Don Evans facts for kids

Donald Thomas Evans (born April 27, 1938 – died October 16, 2003) was an American playwright, theater director, actor, and teacher. He was known for writing plays that explored the lives and experiences of African Americans.

Early Life and School

Don Evans was born on April 27, 1938. His birthplace was Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After serving in the United States Marine Corps, he went to college. He graduated from Cheyney State College in 1962. Later, he earned two advanced degrees from Temple University. He got a master's degree in 1968 and another special degree in fine arts in 1972.

Teaching and Community Work

In 1972, Don Evans became a professor at Trenton State College. This school is now called The College of New Jersey. He led the Afro-American Studies Department there. He also taught at Princeton University and Rutgers University. During this time, he wrote articles for magazines like Black World and Essence.

From 1978 to 1998, Evans worked with his friend, the famous playwright August Wilson. They helped create the National Black Theatre Summit at Dartmouth College. This meeting led to the creation of the African Grove Institute for the Arts. This institute helps support Black theater.

His Work in Theater

Don Evans studied acting, directing, and playwriting in New York City. This was from 1969 to 1970. At the same time, he taught English and Drama at Princeton High School.

He was part of the Black Arts Movement in the 1970s. This was a time when many Black artists created powerful works. His first short plays, Orrin and Sugarmouth Sam Don’t Dance No More, were performed in 1972. They were shown at the Crossroads Theatre in New Brunswick, New Jersey. The next year, these plays were performed in New York City.

In 1976, Evans wrote It’s Showdown Time. This was a funny play based on William Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. In 1978, he wrote Mahalia, his first musical. It was about the famous gospel singer Mahalia Jackson. In 1981, he wrote Louis, a musical about jazz legend Louis Armstrong.

Other plays he wrote include:

• Blues for a Gospel Queen
• The Trials and Tribulations of Staggerlee Booker T. Brown
• One Monkey Don't Stop No Show – This play was a mix of sad and funny. It looked at a Black middle-class family.
• A Lovesong for Miss Lydia – The New York Times newspaper said this play was like a new version of the "Big Bad Wolf" story.

His last play was When Miss Mollie Hit the Triple Bars, written in 1999. It was based on his mother's life.

Don Evans received special awards for his playwriting. These came from groups like the National Endowment for the Arts. Eighteen of his plays were performed. They were shown in the U.S. and in other countries like Germany, England, and Hong Kong. He also worked as an artistic director for the Karamu House in Cleveland, Ohio, from 1983 to 1988. In 1984, he was named an AMPARTS Fellow. This meant he traveled to India for the United States Information Agency.

Family Life

Don Evans was divorced from Frances Gooding Chapman. He had two sons, Todd and Orrin, and a daughter, Rachel Marianno. He passed away at age 65 from a heart attack on October 16, 2003. He died at his home in Merchantville, New Jersey.

List of Plays

Published Plays

• Sugarmouth Sam Don't Dance No More
• The Trials and Tribulations of Staggerlee Booker T. Brown
• The Prodigals
• One Monkey Don't Stop No Show

Plays That Were Produced

• Orrin
• Blues For A Gospel Queen
• Sugarmouth Sam Don't Dance No More
• Matters of Choice
• It's Showdown Time
• A Lovesong for Miss Lydia
• Louis (a musical about Louis Armstrong)
• Mahalia (a musical about Mahalia Jackson)
• One Monkey Don't Stop No Show

Unpublished Plays

• What Harriet Did
• Honky Tonk
• When Miss Mollie Hit the Triple Bars