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Moon On A Rainbow Shawl
''Moon on a Rainbow Shawl'' is a 1957 play written by Trinidadian actor-playwright Errol John. Described as "ground-breaking" and "a breakthrough in Britain for black writing," the play has been produced and revived worldwide since its premiere at London's Royal Court Theatre. Plot summary Set in Port of Spain, Trinidad, the play opens on a hot, late evening in the yard of two dilapidated buildings. Ephraim is just returning from his work as a trolleybus conductor, and converses with Esther Adams, left home alone with her newborn brother. Esther, a very intelligent and studious girl, discusses how her family cannot afford for her to go to high school. Ephraim, secretly envious of her youth and opportunity to make a better life for herself than he has, encourages her. Esther's mother, Sophia comes home. Later, while Ephraim is sleeping, Rosa, Ephraim's lover, returns to the yard with their landowner and her employer, Old Mack. She is wearing solid gold earrings and other things ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Port Of Spain
Port of Spain ( Spanish: ''Puerto España''), officially the City of Port of Spain (also stylized Port-of-Spain), is the capital of Trinidad and Tobago and the third largest municipality, after Chaguanas and San Fernando. The city has a municipal population of 37,074 (2011 census), an urban population of 81,142 (2011 estimate) and a transient daily population of 250,000. It is located on the Gulf of Paria, on the northwest coast of the island of Trinidad and is part of a larger conurbation stretching from Chaguaramas in the west to Arima in the east with an estimated population of 600,000. The city serves primarily as a retail and administrative centre and it has been the capital of the island since 1757. It is also an important financial services centre for the CaribbeanCIA World Factbook Tri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cicely Tyson
Cicely Louise Tyson (December 19, 1924January 28, 2021) was an American actress. In a career which spanned more than seven decades in film, television and theatre, she became known for her portrayal of strong African-American women. Tyson received various awards including three Emmy Awards, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a Tony Award, an Honorary Academy Award, and a Peabody Award. Having appeared in minor film and television roles early in her career, Tyson garnered widespread attention and critical acclaim for her performance as Rebecca Morgan in '' Sounder'' (1972); she was nominated for both the Academy Award for Best Actress and Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama for her work in the film. Tyson's portrayal of the title role in the 1974 television film ''The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman,'' based on the 1971 novel of the same name by Ernest J. Gaines, won her further praise; among other accolades, the role won her two Emmy Awards and a no ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Claire Benedict
Claire Benedict (born 28 July 1951) is a British actress known for her work in classical productions on the British stage, but best known for portraying the principal character Mma Ramotswe in the continuing radio adaptations of '' The No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency''. She won a ''Time Out'' Award for Best Performance for her portrayal of Sophia Adams in Errol John's ''Moon on a Rainbow Shawl'', directed by Maya Angelou. She lives in Manchester. Early life Benedict was born in Antigua and began to act at Norwood Secondary School for Girls, then Kingsway Further Education College on Gray's Inn Road, London. After two years at Kingway College, she gained entrance to the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA). After leaving LAMDA, Benedict worked with Theatre in Education (TIE) in London then trained with the Black Theatre Workshop of Montréal. Career In her first ten years after completing her training, Benedict worked on the British stage in leading roles for s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kate Kellaway
Kate Kellaway (born 15 July 1957) is an English journalist and literary critic who writes for ''The Observer''. Early life The daughter of the Australians Bill and Deborah Kellaway, she is the older sister of the journalist Lucy Kellaway. Both siblings were educated at the Camden School for Girls, where their mother was a teacher, and at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, where she read English. Professional life Following a period teaching in Zimbabwe between 1982 and 1986, she began her career in journalism at the ''Literary Review'' and became deputy to then editor Auberon Waugh around 1987. Kellaway later joined ''The Observer'', where her posts have included features writer, deputy literary editor, deputy theatre critic and children's books editor. While ''The Observer''s poetry editor, Kellaway was one of the five judges for the Booker Prize in 1995. Kellaway is married and has four sons and two step-sons. References External links Kellaway's portfolioin ''The Guardian ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Observer
''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. History Origins The first issue, published on 4 December 1791 by W.S. Bourne, was the world's first Sunday newspaper. Believing that the paper would be a means of wealth, Bourne instead soon found himself facing debts of nearly £1,600. Though early editions purported editorial independence, Bourne attempted to cut his losses and sell the title to the government. When this failed, Bourne's brother (a wealthy businessman) made an offer to the government, which also refused to buy the paper but agreed to subsidise it in return for influence over its editorial content. As a result, the paper soon took a strong line against radicals such as Thomas Paine, Francis Burdett and Joseph Priestley. 19th century In ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Royal National Theatre
