance) for Ceremonies in Dark Old Men[6]
    • Tony Award Special Award (with Robert Hooks and Gerald S. Krone, Negro Ensemble Company)[6]
    • Tony Award, Best Play (with Robert Hooks and Gerald S.

      Krone, Negro Ensemble Company) for The River Niger[6]

    • Tony Award nomination, Best Featured Actor in a Play for The River Niger[6]
    • Tony Award nomination, Best Play (with Robert Hooks and Gerald S. Krone, Negro Ensemble Company) for The First Breeze of Summer[6]
    • Drama Desk Award nomination, Outstanding New Play (with Robert Hooks and Gerald S.

      Krone, Negro Ensemble Company) for Nevis Mountain Dew[6]

    • Drama Desk Award nomination, Outstanding New Play (with Robert Hooks and Gerald S. Krone, Negro Ensemble Company) for A Soldier's Play[6]
    • Drama Desk Award nomination, Outstanding Director of a Play for A Soldier's Play[6]

    References

    1. ^Lopez, Oscar (January 4, ).

      "Fighting with Guerrilla Theater After the Death of Eric Garner". Newsweek. Retrieved January 25,

    2. ^ abcdefghijklmnNesmith, Nathaniel G.

      (February 22, ). "Douglas Turner Ward, Pioneer in Black Theater, Dies at 90".

      Biography of arthur conan doyle Ward, Harriet —c. Mark's Playhouse. In other projects. Ward, James M.

      The New York Times. Retrieved February 22,

    3. ^"Douglas Turner Ward Chronology". The Douglas Turner Ward Quarterly. March 14, Retrieved January 25,
    4. ^ ab"A Raisin in the Sun". New York, New York: Internet Broadway Database.

      Retrieved December 3,

    5. ^ abc"Happy Ending/Day of Absence". New York, New York: Lortel Archives:The Internet off-Broadway Database. Archived from the original on September 13, Retrieved December 3,
    6. ^ abcdefghijklm"Douglas Turner Ward".

    7. Biography of william shakespeare pdf
    8. Douglas turner ward biography of william shakespeare book
    9. Biography

      10. New York, New York: Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved December 3,

    10. ^"Weddings; Elizabeth Ward, Manuel Cuprill Jr". The New York Times. July 19, Retrieved January 25,
    11. ^"A Soldier's Play". New York, New York: Lortel Archives:Internet off-Broadway Database.

      Archived from the original on January 6, Retrieved December 4,

    12. ^"Zooman and the Sign". New York, New York: Lortel Archives:Internet off-Broadway Database.

      Douglas turner ward biography of william shakespeare pdf Ward married Diana Powell Ward in His early education was at Wilberforce University and the University of Michigan. Ward, Bernard Nicholas. Ward, James M.

      Archived from the original on September 17, Retrieved December 4,

    13. ^"Home". New York, New York: Lortel Archives:Internet off-Broadway Database. Archived from the original on October 7, Retrieved December 4,
    14. ^"Home – Theatre Four — Cort Theatre". New York, New York: Internet Broadway Database.

      Retrieved December 4,

    15. ^ ab"The First Breeze of Summer". New York, New York: Lortel Archives:Internet off-Broadway Database. Archived from the original on October 2, Retrieved December 4,
    16. ^"The River Niger".

      New York, New York: Lortel Archives:Internet off-Broadway Database. Archived from the original on October 2, Retrieved December 4,

    17. ^ abcd"Happy Ending/Day of Absence". New York, New York: Lortel Archives: The Internet Off-Broadway Database.

      Archived from the original on October 7, Retrieved December 4,

    18. ^"Daddy Goodness". New York, New York: Lortel Archives:Internet off-Broadway Database.

      Douglas turner ward biography of william shakespeare in 400 words SNAC 2. Douglas Turner Ward, an actor, director, and playwright, was considered a legend in African American theatre. McNeil Lowry of the Ford Foundation. Selected credits [ edit ].

      Archived from the original on October 7, Retrieved December 4,

    19. ^ ab"About Heaven and Earth". New York, New York: Lortel Archives: The Internet Off-Broadway Database. Archived from the original on October 7, Retrieved December 4,
    20. ^"The Reckoning".

      New York, New York: Lortel Archives: The Internet Off-Broadway Database. Archived from the original on October 7, Retrieved December 4,

    21. ^ ab"Happy Ending/Day of Absence". New York, New York: Lortel Archives: The Internet Off-Broadway Database. Archived from the original on September 13, Retrieved December 4,
    22. ^ abc"The River Niger".

      New York, New York: Lortel Archives: The Internet Off-Broadway Database. Archived from the original on October 2, Retrieved December 4,

    23. ^ abc"The River Niger". United States: Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved December 4,
    24. ^ ab"The River Niger".

      United States: Internet Theatre Database. Retrieved December 4,

    25. ^"Ceremonies in Dark Old Men". New York, New York: Lortel Archives: The Internet Off-Broadway Database. Archived from the original on August 12, Retrieved December 4,
    26. ^Genzlinger, Neil, "Gerald Krone, 86, Founder Of Negro Theater Troupe, Dies at 86", The New York Times, New York Edition, Section D, Page 6, March 9,

    External links