Richardson, Willis, 1889-1977

Willis Richardson, playwright.

Playwright Willis Richardson (1889-1977) was the first African-American dramatist to have a non-musical work staged on Broadway when his play The Chip Woman's Fortune opened in May 1923. The first writer to win two first prizes during the Harlem Renaissance he is called by some the "Father of Black Drama". Born in Wilmington, North Carolina on November 5, 1889, Willis Richardson was a child of nine when a race riot in his hometown resulted in the deaths of sixteen African-Americans. He and his parents moved soon thereafter to Washington, D.C., where Willis was educated at the M Street School, later named the Dunbar High School, the first public high school for blacks in the United States. Having taken correspondence courses in playwriting as well as poetry, Richardson staged his early plays in black high schools and colleges, including Howard University, and also had his work published in magazines. On May 15, 1923, Richardson's play The Chip Woman's Fortune opened at the Frazee Theatre (later known as the Wallack Theatre), where it played 31 performances. His other plays include Mortgaged (1924) and The Boot Black Lover (1925). In later years Richardson edited the anthologies Plays and Pageants from the Life of the Negro (1930) and Negro History in Thirteen Plays (1935). He married Mary Ellen Jones in 1914, and the couple had three daughters. Richardson earned his living at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, where he worked from 1911 to 1954. Willis Richardson died on November 7, 1977, two days after his 88th birthday.

Playwright Willis Richardson (1889-1977) became the first African-American dramatist to have a non-musical work staged on Broadway when his play THE CHIP WOMAN'S FORTUNE opened in May 1923.

Born in Wilmington, North Carolina on November 5, 1889, Willis Richardson was a child of nine when a race riot in his hometown resulted in the deaths of sixteen African-Americans. He and his parents moved soon thereafter to Washington, D.C., where Willis was educated at the M Street School, later named Dunbar High School, the first public high school for blacks in the United States. Having taken correspondence courses in playwriting as well as poetry, Richardson staged his early plays in black high schools and colleges, including Howard University, and also had his work published in magazines. On May 15, 1923, Richardson's play THE CHIP WOMAN'S FORTUNE opened at the Frazee Theatre (later known as the Wallack Theatre), where it played 31 performances. His other plays include MORTGAGED (1924) and THE BOOT BLACK LOVER (1925). In later years Richardson edited the anthologies PLAYS AND PAGEANTS FROM THE LIFE OF THE NEGRO (1930) and NEGRO HISTORY IN THIRTEEN PLAYS (1935). He married Mary Ellen Jones in 1914, and the couple had three daughters. Richardson earned his living at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, where he worked from 1911 to 1954. Willis Richardson died on November 7, 1977, two days after his 88th birthday.