Alice Childress

Alice Childress (October 12, 1916 in Charleston, South Carolina – August 14, 1994 in New York City, NY) was an American playwright and author.

Childress was born in South Carolina, but at age nine, after her parents separated, she moved to Harlem where she lived with her grandmother. Though her grandmother had no formal education, she encouraged Alice to pursue her talents in reading and writing. Alice attended public school in New York for her middle school and high school education. She became involved in theater immediately after her graduation. In the 1940s, she studied Drama in the American Negro Theatre (ANT). There she won acclaim as an actress in numerous productions, and moved to broadway with the transfer of ANT's hit comedy "Anna Lucasta." Alice also became involved in social causes. She formed an off-broadway union for actors. Her first play, "Florence", was produced off-Broadway in 1950. She was the first black woman to have a play produced professionally, and is also the first woman to win an OBIE award

Alice Childress is also known for her literary works. Among these are "Those Other People" (1989) and "A Hero Ain't Nothin' but a Sandwich" (1973). Also, she wrote a screenplay for the 1978 film based on "A Hero Ain't Nothin' but a Sandwich". Childress described her writing as trying to portray the have-nots in a have society.

Awards

*Paul Robeson Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Performing Arts
*Obie Award (for "Trouble in Mind")
*ALA Best Young Adult Book of 1975 (for "A Hero Ain't Nothin' but a Sandwich")
*Lewis Carroll Shelf Award (for "A Hero Ain't Nothin' but a Sandwich")
*Jane Addams Award for a young adult novel (for "A Hero Ain't Nothin' but a Sandwich")
*Honorable Mention, Coretta Scott King Award, 1982
*What a Girl, 1985
*Best Young Adult Author,1989

Major works

Plays

*"Florence" (1949)
*"Just a Little Simple" (1950)
*"Gold Through the Trees" (1952)
*"Trouble in Mind" (1955)
*"Wedding Band: A Love/Hate Story in Black and White" (1966)
*"String" (1969)
*"Wine in the Wilderness" (1969)
*"Mojo: A Black Love Story" (1970)
*"Sea Island Song" (1977)
*"Moms: A Praise Play for a Black Comedienne" (1987)

Novels

*"Like one of the family" (1956)
*"A Hero Ain't Nothin' but a Sandwich" (1973) which became a film of the same title in 1978.
*"A Short Walk" (1979)
*"Rainbow Jordan" (1981)
*"Those Other People" (1989)

Trivia

The song "Alice Childress" by Ben Folds Five is not related to her. It is a coincidence that there was a woman with the same name that poured water on Ben Folds' wife at the time, Anna Goodman. [iTunes Originals interview with Ben Folds]

References

* [http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/litlinks/drama/childress.htm Bedford/St. Martin's biography]
* [http://www.scils.rutgers.edu/~cybers/childress2.html Rutgers University biography]
* [http://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=859 Literary Encyclopedia's Biography]
* [http://www.csustan.edu/english/reuben/pal/chap8/childress.html A Biography by Paul A. Reuben]
* [http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/litlinks/drama/childress.htm Alice Childress (1920-1994)]
* [http://voices.cla.umn.edu/vg/Bios/entries/childress_alice.html Alice Childress, Artist Biography]
* La Vinia Delois Jennings, "Alice Childress", Twayne, 1995