Notes & News

Charles Randolph-Wright on the Heroes Who Gave Him Permission to Dream

New musical honors Frederick Douglass’ life and writings

Out & About

Credits

TelevisionFilmTheatrePerformancesMore Credits

FOR TELEVISION

One of Charles’ most recent projects is DELILAH, a television drama series on Oprah Winfrey’s Network OWN.  In addition to directing episodes, Charles serves as one of the show’s executive producers along with creator Craig Wright and Oprah Winfrey.

Charles directed the CW series Katy Keene, episodes of GREENLEAF  for Oprah Winfrey’s network, and STEP UP HIGHWATER for YouTube Red.

Other directing credits include LINCOLN HEIGHTS on ABC Family and SOUTH OF NOWHERE on the N Network. Charles directed and co-produced Bebe Winans’ special AMERICA AMERICA on BET Centric, directed Patina Miller in her concert on PBS’ LIVE FROM

LINCOLN CENTER, and co-produced AN EVENING WITH BERRY GORDY on PBS.

He was producer and writer of the critically acclaimed Showtime series LINC’S. His musical staging has been seen on a variety of programs, including THE GOLDEN GIRLS.

Charles has directed many videos and commercials, including the award-winning European “Freestyle” campaign for Nike.

FOR FILM

Charles’ directorial film debut PREACHING TO THE CHOIR swept the feature film prizes at the American Black Film Festival, and was featured in numerous festivals (including the Pan African Film Fest,

Cannes, and London). His screenplay credits include THE EMMETT TILL STORY for Showtime, FOOL’S HILL for Walt Disney Pictures, SHADES OF GREY for HBO, LEGACY for Victory Entertainment, WHITE COUSINS for Producers Entertainment Group, and HOMEWORK (with Kim Coles) for 20th Century Fox. He also co-wrote the screenplay WHITE CHOCOLATE (with John Leguizamo). He was the co-producer of the ANGELA DAVIS story for Castle Rock Entertainment, and developed the short film FAMILY TREE for Disney.

BLUE

Blue, the beloved play by Charles Randolph-Wright celebrates the love and spirit of a family coming to terms with the complexities of identity.  The piece does a deep dive into the carefully constructed façade of the Clarks, a socially prominent family that is struggling with the legacy and pitfalls of their own good fortune. The incredible jazz and soul score, is written by Nona Hendryx and lyrics by Charles Randolph-Wright.   Tony award winner Phylicia Rashad who will direct the play, comes full circle having starred in the play’s 2000 world premiere at Arena Stage as well as the 2001 New York premiere.  Blue will run from May 10th through August 16th. The 16-week engagment will play at the legendary Apollo Theater in New York.  Previews are set to begin on April 27th.

MOTOWN THE MUSICAL

Motown is the musical that CBS Sunday Morning calls “More than a Broadway show, a celebration of music that transformed America.” Currently on a national tour throughout the U.S., Motown the Musical premieres in London in February 2016 and returns to Broadway July 2016.

BORN FOR THIS: THE BEBE WINANS STORY

From the director of Motown the Musical comes the heart-warming and hilarious story of BeBe and CeCe Winans, youngest siblings of the Winans family dynasty. After becoming stars on Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker’s Praise the Lord Network, BeBe must learn to balance his desire for success with his true calling. A new American musical starring a new generation of Winans singers.

AKEELAH & THE BEE

World Premiere of the stage adaptation of AKEELAH & THE BEE written by Cheryl L. West for the 50th Anniversary Season Opener at Children’s Theatre Company in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  Akeelah runs through October 11 in Minneapolis – then moves to Arena Stage in Washington, DC.

