Steve Carter (playwright) facts for kids

Horace Edward "Steve" Carter Jr. (born November 7, 1929 – died September 15, 2020) was an American playwright. A playwright is someone who writes plays for the theater. He was famous for his plays about families from the Caribbean who moved to the United States.

Who Was Steve Carter?

Steve Carter was born Horace Edward Carter Jr. in New York City. His father, Horace Sr., was an African-American man from Virginia who worked as a longshoreman. A longshoreman loads and unloads ships. His mother, Carmen, was from Trinidad. Steve Carter chose to spell his professional name, steve carter, in all lowercase letters.

Steve's Early Life and Dreams

When Steve was young, he first wanted to be a set designer for plays. Set designers create the scenery and backgrounds for a play. He would build small models of sets. He got ideas from movies and plays he saw with his mother.

Soon, he started putting little cutout figures in his models. He would move them around and make up conversations for them. This was how he began to create stories and dialogue.

In 1948, he finished high school at the The High School of Music and Art in New York City.

Starting His Career as a Playwright

Steve Carter's professional career as a playwright began in 1965. His first play was a short one called Terraced Apartment. It was shown at the American Community Theater. Years later, he made a longer version of this play called Terraces.

In 1967, another play by Carter, One Last Look, opened in New York City. It was a funny but serious play about a family at a funeral. One of the characters from this play, Eustace Baylor, later appeared in Eden. Eden was the first play in a special series Carter wrote.

Working with the Negro Ensemble Company

In 1968, Steve Carter joined the Negro Ensemble Company (NEC). This was a very important theater group. He became the director of their Playwrights Workshop. This meant he helped other writers develop their plays.

One of his most famous students was Samm-Art Williams. Samm-Art Williams once said that Steve Carter influenced his writing more than anyone else. While Carter was at NEC, they produced many of his plays. This included the first two plays in his Caribbean trilogy.

The Caribbean Trilogy: Stories of Immigrant Families

Steve Carter wrote a series of three plays called the Caribbean trilogy. These plays are all about families from the Caribbean who moved to New York City. Each play takes place in a different time during the 1900s. Even though the families are different, each play features a father figure who is facing a difficult challenge.

Eden: A Love Story with Family Challenges

Eden is the first play in the trilogy. It is set in New York City in the late 1920s. The story is a bit like Romeo and Juliet. It's about a young Caribbean woman who falls in love with a black man from the rural American South.

Her strict father does not approve of their relationship. He believes that American black people, especially from the rural South, are not as good as Caribbean black people. The NEC produced Eden in 1976. It was very popular and ran for 181 performances. Steve Carter won an award for being the most promising new playwright for Eden.

Nevis Mountain Dew: Dealing with Difficult Choices

Nevis Mountain Dew is the second play in the series. It is set in New York City in the 1950s. This play shows what happens when the father of the family becomes paralyzed. The play explores difficult topics, like whether someone should have the choice to end their own life. This play was chosen as one of "The Best Plays of 1978–1979."

Dame Lorraine: A Family Awaits a Return

In 1981, Steve Carter moved to the Victory Gardens Theater in Chicago. He was the first playwright to live and work there. His first play produced there was Dame Lorraine. This was the last play in his Caribbean trilogy.

Dame Lorraine is set in modern times in Harlem. It tells the story of an elderly couple. They are eagerly waiting for their last son to come home after being released from prison.

Other Plays and Later Life

Steve Carter wrote other plays that were produced at the Victory Gardens Theater. These include House of Shadows, Pecong, and a musical called Shoot Me While I'm Happy. His play Spiele '36: Or the Fourth Medal premiered in 1991.

Later in his life, Steve Carter lived in Houston, Texas. He passed away on September 15, 2020, at the age of 90.

Awards and Recognition

Steve Carter received many awards and honors for his plays:

• 1977: Outer Critics Circle Award for Eden (Most Promising New Playwright)
• 1979: Selected for Burns Mantle, The Best Plays of 1978–1979 for Nevis Mountain Dew
• 1979: Nominated for a Drama Desk Award for Nevis Mountain Dew (Outstanding New Play)
• 1980: Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for Eden (Playwriting)
• 1990: Jeff Award for Pecong (Best New Work)
• 2001: Living Legend Award from the National Black Theatre Festival

He also received support and recognition from important organizations. These include the National Endowment for the Arts, the Rockefeller Foundation, the Guggenheim Foundation, and the New York State Council on the Arts.