The Royal National Theatre in London, commonly known as the National Theatre (NT), is one of the United Kingdom's three most prominent publicly funded performing arts venues, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Opera House. Internationally, it is known as the National Theatre of Great Britain. Founded by Laurence Olivier in 1963, many well-known actors have performed at the National Theatre. Until 1976, the company was based at The Old Vic theatre in Waterloo. The current building is located next to the Thames in the South Bank area of central London. In addition to performances at the National Theatre building, the National Theatre tours productions at theatres across the United Kingdom. The theatre has transferred numerous productions to Broadway and toured some as far as China, Australia and New Zealand. However, touring productions to European cities was suspended in February 2021 over concerns about uncertainty over work permits, additional costs and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou ( ; born Marguerite Annie Johnson; April 4, 1928 – May 28, 2014) was an American memoirist, popular poet, and civil rights activist. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry, and is credited with a list of plays, movies, and television shows spanning over 50 years. She received dozens of awards and more than 50 honorary degrees. Angelou is best known for her series of seven autobiographies, which focus on her childhood and early adult experiences. The first, ''I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings'' (1969), tells of her life up to the age of 17 and brought her international recognition and acclaim. She became a poet and writer after a string of odd jobs during her young adulthood. These included fry cook, sex worker, nightclub performer, ''Porgy and Bess'' cast member, Southern Christian Leadership Conference coordinator, and correspondent in Egypt and Ghana during the decolonization of Africa. She was also an actress, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Almeida Theatre
The Almeida Theatre, opened in 1980, is a 325-seat producing house with an international reputation, which takes its name from the street on which it is located, off Upper Street, in the London Borough of Islington. The theatre produces a diverse range of drama. Successful plays are often transferred to West End theatres. Early history The theatre was built in 1837 for the newly formed Islington Literary and Scientific Society and included a library, reading room, museum, laboratory, and a lecture theatre seating 500. The architects were the fashionable partnership of Robert Lewis Roumieu and Alexander Dick Gough. The library was sold off in 1872 and the building disposed of in 1874 to the Wellington Club (Almeida Street then being called Wellington Street) which occupied it until 1886. In 1885 the hall was used for concerts, balls, and public meetings. The Salvation Army bought the building in 1890, renaming it the Wellington Castle Barracks (Wellington Castle Citadel from 1902 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Carol Douglas
Carol Douglas (born April 7, 1948) is an American singer whose hit " Doctor's Orders" (1974) was a pioneering track in the disco genre. Early life and acting career Carol Douglas was born in Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York City, United States. She is the daughter of Minnie Newsome, a jazz performer who has been cited as the inspiration for the Cab Calloway classic "Minnie the Moocher"; her father was a mortician. Sam Cooke was her cousin. At 10, Douglas was a contestant and winner on the game show ''Name That Tune'' and says "''Ebony'' followed my career for the next three years." She attended the Willard May School for professional children and afterwards the Quintanos High School for young professionals alongside Gregory Hines, Bernadette Peters, Carol Lynley, and Patty Duke. While in high school Douglas sang in a female trio named April May & June, who were signed as a management client by Little Anthony and the Imperials. She made a one-off recording in 1965 for ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Robert Earl Jones
Robert Earl Jones (February 3, 1910 – September 7, 2006), sometimes credited as Earl Jones, was an American actor and professional boxer. One of the first prominent Black film stars, Jones was a living link with the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s and 1930s, having worked with Langston Hughes early in his career. Jones was best known for his leading roles in films such as ''Lying Lips'' (1939) and later in his career for supporting roles in films such as ''The Sting'' (1973), ''Trading Places'' (1983), '' The Cotton Club'' (1984), and ''Witness'' (1985). He was the father of actor James Earl Jones. Biography Early life Jones was born in northwestern Mississippi; the specific location is unclear as some sources indicate Senatobia, while others suggest nearby Coldwater. A son of Robert and Elnora Jones, Robert Earl Jones left school at an early age to work as a sharecropper to help his family. He later became a prizefighter. Under the name "Battling Bill Stovall", he was a sp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bill Gunn (writer)
William Harrison Gunn (July 15, 1934 – April 5, 1989) was an American playwright, novelist, actor and film director. His 1973 cult classic horror film ''Ganja and Hess'' was chosen as one of ten best American films of the decade at the Cannes Film Festival, 1973.Gunn, Bill (May 13, 1973), "To be a Black Artist'." ''The New York Times'', p. 121. In ''The New Yorker'', film critic Richard Brody described him as being "a visionary filmmaker left on the sidelines of the most ostensibly liberated period of American filmmaking."Brody, Richard (August 16, 2016)"The Front Row: Ganja & Hess" ''New Yorker''. Condé Nast. Filmmaker Spike Lee had said that Gunn is "one of the most under-appreciated filmmakers of his time." Gunn's drama ''Johnnas'' won an Emmy Award in 1972. Career A native of Philadelphia, Gunn wrote more than 29 plays during his lifetime. He also authored two novels and wrote several produced screenplays. In 1950, Gunn studied acting with Mira Rostova in New York's East Vi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ellen Holly
Ellen Virginia Holly is an American actress. Beginning her career on stage in the late 1950s, Holly is perhaps best known for her role as Carla Gray–Hall on the ABC daytime soap opera ''One Life to Live'' (1968–80; 1983–85). Holly is noted as the first African American to appear on daytime television in a leading role. Biography Career Born in New York City, Holly is a life member of The Actors Studio. Holly began her career on stage appearing in the Broadway productions of ''Tiger, Tiger Burning Bright'' and ''A Hand Is on the Gate'', then embarked on a television and film career. In 1968, Holly became the first black actress to be cast as a recurring cast member on daytime TV. She guest-starred on ''Sam Benedict'' and '' The Nurses'' as well as landed the role of actress-turned-Judge Carla Gray on ''One Life to Live'', a role she played from 1968 to 1980 and again from 1983 to 1985. Schemering, Christopher. '' The Soap Opera Encyclopedia'', September 1985, pg. 158-166, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
