Richard Wesley (born July 11, 1945) is an American

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

and

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

. He is an associate professor at

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

Tisch School of the Arts The New York University Tisch School of the Arts (commonly referred to as Tisch) is the performing, cinematic and media arts school of New York University. Founded on August 17, 1965, Tisch is a training ground for artists, scholars of the a ...

in the Rita and Burton Goldberg Department of Dramatic Writing.

Early life

Wesley was born in

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.the Ironbound The Ironbound is a neighborhood in the city of Newark in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. It is a large working-class multi-ethnic community, covering approximately of well maintained streets and homes. Historically, the area was call ...

section.Galant, Debra
"Look Homeward"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', September 17, 2000. Accessed September 22, 2008. After finishing high school, he studied playwriting and dramatic literature at

Howard University Howard University (Howard) is a private, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity" and accredited by the Middle States Commissi ...

and graduated with a

Master of Fine Arts A Master of Fine Arts (MFA or M.F.A.) is a terminal degree in fine arts, including visual arts, creative writing, graphic design, photography, filmmaking, dance, theatre, other performing arts and in some cases, theatre management or arts admini ...

degree in 1967. Freedman, Samuel G.br>"THEATER; One Struggle Over, Attention Turns to Guilt"
''

'', October 29, 1989. Accessed September 22, 2008.

Career

He first became known for the 1971

New York Shakespeare Festival Shakespeare in the Park (or Free Shakespeare in the Park) is a theatrical program that stages productions of Shakespearean plays at the Delacorte Theater, an open-air theater in New York City's Central Park. The theater and the productions are ...

of his play ''Black Terror,'' which portrayed the story of a black revolution.

Clive Barnes Clive Alexander Barnes (13 May 1927 – 19 November 2008) was an English writer and critic. From 1965 to 1977, he was the dance and theater critic for ''The New York Times'', and, from 1978 until his death, ''The New York Post.'' Barnes had sign ...

, writing for ''

,'' described the play as a "winner" that "makes the case for black revolution and against black revolution." Wesley received the 1971/1972

Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. Fo ...

as most promising playwright for ''Black Terror'', an award which came with a $100 check from

Ticketron Ticketron was a computerized event ticketing company that was in operation from the 1960s until 1990. It was the industry leader until overtaken by Ticketmaster. In 1990, the majority of Ticketron's assets and business were sold and the following ye ...

. The Jarboro Company of

La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club (La MaMa E.T.C.) is an Off-Off-Broadway theatre founded in 1961 by Ellen Stewart, African-American theatre director, producer, and fashion designer. Located in Manhattan's East Village, the theatre began in the ...

took ''Black Terror'' on tour in Italy in 1972, performing it alongside five one-act plays by

Ed Bullins Edward Artie Bullins (July 2, 1935November 13, 2021), sometimes publishing as Kingsley B. Bass Jr, was an American playwright. He won awards including the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award and several Obie Awards. Bullins was associated with ...

. In 1975, Wesley wrote and directed ''The Past Is the Past'', a drama about a black man who meets the father who abandoned him years prior. The play was revived, featuring

John Amos John Allen Amos Jr. (born December 27, 1939) is an American actor known for his role as James Evans Sr. on the CBS television series ''Good Times''. Amos's other television work includes ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'', a recurring role as Admir ...

and

Ralph Carter Ralph (pronounced ; or ,) is a male given name of English, Scottish and Irish origin, derived from the Old English ''Rædwulf'' and Radulf, cognate with the Old Norse ''Raðulfr'' (''rað'' "counsel" and ''ulfr'' "wolf"). The most common forms ...

, in 1989 at the

Billie Holiday Theatre The Billie Holiday Theatre is as 218-seat theatre located in the New York neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. It opened in May 1972, It was founded by the Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation. The Billie Holiday Theatre is a no ...

in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. Wesley wrote the screenplays for the 1974 film ''

Uptown Saturday Night Uptown may refer to: Neighborhoods or regions in several cities United States * Uptown, entertainment district east of Downtown and Midtown Albuquerque, New Mexico * Uptown Charlotte, North Carolina * Uptown, area surrounding the University of Ci ...

