Richard Wesley facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Richard Wesley
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| Born | July 11, 1945 Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
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| Education | Howard University (MFA) |
| Occupation | Writer |
Richard Wesley (born July 11, 1945) is an American playwright and screenwriter. He writes plays for the stage and scripts for movies. He is also a professor at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. There, he teaches students how to write for plays and films.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Richard Wesley was born in Newark, New Jersey. His parents were George and Gertrude Wesley. He grew up in a part of Newark called the Ironbound. After high school, he went to Howard University. He studied playwriting and writing for plays. He earned a special degree called a Master of Fine Arts in 1967.
A Career in Playwriting
Richard Wesley became well-known for his play Black Terror. This play was shown in 1971 at the New York Shakespeare Festival. It told a story about a black revolution. A famous critic from The New York Times called it a "winner." For Black Terror, Wesley won the 1971/1972 Drama Desk Award. This award recognized him as a very promising new playwright. In 1972, a theater group took Black Terror on tour in Italy.
Plays About Life and Challenges
In 1975, Wesley wrote and directed a play called The Past Is the Past. This drama was about a black man meeting his father. His father had left him many years before. The play was shown again in 1989. It featured actors John Amos and Ralph Carter.
His 1978 play, The Mighty Gents, told the story of a former gang. The gang members were in their 30s. They could only remember their past successes. The play showed how they dealt with their lives after their gang days.
Exploring Important Ideas
In 1989, Wesley wrote The Talented Tenth. The title came from an idea by W. E. B. Du Bois. Du Bois believed that one in ten black men would become leaders. They would do this by getting an education or working for social change. Wesley's play showed six fictional graduates from Howard University. They had become successful in different jobs. But they felt a bit guilty about leaving their old lives behind. This play won six awards in 1989. These included best dramatic play and best playwright. The awards honored great African-American theater in New York.
Writing for Opera and Film
Richard Wesley has also written for opera. In 2013, he wrote the story for an opera called Papa Doc. This opera was based on an essay by Edwidge Danticat.
In 2015, his play Autumn premiered. It was his first full-length play in over twenty years. It was shown at The Crossroads Theater.
Wesley also wrote the scripts for two movies. These were Uptown Saturday Night (1974) and Let's Do It Again (1975). Both movies starred famous actors Bill Cosby and Sidney Poitier.
Operas About Real Events
In 2016, an opera called Five premiered. Richard Wesley wrote the story for it. The opera was about the 1989 Central Park Five case in New York City. An expanded version of this opera, called The Central Park Five, premiered in 2019. The composer of the music for this opera won a special award for it in 2020.
Personal Life
Richard Wesley is married to the author Valerie Wilson Wesley. As of 2000, he lived in Montclair, New Jersey.
Selected Works
Plays
- Black Terror (1971)
- The Sirens (1974)
- The Mighty Gents (1978)
- The Talented Tenth (1989)
- Autumn (2015)
Screenplays
- Uptown Saturday Night (1974)
- Let's Do It Again (1975)
- Fast Forward (1985)
- Native Son (1986)
Teleplays
- Murder Without Motive (1991 - NBC)
- Mandela and de Klerk (1997 - Showtime)
- Bojangles (2000 - Showtime)
Television Series Contributions
- Fallen Angels (1993-1995, Showtime)
- 100 Centre Street (2001-2002, A&E)
Awards and Honors
- 1971 Drama Desk Award - Black Terror
- 1974 AUDELCO Recognition Award - The Past is the Past
- 1974 NAACP Image Award for Best Picture - Uptown Saturday Night
- 1977 AUDELCO Recognition Award - The Sirens
- 1978 AUDELCO Recognition Award - The Mighty Gents
- 1989 AUDELCO Recognition Award - The Talented Tenth
- 2013 National Black Theater Festival August Wilson Playwright Award
