George C. Wolfe facts for kids

Quick facts for kids George C. Wolfe
Wolfe in 2013
Born	George Costello Wolfe (1954-09-23) September 23, 1954 (age 70) Frankfort, Kentucky, U.S.
Education	Kentucky State University Pomona College (BA) New York University (MFA)
Occupation	stage and screen director • playwright • producer
Awards	Full list

George Costello Wolfe (born September 23, 1954) is a talented American director, writer, and producer for both the stage and movies. He has won many important awards, including two Tony Awards. These awards are like the Oscars for theater. He won for directing the play Angels in America: Millennium Approaches and the musical Bring in 'da Noise/Bring in 'da Funk. From 1993 to 2004, he was the Artistic Director of The Public Theater, a famous theater in New York City.

Early Life and Education

George C. Wolfe was born in Frankfort, Kentucky. His mother, Anna, was a teacher, and his father, Costello, worked for the government. George went to an all-black public school where his mother taught. This school was a Rosenwald school, which were schools built for African-American children in the early 1900s. He even talked about his time at this school in a documentary film called Rosenwald.

Later, his family moved, and he started going to schools that had both black and white students. At Frankfort High School, George became very interested in theater. He also wrote poems and stories for the school's literary magazine.

After high school, Wolfe went to Kentucky State University. This is a historically black college where both his parents had studied. After his first year, he moved to Pomona College in California. There, he earned a degree in theater. For several years, he taught in Los Angeles at a place called the Inner City Cultural Center. He then moved to New York City and continued teaching. In 1983, he earned a master's degree in dramatic writing and musical theater from New York University.

Career Highlights

In 1977, George C. Wolfe showed the first part of a play he was writing to C. Bernard Jackson. Jackson was the director of the Inner City Cultural Center. Instead of telling him to finish it, Jackson gave him money to produce it! This play was called Tribal Rites, or The Coming of the Great God-bird Nabuku to the Age of Horace Lee Lizer. Wolfe later said that this experience was very important for him as an artist.

Some of Wolfe's first big works were the musical Paradise (1985) and his play The Colored Museum (1986). These were shown off-Broadway, which means in smaller theaters than Broadway. In 1990, he won an Obie Award for directing his play Spunk. This play was based on stories by the writer Zora Neale Hurston.

Broadway Success

Wolfe became very well known in 1991 with his musical Jelly's Last Jam. This musical was about the life of the famous jazz musician Jelly Roll Morton. After starting in Los Angeles, the show moved to Broadway. It was nominated for 11 Tony Awards and won the Drama Desk Award for Best Book of a Musical.

Two years later, Wolfe directed Angels in America: Millennium Approaches by Tony Kushner. This play was a huge success and won him a Tony Award. He also directed the second part of Angels, called Perestroika, the next year.

From 1993 to 2004, George C. Wolfe was the artistic director and producer of the New York Shakespeare Festival/Public Theater. In 1996, he created the musical Bring in 'Da Noise, Bring in 'Da Funk. This show featured amazing tap and music, starring Savion Glover. It moved to Broadway's Ambassador Theatre. This work earned him his second Tony Award for directing and was a big financial success.

In 2000, Wolfe helped write and directed the Broadway musical The Wild Party.

Moving to Film

In late 2004, Wolfe decided to direct movies. His first film was the HBO movie Lackawanna Blues, which was well-received.

Wolfe has continued to direct many plays. These include Suzan-Lori Parks's Pulitzer Prize-winning play Topdog/Underdog (2001). He also directed Tony Kushner's musical Caroline, or Change (2003). In 2006, he directed a new version of Mother Courage and Her Children in Central Park. It starred famous actors like Meryl Streep and Kevin Kline.

Wolfe also directed the movie Nights in Rodanthe in 2008, starring Richard Gere and Diane Lane.

In 2013, he was honored by being added to the American Theater Hall of Fame. In 2017, he resigned from a government committee related to arts and humanities.

In 2018, Wolfe directed a Broadway revival of The Iceman Cometh by Eugene O'Neill. It starred Denzel Washington. His most recent work includes directing the film Rustin in 2023.

Works

Theater

Filmography

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: George C. Wolfe para niños

• African-American Tony nominees and winners