Willis Richardson facts for kids
Willis Richardson (born November 5, 1889 – died November 7, 1977) was an American writer who wrote plays for the theater. He is known for being one of the first African American playwrights to have his non-musical plays shown on Broadway, which is a famous theater district in New York City.
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About His Life
Willis Richardson was born on November 5, 1889, in Wilmington, North Carolina. His parents were Willis Wilder and Agnes Ann Richardson. When he was young, his family moved to Washington, D.C. This move happened shortly after a difficult event in Wilmington in 1898, which caused many African American families to leave the area.
He went to public schools in Washington, D.C., including M Street High School, which later became Dunbar High School. While he was there, one of his teachers, Mary P. Burrill, who was also a playwright, encouraged him to write plays. After school, Richardson worked at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing starting in 1911. This is where money and stamps are made.
On September 1, 1914, he married Mary Ellen Jones. They had three daughters:
- Jean Paula Richardson (born 1916)
- Shirley Antonella Richardson (born 1918)
- Noel Justine Richardson (born 1920)
In 1921, Richardson's first play, The Deacon's Awakening, was performed in Saint Paul, Minnesota. He passed away on November 7, 1977, in Washington, D.C.. During his 30-year career, he wrote many plays, including fairy tales for children, historical stories, and plays about family life. He wrote 48 plays in total.
His Plays and Shows
After The Deacon's Awakening in 1921, another important play by Richardson was The Chip Woman's Fortune. This play was put on by Raymond O'Neil's Ethiopian Art Players in Chicago and Washington, D.C.. It made history by becoming the first non-musical play by an African American writer to be shown on Broadway.
His play Mortgaged was performed in 1923 by the Howard Players at Howard University. It was also shown by the Dunbar Players in Plainfield, New Jersey, in 1924. More recently, in 2015 and 2016, The Deacon's Awakening was performed again by the Xoregos Performing Company in New York City as part of their Songs of the Harlem River program.
About The Broken Banjo
The Broken Banjo is one of Willis Richardson's most famous plays. The main characters are Emma, Matt, Sam, and Adam. The story begins when Sam, who is Emma's brother, visits her house. He breaks Matt's banjo, which makes Matt, Emma's husband, very angry when he comes home.
In response, Sam claims that he saw Matt involved in a serious incident that led to someone's death. Matt then tries to make Sam and Adam promise on the Bible that they won't tell anyone about what Sam claims he saw. Emma tells Matt that they should move away because she doesn't trust Sam and Adam to keep their promise. However, as Matt is planning to leave, Sam and Adam bring an officer to arrest him.
Awards and Recognition
Willis Richardson received several awards for his writing. In 1925, he won the Amy Spingarn Prize for The Broken Banjo. This play also won first place in a competition held by The Crisis magazine in March 1925, and it was published there. He received $75 for this win.
The next year, he won the Spingarn Prize again for his play Bootblack Lover, which was a drama with three acts. After he passed away, he was given the important AUDELCO prize for all his contributions to American theater.
Personal Life
Willis Richardson was a member of the Catholic Church.
