Rob Penny facts for kids

Robert Lee "Rob" Penny (August 6, 1941 – March 16, 2003) was an American playwright, a person who writes plays for the theater. He was also a poet, someone who writes poems, and a professor, a teacher at a university. Penny was also a social activist, meaning he worked to bring about positive changes in society. He wrote more than 30 plays and 300 poems during his life.

Who Was Rob Penny?

Rob Penny was born in Opelika, Alabama, on August 6, 1941. When he was a very young child, he moved to the Hill District in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This is where he grew up. He went to Central Catholic High School (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) and graduated in 1957. When he was a kid, he thought about becoming a priest.

Rob Penny's University Life

In 1968, Rob Penny became one of the first teachers hired for the Africana Studies Program at the University of Pittsburgh. This program focused on the history and culture of African people. The leaders of the program, Jack L. Daniel and Curtiss E. Porter, wanted teachers who were good at both academics and connecting with the community.

Curtiss Porter especially liked Penny's poetry. Penny's poems were direct and powerful, mixing jazz rhythms with everyday language. They often talked about life in the city. Penny was a key voice in a group called The Centre Ave Poets Writer's Workshop in Pittsburgh. Famous playwright August Wilson was also part of this group. Many people thought Penny was a mentor to Wilson when they were starting out.

Penny was promoted to associate professor in 1971. He later became the head of the Africana Studies Department from 1978 to 1984. He was also one of the people who helped start the Africana Studies Department.

Rob Penny's Theater Work

In 1968, Rob Penny and his friend August Wilson were asked to help start the Black Horizons Theater. This theater put on plays until the mid-1970s. In 1974, Dr. Vernell A. Lillie started the Kuntu Repertory Theatre to show Penny's plays. Penny was the main playwright for this theater. Even today, the Kuntu Repertory Theatre still performs his plays.

In 1976, Penny and August Wilson also started the Kuntu Writers Workshop. Penny led this workshop until he passed away on March 16, 2003.

The city of Pittsburgh honored Rob Penny for his work. They gave his family a special key to the city. This was to thank him for helping the community, encouraging young people, and being a social activist. July 29, 2008, is officially known as Rob Penny Day in Pittsburgh.

Rob Penny died from a heart attack at his home in Pittsburgh's Hill District on March 16, 2003. He was 62 years old.

Plays by Rob Penny

Rob Penny's plays were performed in theaters across the country. These included the Kuntu Repertory Theatre in Pittsburgh, the ETA / Creative Arts Foundation in Chicago, and the New Federal Theatre in New York. His play Nefertari Rising was first performed in 2000 and was directed by Dr. Woodie King Jr..

Some of Rob Penny's Plays

• Among the Best: The Pittsburgh Crawfords and the Homestead Grays
• Bad News
• Blue Yonder
• Boppin' With The Ancestors
• Clean Drums
• Coon Can
• Dance of the Blues Dead
• Deeds of Blackness
• Depths of Her Star, The
• Diane's Heart Dries Out Still More
• Good Black Don't Crack
• Good Quick Feel-and Then We Build upon a Plan, A
• Killin’ and Chillin’
• Life Rise
• Little Willie Armstrong Jones
• Nefertari Rising
• Night of the Hawk
• Reflections: Rob Penny’s Forum in Flight
• Republic of New Africa, The
• Slow Lives On A Humdrum
• Sugar and Thomas
• Sun Rising on the Hill District
• Take on a Life
• Trip, A
• Uhh Survival Energy
• Up to Life
• Way, The
• Who Loves the Dancer