ADDITIONAL WORKS

For theatre, Charles wrote the play BLUE, starring Phylicia Rashad, which broke box office records at Arena Stage (where Charles is an inaugural resident playwright in their American Voices New Play Institute). BLUE has had many productions throughout the United States, including the Roundabout Theatre and the Pasadena Playhouse (which starred Ms. Rashad, Diahann Carroll, and Clifton Davis). Charles also wrote CUTTIN’ UP (based upon the best selling book by Craig Marberry), THE NIGHT IS A CHILD (starring JoBeth Williams), and co-wrote JUST BETWEEN FRIENDS starring Bea Arthur, which toured internationally, including a Tony-nominated run on Broadway. His new play LOVE IN AFGHANISTAN premieres in London next season.

AS A PERFORMER

As a performer, Charles’ credits include Broadway (the original cast of DREAMGIRLS), television (HILL STREET BLUES, MELROSE PLACE, FALCON CREST), music (a disco group which will remain nameless that nonetheless garnered three gold records), film, numerous shows in theatre, and countless television commercials.

ADDITIONAL CREDITS

Charles directed the Pulitzer prize winning play RUINED and the record breaking musical SOPHISTICATED LADIES (starring Maurice Hines), at Arena Stage, the 75th anniversary tour of the opera PORGY AND BESS, Brian Stokes Mitchell in his solo show LOVE/LIFE at Lincoln Center, Daniel Beaty’s THROUGH THE NIGHT at the Union Square Theatre and the Geffen Theatre, the world premiere of AKEELAH AND THE BEE for the 50th anniversary season of the Children’s Theatre Company in Minneapolis, the hit revival of GUYS AND DOLLS (also starring Maurice Hines) which was selected by the Loesser estate to become a national tour celebrating the musical’s 50th anniversary, THEY’RE PLAYING OUR SONG (in Portuguese) in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, Brasil, BLOOD KNOT at ACT in San Francisco (featuring music by Tracy Chapman), the world premieres of TOUGH TITTY by Oni Faida Lampley at the Williamstown Theatre Festival and SENOR DISCRETION HIMSELF, (the last musical written by Frank Loesser, based on a story by Budd Schulberg, and co-written with Culture Clash).

Charles has directed numerous benefit performances, including HAIR … FOR THE NEXT GENERATION, the 20th anniversary show at the United Nations, which was the first event of its kind for children with AIDS, and MUSIC AND REMEMBRANCE (starring Leontyne Price, Itzhak Perlman, and James Galway) at Carnegie Hall. His productions have received numerous awards, including NAACP Image, Bay Area Critics, Drama-logue, LA Weekly Theatre, Helen Hayes, Ovation, and Audelco as well as Grammy and Tony nominations.  Charles was awarded grants from the Theatre Communications Group, the Pew Charitable Trusts, the NEA, the Edgerton Foundation New American Plays Award, and also is the recipient of the S.C. Medal of Honor in the Arts, the Creative Spirit Award from the New Professional Theatre, The Pasadena Playhouse Theatrical Diversity Award, an honorary MFA from ACT, and the Paul Robeson Award from Actors’ Equity. Charles serves on the Board of Directors of the Roundabout Theatre, and is a founding member of the Wright Family Foundation of South Carolina. Charles established the workshop series “Different Voices” at the Roundabout and “Create Carolina”, an arts festival in the Carolinas.

Charles also directed and co-wrote ME AND MRS. JONES (a musical which starred Lou Rawls, and featured the classic R&B music of the Sound of Philadelphia) at the Prince Music Theatre, THE DIVA IS DISMISSED (starring Jenifer Lewis) at the NYSF Public Theater and the Hudson Theatre (LA), and HOMEWORK (starring Kim Coles) in NYC, Crossroads (NJ), and LA. He also directed ANTHEMS and OAK AND IVY at Arena Stage; TARTUFFE, INSURRECTION: HOLDING HISTORY, and BLITHE SPIRIT at ACT, HUNDREDS OF SISTERS at New York Theatre Workshop, and CABARET VERBOTEN at the Mark Taper Forum (with Bebe Neuwirth and Roger Rees).