Ron Milner facts for kids

Ronald Milner (born May 29, 1938 – died July 9, 2004) was an American playwright. A playwright is someone who writes plays for the theater. One of his most famous plays was Checkmates. This play was shown on Broadway in 1988 and starred famous actors like Paul Winfield and Denzel Washington. Milner also taught creative writing at several universities, including the University of Southern California, Wayne State University, and Michigan State University.

Ronald Milner's Early Life and Inspiration

Ronald Milner was born in Detroit, Michigan, on May 29, 1938. He grew up in an area of Detroit known as "Black Bottom," specifically on Hastings Street. This neighborhood was full of life and interesting people.

Milner once shared why he started writing. He said that as he read more in high school, he realized amazing things were happening all around him. He felt that the everyday lives of people in his neighborhood, like his parents, were just as important as the characters in famous novels. He wanted to write about them so their stories would be remembered.

He went to Northeastern High School. He also studied briefly at Highland Park Junior College and the Detroit Institute of Technology.

In 1962, Ronald Milner received a special award called the John Hay Whitney Foundation fellowship. This award helped him work on a novel called Life With Father Brown. He then moved to New York City to join a writing workshop at Columbia University. He was also mentored by the famous writer Langston Hughes, which helped him get a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation.

Milner's First Plays

Ronald Milner's first big success came in 1966 with his play Who's Got His Own. This play tells the story of a family dealing with the death of their father. It explores how the children, Tim Jr. and Clara, learn surprising truths about their parents. These truths help them understand their family's past better. The play toured colleges in New York before being shown at the Lafayette Theatre in 1967.

Another one of his plays, The Warning—A Theme for Linda, was part of a collection called A Black Quartet. This collection featured plays by four different writers, including Milner. It was performed in New York in 1969.

Milner met Woodie King Jr. when he was 19 years old. King inspired Milner to write, and this led to his play Life Agony. Who's Got His Own became very popular off-Broadway, which means it was shown in smaller theaters outside of the main Broadway area. Milner and Woodie King, Jr. worked together for over 40 years.

Teaching and Other Works

Ronald Milner was an artist-in-residence at Lincoln University from 1966 to 1967. He also taught at Michigan State University from 1971 to 1972. He was the founder and director of a theater company called Spirit of Shango. He also led playwriting classes at Wayne State University.

Some of Milner's other important plays include:

• What the Wine-Sellers Buy: This was a very special play because it was the first play by an African American writer to be produced by Joseph Papp at the New York Shakespeare Festival at Lincoln Center.
• Roads to the Mountaintop: This play was a tribute to the civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr..

Milner also helped other writers. He was a mentor to writer and journalist J. Samuel Cook. Cook said that Milner's guidance helped him make his award-winning play Barren Fields a success. In 2003, Milner directed a play at the Hope Repertory Theatre.

Ronald Milner passed away in Detroit on July 9, 2004, due to complications from liver cancer. He is remembered for his powerful plays and his dedication to telling important stories. He was survived by his five children and eight grandchildren.

List of Ronald Milner's Plays

• Who's Got His Own (1966)
• The Monster (1968)
• The Warning—A Theme for Linda (1969)
• Black Drama Anthology (with Woodie King Jr.) (1971)
• M(ego) and the Green Ball of Freedom (1971)
• What the Wine Sellers Buy (1973)
• These Three (1974)
• Season's Reasons (1976)
• Work (1978)
• Jazz-set (1980)
• Crack Steppin' (1981)
• Checkmates (1987)
• Don't Get God Started (1987)
• Defending the Light (2000)
• Urban Transition: Loose Blossoms (2002)
• Life Agony
• The Greatest Gift