Tarell Alvin McCraney facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tarell Alvin McCraney
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McCraney in 2017
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| Born | October 17, 1980 Liberty City, Florida, U.S. |
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Tarell Alvin McCraney, born on October 17, 1980, is a talented American writer. He writes plays, movie scripts, and also acts. He teaches playwriting at the Yale School of Drama and is part of the Steppenwolf Theatre group.
He helped write the 2016 movie Moonlight, which was based on one of his plays. For this movie, he won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. He also wrote the script for the 2019 movie High Flying Bird and the 2019 TV series David Makes Man.
In 2023, McCraney became the artistic director of the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles. He started this role with the 2024-25 season.
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Early Life and Education
Tarell Alvin McCraney was born in Liberty City, Florida. He went to the New World School of the Arts (NWSA) in Miami. While there, he received an honorable mention from the National YoungArts Foundation for Theater in 1999. As a teenager, he was part of an improv group led by Teo Castellanos.
He later attended The Theatre School at DePaul University and earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree in acting. In May 2007, he graduated from Yale School of Drama's playwriting program. He received the Cole Porter Playwriting Award when he graduated. He also has an honorary degree from Warwick University.
Career Highlights
As an actor, McCraney has worked with famous directors like Tina Landau and David Cromer. He also worked with Peter Brook and Marie-Hélène Estienne from the Bouffes du Nord in Paris. He is a member of the D Projects Theater Company in Miami.
From 2008 to 2010, he was a special playwright in residence at the Royal Shakespeare Company. In April 2010, McCraney joined the Steppenwolf Theatre Ensemble. In July 2017, he became the head of playwriting at the Yale School of Drama.
Plays for the Stage
- While at Yale, McCraney wrote a group of plays called the Brother/Sister trilogy. These plays are set in Louisiana and explore African mythology. The three plays are In the Red and Brown Water, The Brothers Size, and Marcus; Or the Secret of Sweet. They are often performed together, telling stories that connect with each other.
- McCraney's play Choir Boy first opened in London in 2012. It came to America the next year. The play is about a young student named Pharus who wants to be the best choir leader at his school. The 2019 Broadway show of Choir Boy was nominated for four Tony Awards. It won the Tony Award for Best Sound Design.
- McCraney also co-wrote Ms. Blakk for President with director Tina Landau. This show was first performed in Chicago in 2019. The play is based on a true story about a person named Joan Jett Blakk. This person announced a plan to run for President of the United States.
Television Work
- McCraney writes and is a main producer for the TV series David Makes Man. This show is on Oprah Winfrey's OWN Network. The show tells a story about growing up and finding your way.
Film Projects
- Moonlight was co-written by McCraney and director Barry Jenkins. It was based on McCraney's earlier play. The movie follows a young Black man named Chiron as he grows up in Miami. He learns about himself and faces life's challenges. The film was highly praised, and McCraney and Jenkins won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.
- McCraney wrote the script for the 2019 American sports movie, High Flying Bird. Steven Soderbergh directed it, and Netflix released it. The movie is about a sports agent named Ray Burke who is caught between a sports league and its basketball players.
Works by Tarell Alvin McCraney
Plays
- Ms. Blakk for President
- Head of Passes
- Choir Boy
- American Trade (an adaptation for young people)
- Wig Out!
The Brother/Sister Plays Trilogy
- The Brothers Size
- In The Red and Brown Water
- Marcus, or the Secret of Sweet
Other Plays
- Without/Sin
- Run, Mourner, Run (adapted from a short story)
In 2006, McCraney, Catherine Filloux, and Joe Sutton wrote The Breach. This play was about Hurricane Katrina and its effects. It premiered in New Orleans in 2007.
Other Projects
- High Flying Bird, a movie script based on a basketball lockout. It premiered on Netflix in 2019.
- In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue, a drama school project that inspired the movie Moonlight.
- An adaptation of Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra for the Royal Shakespeare Company in 2013. This version was set in the Caribbean.
- David Makes Man, a 2019 television series on the OWN network.
Upcoming Projects
In 2017, Walt Disney Studios bought McCraney's script for "Cyrano the Moor." This will be a musical movie based on two classic plays, Cyrano de Bergerac and Othello.
Awards and Honors
- 2007 Whiting Award
- 2007 Paula Vogel Playwriting Award for The Brothers Size
- 2008 London's Evening Standard Award for Most Promising Playwright
- 2009 New York Times Outstanding Playwright Award for The Brothers Size
- 2009 Steinberg Playwright Award
- 2013 Windham–Campbell Literature Prize
- 2013 MacArthur Fellowship
- 2014 Doris Duke Performing Artist Award
- 2017 Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay: Moonlight
- 2017 PEN/Laura Pels International Foundation for Theater Awards American Playwright in Mid-Career
- 2017 United States Artists Fellowship
- 2019 40 Under 40 List by Connecticut Magazine
Images for kids
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McCraney in 2017
