The Gospel According to James and Other Plays

Charles Smith

Publication Year: 2012

<DIV><P>This collection of five award-winning plays by Charles Smith includes <i>Jelly Belly, Free Man of Color, Pudd’nhead Wilson, Knock Me a Kiss, </i>and <i>The Gospel According to James</i>. Powerful, provocative, and entertaining, these plays have been produced by professional theater companies across the country and abroad. Four of the plays are based on historical people and events from W.E.B. Du Bois and Countee Cullen to the Harlem Renaissance.</P><P>Accurate in the way they capture the political and cultural milieu of their historical settings, and courageous in the way they grapple with difficult questions such as race, education, religion, and social class, these plays jump off the page just as powerfully as they come to life on stage. This first-ever collection from one of the nation’s leading African American playwrights is a journey down the complex road of race and history.</P></DIV>

Published by: Ohio University Press

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The Gospel According to James is based on a double lynching that happened on August 8, 1930, in Marion, Indiana. The title character of the play, James Cameron, is based on the real-life James Cameron who, at the age of sixteen, narrowly escaped the lynching that took the lives of ...

Jelly Belly

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pp. 1-64

An early draft of Jelly Belly titled Jelly Belly Don’t Mess with Nobody was awarded the 1985 Cornerstone National Playwriting Award and was produced by Penumbra Theatre Company in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1986. The production was directed by James A. Williams, with set and lighting ...

Knock Me A Kiss

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pp. 65-145

Knock Me a Kiss was originally produced by Victory Gardens Theater, Chicago, Illinois, Dennis Začek, artistic director, Marcelle McVay, managing director, January 21 through February 27, 2000. The production was directed by Chuck Smith, with set design by Mary Griswold, costume ...

Pudd'nhead Wilson

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pp. 147-238

Pudd’nhead Wilson was commissioned and produced by The Acting Company, Margot Harley, producing director. The production was directed by Walter Dallas, with set design by Juliana von Haubrich, costume design by Andre Harrington, lighting design by Dennis Parichy, ...

Free Man of Color

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pp. 239-302

Free Man of Color was commissioned by Ohio University, Robert Glidden, president, and originally produced by Victory Gardens Theater, Chicago, Illinois, Dennis Začek, artistic director, Marcelle McVay, managing director. This world premiere production was in association with the Ohio ...

The Gospel According to James

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pp. 303-375

The Gospel According to James was commissioned in 2006 and produced March 22 to April 10, 2011, by the Indiana Repertory Theatre, Janet Allen, artistic director, Steven Stolen, managing director. The production was directed by Chuck Smith. Set design was by Linda Buchanan, costume ...

E-ISBN-13: 9780821444214
Print-ISBN-13: 9780821420058

Page Count: 348
Publication Year: 2012