SAMM-ART WILLIAMS

Biography

Actor, writer, and producer Samm-Art Williams was born in the small town of Burgaw, North Carolina in 1946. Williams grew up in Burgaw under the care of his mother, a high school English and drama teacher; he credits her with his interest in and love of words. He has said that his mother “made me read everything from Langston Hughes to Edgar Allan Poe... I think The Raven was my greatest influence—in seeing this bird, I saw what a great thing it was to be able to work on a person’s mind with words.” Williams graduated from Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland where he studied political science and psychology. At one point, he considered becoming a lawyer, but his dream of being a playwright won out.

Eventually he moved to New York to focus on his writing, though he knew he would also have to continue acting for income. Williams quickly became a fixture with the Negro Ensemble Company, first as an actor and then as one of their frequently-produced playwrights. He found a mentor in Negro Ensemble Company Playwright-in-Residence Steve Carter; Williams has proclaimed, “no single individual has influenced my writing to the degree that Steve Carter has.” Williams has penned, in his words, “15 to 20 plays,” including Welcome to Black River (1975), The Last Caravan (1977), Brass Birds Don’t Sing (1978), his most well-known play Home (1979), Eyes of the American (1985), In My Father’s House (1996), and The Waiting Room (2007). (Full Bio)

Plays

HOME (1979)

The action begins on the small farm in South Carolina that Cephus Miles, an orphan, has inherited from his family. Young and strong, he is content to work the land—until his childhood sweetheart rejects him and goes off to college. Not believing in the Vietnam war, Cephus is imprisoned as a draft evader for refusing to serve. By the time he is released, Cephus has lost his land to the tax collector so he heads north to build a new life. With a good job and a slinky new girlfriend, he finds the big city exciting and rewarding. But soon after, the dream begins to fade—Cephus loses his job and becomes involved in drugs and prostitution. Pulling himself together, he returns to South Carolina and settles back on the land with his old sweetheart. Despite all, he has never lost his joyous goodwill, his indomitable spirit and the conviction that one day his quest for fulfillment will be rewarded. (Source)

Cast Requirement: 3 (2f, 1m)

Characters: Cephus Miles, Woman One, Pattie Mae Wells, Woman Two

Publication: Home. Dramatists Play Service, 1980. (Link)

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Home was first produced by the Negro Ensemble Company at St. Mark’s Playhouse in New York City in 1979. The production was directed by Douglas Turner Ward; set design was by Felix E. Cochren; lighting design was by Martin Aronstein; costume design was by Alvin B. Perry; the production stage manager was Horacena J. Taylor. The cast for this production included:

  • Cephus Miles - Charles Brown
  • Woman One, Pattie Mae Wells - L. Scott Caldwell
  • Woman Two - Michele Shay
 

EYES OF THE AMERICAN (1985)

A CIA agent posing as a tourist in the Caribbean meets the taxi driver who is leading a revolution because he wants to be a king. (Source)

Cast Requirement: 3 (1f, 2m)

Characters: James Horsford Ottley III, Benny Parker, Cheddy Boswell, Roberta Ottley, Velda

Publication: Eyes of the American. Samuel French, 1986. (Link)

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Eyes of the American was first produced by The Negro Ensemble Company at Theatre Four in New York City in 1985. The production was directed by Walter Dallas; sound design was by Bernard Hall; set design was by Llewellyn Harrison; lighting design was by Sylvester N. Weaver Jr.; costume design was by Julian Asion; the production stage manager was Lisa L. Watson. The cast for this production included:

  • James Horsford Ottley III - Glynn Turman
  • Benny Parker, Cheddy Boswell - Graham Brown
  • Roberta Ottley, Velda - Seret Scott
 

Eve of the TriaL (1986)

Based on a short story by Anton Chekhov, Williams’ Eve of the Trial centers on a Russian expat named Alex who has fled to the United States to escape assassination. He has decided to pose as a Mormon and live with two wives in Utah. However, on their way to Utah, the triad gets arrested by police in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and are to be tried for bigamy. Coincidentally, a storm causes the accused to end up at the same boarding house as the judge who is to preside over their case. Through the course of the night, Alex proves himself to the judge and evades execution. (Source - Classix)

Cast Requirement: 7 (4f, 3m)

Characters: Ma Lola, Lester Simmons, Pearl Simmons, Tate, Alex Bushkin, Lilly, Kitty

Publication: Orchards Orchards Orchards: Plays. Broadway Play Publishing, 1987. (Link)

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Eve of the Trial was produced by the Acting Company in 1986 as part of a program of seven one-act plays called Orchards. Each play was adapted from stories by Anton Chekov: The Man in Case by Wendy Wasserstein, Vint by David Mamet, The Talking Dog by John Guare, Drowning by Maria Irene Fornes, A Dopey Fairy Tale by Michael Weller, Eve of the Trial by Samm-Art Williams, and Rivkala’s Ring by Spalding Gray.

 

Woman from the Town (1989)

Lila Wilson has returned to her roots and to the North Carolina farm where she was raised, which she left 27 years ago under a dark cloud of moral indignation. Pregnant out of wedlock, she was run out of town on a rail. She has become a very wealthy, successful real estate developer in New York City since that dark day, and now she has returned for revenge against the people who treated her so unkindly. It seems economic times are dire now down home, and Lila starts buying up homes and farms under default on their mortgages to turn their inhabitants out. Almost too late, she realizes that those who deserve pay back are long in their graves, and that those who remain are innocent bystanders. (Source)

Cast Requirement: 6 (5f, 1m)

Characters: Lila Wilson, Laura Wilson, Rita Chaney, Buddy Mitchell, Robert Wilson, Hazel Clemons, Sissy, Edna Wilson

Publication Info: Woman From the Town. Samuel French, 1990. (Link)

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Woman From the Town was first produced at the Inner City Cultural Center by Smart Productions in association with GCA Entertainment in 1989. The production was directed by Asleane Hunter; the set and lighting design was by Qulture Jarrett; and the costume design was by Patricia Smith. The cast for this production included:

  • Laura Wilson - Roxie Roker
  • Lila Wilson - Donnice Wilson
  • Rita Chaney - Robyn Hastings
  • Buddy Mitchell - Eugene Lee
  • Hazel Clemons - Lou Hancock
  • Sissy - Loretta Devine

Resources

Interviews:

Signature Theatre, “A Conversation with Samm-Art Williams”. (Link)

Working in the Theater. The Playscript. CUNY Presents American Wing seminars. (1980). (Link)  

Articles:

A Welcome Home from Samm-Art Williams. Encore. April 1980. (Link)

An Unsung Civil War Heroine Lives Again on the Home Screen (article about TV movie, “Charlotte Forten’s Mission: Experiment in Freedom” written by Samm-Art Williams), New York Times. Feb 24, 1985. (Link)*