Garland Anderson (playwright) facts for kids

Garland Anderson (born February 18, 1886 – died June 1, 1939) was an American playwright and speaker. He is known for his important contributions to African-American literature. Anderson became famous after his play, Appearances, was shown on Broadway. It was the first full-length play by an African American to be produced there. After this, Anderson gave many talks about feeling strong and finding success, often based on the New Thought movement.

Anderson was born in Wichita, Kansas. His family later moved to Sacramento, California. He left home when he was young and worked many jobs, like a newsboy, a railroad porter, and a hotel bellhop. In his late 30s, he read a book about New Thought ideas. He also saw a play by Channing Pollack. Anderson then realized that his own life experiences and new positive attitude could become a play.

He wrote the first version of Appearances. With help from famous entertainer Al Jolson, the play made it to Broadway. Even though it didn't run for a very long time, people admired Anderson's hard work and positive spirit. The play was produced several times and toured across the United States and the United Kingdom. Anderson later lived in the UK, where he invented a malted-milk product and gave talks about faith. He received support from important people, like Dean of Canterbury Dick Sheppard. Anderson returned to the US for a speaking tour, became a New Thought minister, and married Doris Sequirra. After they went back to England, Doris wrote a book about their adventures. Anderson wrote other plays and books. In early 1939, he was promoting his book, Uncommon Sense, hoping it could become a play. He had a heart attack in London and died in New York a few days after returning there.

Appearances was a very important play. It was the first full-length play by an African American to be shown on Broadway. Before this, only a one-act play by Willis Richardson had been produced there in 1923.

Garland Anderson's Early Life

Most of the information we have about Garland Anderson comes from old newspaper clippings. These clippings were often kept in his own scrapbooks.

Growing Up in Kansas

Anderson was born on February 18, 1886. He was the fourth of twelve children. After about four years of school, his family moved to California. His parents were Louis Anderson and Naomi Bowman. Newspaper articles from that time said his father was born into slavery.

Wichita, Kansas, where Anderson was born, became a city in 1870, after the American Civil War. It's likely Anderson's parents moved there for better job opportunities and because people were more accepting of different races. Churches for Black people started in the late 1870s, and more Black families moved to the city in the 1880s.

After Wichita became a city, it grew quickly. Two colleges were founded, and the Kansas Civil Rights Act of 1874 was passed. By 1890, Wichita was the third-largest city in Kansas. However, the city later faced tough economic times.

Life in California

When Anderson's family arrived in Sacramento, his father worked as a janitor for the post office. Sadly, his mother died soon after they moved. Anderson then moved to San Francisco. From the 1860s to the 1880s, San Francisco was becoming a major city. It grew in all directions and built things like Golden Gate Park and its famous cable-car system.

In the early 1900s, Anderson worked as a newsboy. Later, he might have worked as a railroad porter. For about 15 years, starting around 1909, Anderson worked as a bellhop in different hotels.

Appearances: A Play is Born

In early 1924, Garland Anderson became interested in psychology and read a book about New Thought. He was very impressed by these ideas. He then saw a play called The Fool by Channing Pollack. This made Anderson believe he could write a similar play based on his own life. At this time, he was taking care of his brother's widow and her four children.

Anderson later said about his decision to write:

At first the idea seemed absurd ... I had no training in writing plays. But I also knew that if I didn't try, it would be like a tiny acorn refusing to grow into a great oak tree. With this strong belief, I decided to write a play.

He wrote his play, Don't Judge By Appearances, in just three weeks. His typist said she was so interested in the story that it even helped her solve a personal problem. Anderson showed his play to a newspaper critic, George Warren. Warren thought the idea was great, but the writing needed work. Anderson's friends and co-workers at his hotel supported him because of his positive attitude.

He connected with Al Jolson, a famous singer and actor, who helped him develop the play and move to New York City in 1924. Anderson was also the vice-president of the NAACP chapter in San Francisco.

Bringing the Play to New York

In January 1925, it was reported that Al Jolson had paid for Anderson to move to New York. By April, however, the play was having trouble getting enough money. Anderson held a reading of the play for 600 people at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel to try and get support. Even though people were moved to tears, the reading only raised $140.

Newspapers continued to write about the play. When funding was still low, Anderson even went to see President Calvin Coolidge and New York Governor Al Smith. In June, another writer was brought in, and the play's name was changed to Appearances. A theater manager, Lester W. Sagar, agreed to produce it.

Anderson returned to his job in San Francisco. He sold some of the play's rights for the West Coast after two public readings. One of these readings was even broadcast on the radio. The mayor of San Francisco gave him a big send-off. Anderson quickly returned to New York in September.

Appearances had preview shows in Elmira, New York, and Utica. It officially opened at the Frolic Theater in New York on October 13. Lionel Monagas and Mildred Wall played the main characters. On opening night, the play received a standing ovation. However, the reviews were not all great, though Anderson himself was praised. The New York Times said it was "finely conceived, crudely wrought." They noted that the play was still "moving" and filled with "proud, dignified, restrained preaching."