'' and the 1975 film '' Let's Do It Again'', both starring

Bill Cosby William Henry Cosby Jr. ( ; born July 12, 1937) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and media personality. He made significant contributions to American and African-American culture, and is well known in the United States for his eccentric ...

and

Sidney Poitier Sidney Poitier ( ; February 20, 1927 – January 6, 2022) was an American actor, film director, and diplomat. In 1964, he was the first black actor and first Bahamian to win the Academy Award for Best Actor. He received two competitive ...

. His 1978 play, ''The Mighty Gents,'' is the story of the members of a gang that had conquered their rival gang, the Zombies, and ruled the

Central Ward Central Ward was a former ward in the city of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It originally consisted of the part of the city between Bank Street and the Rideau Canal. It was first known as Centre Ward. It was created when Wellington Ward Wellington Wa ...

of Newark. The play depicts the gang members in their 30s and left with only the recollections of their earlier success. His 1989 play, ''The Talented Tenth'', borrows its title from

W. E. B. Du Bois William Edward Burghardt Du Bois ( ; February 23, 1868 – August 27, 1963) was an American-Ghanaian sociologist, socialist, historian, and Pan-Africanist civil rights activist. Born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, Du Bois grew up in ...

's 1903 article, '' The Talented Tenth'', which described the likelihood of one in ten black men becoming leaders of black people by continuing their education, writing books, or becoming directly involved in social change. The play portrays six fictional graduates of

(a realtor, an advertising agent, a middle manager at a

Fortune 500 The ''Fortune'' 500 is an annual list compiled and published by ''Fortune'' magazine that ranks 500 of the largest United States corporations by total revenue for their respective fiscal years. The list includes publicly held companies, along ...

firm, a Republican) who have succeeded, but feel guilty about betraying their origins. Wesley considered bringing ''The Mighty Gents'' character of Essex Braxton, who achieved financial success through

loan shark A loan shark is a person who offers loans at extremely high interest rates, has strict terms of collection upon failure, and generally operates outside the law. Description Because loan sharks operate mostly illegally, they cannot reasonably ...

ing and

prostitution Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in Sex work, sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, n ...

after leaving the gang, into ''The Talented Tenth'', but dropped the idea as too artificial. The play received six awards, including dramatic production of the year and best playwright, at the 1989

AUDELCO AUDELCO, the Audience Development Committee, Inc., was established in 1973 by Vivian Robinson to honor excellence in African American theatre in New York City. AUDELCO presents the Vivian Robinson/AUDELCO Recognition Awards (also known as Viv awar ...

Recognition Awards. These awards were established in 1973 by the Audience Development Committee to honor excellence in African-American theatre in New York. In 2013, Wesley was asked by the Trilogy: An Opera Company of Newark, New Jersey to write the libretto for the opera ''Papa Doc'', composed by

Dorothy Rudd Moore Dorothy Rudd Moore (June 4, 1940 – March 30, 2022) was an American composer and music educator. She was one of the co-founders of the Society of Black Composers. She is considered one of the leading women composers of color for her generation a ...

and based on an essay by

Edwidge Danticat Edwidge Danticat (; born January 19, 1969) is a Haitian-American novelist and short story writer. Her first novel, ''Breath, Eyes, Memory'', was published in 1994 and went on to become an Oprah's Book Club selection. Danticat has since written or ...

from her 2010 book ''Create Dangerously''. In April 2015, ''Autumn'', Wesley's first full-length play in over two decades, premiered at The Crossroads Theater in

New Brunswick, New Jersey New Brunswick is a city (New Jersey), city in and the county seat, seat of government of Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Central Park Five Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

jogger case in New York City, composed by

Anthony Davis Anthony Marshon Davis Jr. (born March 11, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He plays the power forward and center positions. Davis is an eight-time NB ...

with a

libretto A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the t ...

by Wesley, premiered at the

New Jersey Performing Arts Center The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), in downtown Newark, New Jersey, United States, is one of the largest performing arts centers in the United States. Home to the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra (NJSO), more than nine million visitors (i ...

in Newark on November 12, 2016. An expanded version, '' The Central Park Five'', premiered on June 15, 2019 at the

Long Beach Opera Long Beach Opera is a Southern California opera company serving the greater Los Angeles and Orange County, California, Orange County metroplex. Founded in 1979, it is the oldest continually running opera company in the L.A. area. Though small in siz ...

