Loften Mitchell facts for kids

James Loften Mitchell (born April 15, 1919 – died May 14, 2001) was an American writer and theatre expert. He was an important part of the Black American theatre movement in the 1960s. He worked to show positive images of Black people on stage. He also helped create more job chances for them in theatre.

James Mitchell's Early Life and Goals

James Mitchell was born in Columbus, North Carolina. His family was African American. When he was very young, he moved with his parents to Harlem, New York.

In high school, James started acting and writing short plays. He joined a theatre group called the Rose McClendon Players. There, he met famous performers like Ethel Waters. He also saw racial discrimination happening around him. This made him want to change things. He decided to use theatre to show positive stories about Black people. He also wanted to help Black actors find more work.

James went to the City College of New York. He then won a scholarship to Talladega College in Alabama. There, he wrote a paper that later became his 1967 book. This book was called Black Drama: The Story of the American Negro in the Theatre. He married Helen Marsh in 1943. They had two sons.

Theatre Work and Radio Shows

After serving two years in the U.S. Naval Reserve during World War II, James returned to Harlem. In 1946, he started a theatre group called the 115th Street People's Theatre. His first play, Blood in the Night, was performed there.

From 1947 to 1951, he studied playwriting at Columbia University. At the same time, he worked as an investigator. His play The Bancroft Dynasty was produced for the People's Theatre in 1948.

From 1950 to 1962, Mitchell worked on a radio show. It was called The Later Years and aired on New York station WNYC. He wrote for the show and acted in it.

Important Plays and Musicals

In 1957, Mitchell wrote A Land Beyond the River. This play was based on the life of Joseph DeLaine. DeLaine was a schoolteacher and pastor whose lawsuit helped end segregation in public schools in the U.S. The play was very popular and ran for a long time off-Broadway. It was later published as a book. Mitchell won a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1958 for his work.

In 1960, he released a three-act play called Star of the Morning. He wrote the script and the music for this play. Romare Bearden and Clyde Fox wrote the lyrics.

Mitchell also wrote Tell Pharaoh. In this play, characters think about their African roots. They also reflect on their experiences from slavery to the civil rights movement. With Irving Burgie, he wrote Ballad for Bimshire. This was an off-Broadway musical.

Teaching and Later Achievements

Starting in 1971, James Mitchell became a professor. He taught at the State University of New York at Binghamton. His novel, The Stubborn Old Lady Who Resisted Change, was published in 1973. In 1975, he edited a book called Voices of the Black Theatre.

In 1976, Mitchell was nominated for a Tony Award. This was for the musical show, Bubbling Brown Sugar. The show was performed in New York and London. In London, it was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award. His 1983 musical, Miss Waters, To You, was about the life of actress and singer Ethel Waters.

James Mitchell married Gloria Anderson in 1991. He passed away in Queens, New York, on May 14, 2001. He was 82 years old.