Tazewell Thompson facts for kids
Tazewell Thompson is a talented American theatre director, playwright, and opera director. He has led important theatres like the Westport Country Playhouse in Westport, Connecticut, and the Syracuse Stage in New York. Before this, he was an assistant director at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C.. Today, he helps guide future opera stars at the Manhattan School of Music.
Since 2000, Thompson has directed many operas and musicals. His first opera was Porgy and Bess for the New York City Opera. His success led him to direct other famous works like Dialogues of the Carmelites. In 2006, he was nominated for an Emmy Award for Best Director for a TV version of his Porgy and Bess production. He also directed Lost in the Stars in 2012, a musical based on the South African book Cry, the Beloved Country.
As a playwright, Thompson has also earned praise. His play Constant Star (2002) is about the famous activist Ida B. Wells. His play Mary T. & Lizzy K. is about Mary Todd Lincoln and Elizabeth Keckley. Another musical he wrote and directed, Jubilee, tells the story of the Fisk Jubilee Singers.
Early Life
Tazewell Thompson was born in New York City. He had a tough start to life. When he was young, his family faced challenges. Luckily, his grandmother stepped in to help him. She placed him in a home run by kind nuns called the Sisters of St. Dominic in Blauvelt, New York. He lived there for six years and loved how they encouraged his interest in theatre. He even used these experiences later when directing the opera Dialogues of the Carmelites.
Becoming an Artist
Thompson started his career as an actor. He was in original Broadway shows like The National Health (1974) and Checking Out (1976). He also acted in many Off-Off-Broadway plays.
He later taught at St. Ann's School in New York. There, he directed amazing plays with his students. These included Follies by Stephen Sondheim and Phèdre (which was in French!).
His directing of the opera The Second Hurricane caught the eye of Zelda Fichandler. She was a director at the Arena Stage in Washington, DC. She invited him to work there as an assistant director. While at Arena Stage, Thompson discovered and directed early plays by the writer Cheryl West.
Theatre Director
In 1992, Thompson became the artistic director of Syracuse Stage. An artistic director is like the main leader of a theatre. They choose the plays and guide the theatre's artistic vision. Thompson was one of the few Black directors to lead a major regional theatre at that time. He wanted to make the theatre's shows more welcoming to everyone. His first season included Jar the Floor by Cheryl L. West, which was very popular.
In 2005, Thompson was chosen to be the artistic director at the Westport Country Playhouse in Westport, Connecticut. He worked there until 2007.
Thompson has also directed many shows for different companies. In 2000, he directed Porgy and Bess for the New York City Opera. He directed Dialogues of the Carmelites for the Glimmerglass Opera in 2002 and for the City Opera in 2004. He also directed Patience in 2004 and Death in Venice in 2005 for Glimmerglass. In 2012, he directed Lost in the Stars for Glimmerglass Opera.
In 2019, he directed a new opera called Blue at Glimmerglass. He also wrote the story (called the libretto) for this opera. Blue explores the challenges faced by African-American teenage boys.
Playwright
Thompson has written and directed several plays. One of his most famous is Constant Star (2002). This musical drama tells the story of Ida B. Wells. She was an important 19th-century activist and journalist. The play uses five actresses to play Wells and other people in her life. It also includes about 20 negro spirituals (traditional songs) sung by the actresses. This play has been performed all over the United States.
Thompson explained why he wrote about Ida B. Wells: "Her story really stuck with me. She was born during slavery and grew up to be a great leader in the Civil Rights Movement. She fought for women's right to vote, edited newspapers, and was a brave investigative journalist. She also helped start the NAACP. She was a strong, determined woman who worked with famous people like Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony. She was a very important person in American history after the Civil War."
His play Mary T. & Lizzy K. (2013) is about Mary Todd Lincoln and Elizabeth Keckley. Elizabeth Keckley was a former slave who became a talented dressmaker and a friend of Mrs. Lincoln. This play opened in Washington, DC, in 2013.
Jubilee is an a cappella musical that Thompson wrote and directed. It's based on the true story of the Fisk Jubilee Singers from Fisk University. This musical also premiered at Arena Stage in 2019.
Awards and Honors