Company in California. In May 2020 composer Davis was awarded a

Pulitzer Prize for Music The Pulitzer Prize for Music is one of seven Pulitzer Prizes awarded annually in Letters, Drama, and Music. It was first given in 1943. Joseph Pulitzer arranged for a music scholarship to be awarded each year, and this was eventually converted i ...

for the expanded opera.'Central Park Five' composer Anthony Davis wins the Pulitzer Prize for Music - Yahoo News
/ref>

Personal life

He is married to author

Valerie Wilson Wesley Valerie Wilson Wesley (born November 22, 1947) is an American author of Mystery fiction, mysteries, adult-theme novels, and children's books, and a former executive editor of ''Essence (magazine), Essence'' magazine. She is the author of the Tamar ...

. , he was a resident of

Montclair, New Jersey Montclair () is a township in Essex County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Situated on the cliffs of the Watchung Mountains, Montclair is a wealthy and diverse commuter town and suburb of New York City within the New York metropolitan area. As ...

Selected works

Plays

* ''Black Terror'' (1971) * ''The Sirens'' (1974) * ''The Mighty Gents'' (1978) * ''The Talented Tenth'' (1989) * ''Autumn'' (2015)

Screenplays

* ''

'' (1974) * '' Let's Do It Again'' (1975) * ''

Fast Forward To fast-forward is to move forwards through a recording at a speed faster than that at which it would usually be played, for example two times or two point five times. The recordings are usually audio, video or computer data. It is colloquially ...

'' (1985) * ''

Native Son ''Native Son'' (1940) is a novel written by the American author Richard Wright. It tells the story of 20-year-old Bigger Thomas, a black youth living in utter poverty in a poor area on Chicago's South Side in the 1930s. While not apologizing ...

'' (1986)

Teleplays

* ''Murder Without Motive'' (1991 -

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

) * ''

Mandela and de Klerk ''Mandela and de Klerk'' is a 1997 made-for-television drama film written by Richard Wesley and directed by Joseph Sargent. The film stars Sidney Poitier and Michael Caine. The film documents the negotiations between F.W. de Klerk and Nelson ...

'' (1997 -

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...

) * '' Bojangles'' (2000 -

)

Television series contributions

* ''

Fallen Angels A fallen angel is an angel that has been exiled or banished from Heaven. Fallen Angels may also refer to: Film and television * ''Fallen Angels'' (1948 film), a Greek film by Nikos Tsiforos * Fallen Angels (1985 documentary film) by Gregory Dark * ...

'' (1993-1995,

) * ''

100 Centre Street ''100 Centre Street'' is an American legal drama created by Sidney Lumet and starring Alan Arkin, Val Avery, Bobby Cannavale, Joel de la Fuente and Paula Devicq. Premise The show takes its name for the Manhattan street address of the New York Ci ...

'' (2001-2002, A&E)

Awards and honors

* 1971

- ''Black Terror'' * 1974

Recognition Award - ''The Past is the Past'' * 1974

NAACP Image Award The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. Similar to ...

for Best Picture - ''Uptown Saturday Night'' * 1977 AUDELCO Recognition Award - ''The Sirens'' * 1978 AUDELCO Recognition Award - ''The Mighty Gents'' * 1989 AUDELCO Recognition Award - ''The Talented Tenth'' * 2013

National Black Theater Festival The National Black Theatre Festival (NBTF) was founded in 1989 by Larry Leon Hamlin in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Serving as its executive director, Hamlin’s goal in creating the Festival was "to unite black theatre companies in America to e ...

August Wilson Playwright Award

References

External links

*
"Richard Wesley, Associate Professor"
Faculty Directory of Dramatic Writing, New York University. Retrieved October 24, 2006.
Wesley's page on La MaMa Archives Digital Collections
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wesley, Richard 1945 births African-American screenwriters 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights American male screenwriters Living people New York University faculty People from Montclair, New Jersey Writers from Newark, New Jersey Howard University alumni American male dramatists and playwrights 20th-century American male writers Screenwriters from New York (state) Screenwriters from New Jersey 20th-century African-American writers 21st-century African-American people African-American male writers