The play ran for only three weeks. But it was still a huge step forward as the first full-length play by a Black man produced on Broadway. Anderson continued to speak about his ideas at schools and community meetings. He tried to bring the play back to Broadway in late November, with interest from famous producer David Belasco. The play had a short revival thanks to unexpected supporters.

Touring the West Coast

In June 1926, Anderson was in Los Angeles trying to sell the film rights for Appearances to help fund another production. He also spoke at a fundraiser for the NAACP. In April 1927, a new production of the play opened at the Majestic Theatre in Los Angeles. According to Anderson, Appearances ran for five weeks there. While reviews were more positive, Anderson himself was more popular than his play.

Appearances then went on tour. It opened in San Francisco and ran for about 12 weeks. During the play's trial scene, audience members acted as jurors, and their reactions were so strong that the entire audience was treated as jurors. The play then traveled to Oakland, Seattle, and Vancouver before heading east.

Across the Country and Overseas

In late 1928, Appearances was shown in Great Falls, Montana, and Bismarck, North Dakota, receiving good reviews. It then went to Minneapolis and Des Moines, Iowa. In January 1929, Anderson was in Chicago, where the play was well-received and ran for nine weeks.

In 1929, Anderson sold another work called Extortion to David Belasco. Appearances closed in June after 23 performances. Anderson also wrote another play, but it was not produced.

In January 1930, Anderson successfully brought Appearances overseas to London. He began speaking publicly about the ideas in his play. Appearances was staged in March and toured Wales, Scotland, Brussels, and Paris. Anderson stayed in London, giving "tea talks" at the Mayfair Hotel.

What People Thought of the Play

Appearances was reprinted in 1996, and people have continued to discuss the play and its author. Some have said that Appearances did not focus on "Black material" and was only about the murder of a white woman.

However, the play had a big impact. Because no New York critic complained about Black and white actors appearing together on stage, other plays soon followed. For example, within four months of Appearances opening, a play called Lulu Belle (1926) was produced with many Black and white actors. This shows that Appearances helped start a more integrated stage on Broadway.

Garland Anderson's Speaking Tours

In the United Kingdom

In the summer of 1930, Anderson had a public debate in London about where he got his ideas. In December, he gave a talk called "Can playwrights turn failure into success?" He also opened a milk bar. In 1932, he spoke to a theater club in Manchester, and Appearances was performed as a Christmas show to help unemployed people.

In 1935, Anderson gave a talk called "Finding our place in life," which started a speaking tour. He published a book about faith called Uncommon Sense; The Law of Life in Action. He reportedly gave talks in Germany, France, and Austria. A famous writer, John Galsworthy, invited him to speak to PEN, a London writers' group.

In the United States

Anderson returned to the US on May 14, 1935. He spoke to audiences in New York, Boston, and Philadelphia. He offered lessons on faith and success. That year, Anderson married Doris Sequirra, who was from Britain, in Washington.

From September 1935 through the next winter, Anderson was in California. In late January 1936, he went to Hawaii. In San Mateo, California, he gave talks like "Finding your place in life" and "How to realize your heart's desire" at a Unity church. He also promoted his book Uncommon Sense. That year in Seattle, Anderson became a New Thought minister.

In September and October, Anderson was speaking in California again. A series of talks in Oakland began with "Why Christianity is practical." He also appeared on the radio. In November and December, Anderson was in Los Angeles. He believed Jesus was the founder of the most practical teaching of all time, but he was not part of any single religious group. In December, Anderson spoke at Beth Eden Baptist and other churches.

Hawaii and Back East

Anderson visited Honolulu, Hawaii, and was featured in the Honolulu Advertiser in late January. He was described as a "playwright, lecturer, philosopher, traveler, and religious teacher." He gave talks at the Young Hotel on topics like "How and why prayers are answered" and "Using Uncommon Sense." In an interview, he was described as humble and spoke in a "simple, conversational" way. Anderson spoke to audiences every week, including at churches and youth groups. His wife, Doris, was mentioned in March and left in April. Anderson visited Winnipeg in June and Buffalo, New York, in October. He made another trip to Canada in the spring of 1937, and the Andersons left for Paris in July.

Garland Anderson's Final Years

In 1939, Garland Anderson had a heart attack in London. But he insisted on returning to the US in late May to try and stage another play based on his book Uncommon Sense. He was very ill when he arrived in New York and was interviewed in bed, with Doris answering most of the questions. A few days after returning to New York, he died. Anderson was cremated, and Doris brought his remains back to the UK.

Garland Anderson's Legacy

Garland Anderson's life and work have been remembered and studied over the years. Biographical information about him has been published since the late 1960s, especially by James Weldon Johnson. His play Appearances was republished, and a longer biography about him was written in 2012.