Douglas Turner Ward

Douglas Turner Ward (born May 5, 1930) is an American playwright, actor, director, and theatrical producer best known as a founder and artistic director of the Negro Ensemble Company (NEC).[1]

Douglas Turner Ward
Douglas Turner Ward in the 2012 documentary, The Lion at Rest
Born	Roosevelt Ward Jr. May 5, 1930 Burnside, Louisiana, U.S.
Occupation	Playwright, actor, director, theatrical producer
Alma mater	University of Michigan
Period	1959–present
Notable awards	Drama Desk Award Happy Ending and Day of Absence

Personal life

His birth name was, Roosevelt Ward Jr., and he was born in Burnside, Louisiana. His mother was Dorothy Ward (née Short) and his father was Roosevelt Ward.[2]

Ward is married to Diana Powell Ward. They have a daughter, Elizabeth Ward.[3]

Career

As an actor, Turner made his Broadway debut in a small role in A Raisin in the Sun.[4] His first significant artistic achievement would be as a playwright, however. Happy Ending/Day of Absence, a program of two one-act plays, premiered at the St. Mark's Playhouse in Manhattan on November 15, 1965, and ran for 504 performances. Ward received a Drama Desk Award for his playwrighting.[5][6]

In 1967, he was one of the founders of the Negro Ensemble Company and served for many years as its artistic director.

Selected credits

Directing

Year	Production	Theatre(s)	Notes
1982	A Soldier's Play[7]	Lucille Lortel Theatre	Drama Desk Award nomination[6]
1980	Zooman and the Sign[8]	Theatre Four
1979	Home[9][10]	St. Mark's Playhouse
1975	The First Breeze of Summer[11]	St. Mark's Playhouse
1972	The River Niger[12]	St. Mark's Playhouse
1970	Day of Absence[13]	St. Mark's Playhouse	Part of a program of two one-act plays with Brotherhood
	Brotherhood[13]	St. Mark's Playhouse	Part of a program of two one-act plays with Day of Absence
1968	Daddy Goodness[14]	St. Mark's Playhouse

Writing

Year	Production	Theatre(s)	Notes
1983	The Redeemer[15]	Theatre Four	Part of a program of three one-act plays, entitled About Heaven and Earth
1970	Day of Absence[13]	St. Mark's Playhouse	Part of a program of two one-act plays with Brotherhood
	Brotherhood[13]	St. Mark's Playhouse	Part of a program of two one-act plays with Day of Absence
1969	The Reckoning[16]	St. Mark's Playhouse
1965	Day of Absence[17]	St. Mark's Playhouse	Part of a program of two one-act plays with Happy Ending
	Happy Ending[17]	St. Mark's Playhouse	Part of a program of two one-act plays with Day of Absence

Acting

Year	Production	Role	Theatre(s)	Notes
1983	Tigus[15]	Tigus	Theatre Four	Part of a program of three one-act plays, entitled About Heaven and Earth
1975	The First Breeze of Summer[11]	Harper Edwards	St. Mark's Playhouse
1972	The River Niger[18][19][20]	Johnny Williams	St. Mark's Playhouse[18] Brooks Atkinson Theatre[19][20]	Obie Award, Distinguished Performance[18] Tony Award nomination, Best Featured Actor in a Play[19]
1969	Ceremonies in Dark Old Men[21]	Mr. Russell B. Parker	St. Mark's Playhouse	Drama Desk Award, Outstanding Performance[6]
1959	A Raisin in the Sun[4]	Moving Man Bobo (understudy) Walter Lee Younger (understudy)	Ethel Barrymore Theatre Belasco Theatre

Awards and nominations

• 1966 Drama Desk Award for Happy Ending and Day of Absence[6]
• 1968 Drama Desk Award (with Robert Hooks and Gerald S. Krone,[22] Negro Ensemble Company)[6]
• 1969 Drama Desk Award (Outstanding Performance) for Ceremonies in Dark Old Men[6]
• 1969 Tony Award Special Award (with Robert Hooks and Gerald S. Krone, Negro Ensemble Company)[6]
• 1974 Tony Award, Best Play (with Robert Hooks and Gerald S. Krone, Negro Ensemble Company) for The River Niger[6]
• 1974 Tony Award nomination, Best Featured Actor in a Play for The River Niger[6]
• 1976 Tony Award nomination, Best Play (with Robert Hooks and Gerald S. Krone, Negro Ensemble Company) for The First Breeze of Summer[6]
• 1979 Drama Desk Award nomination, Outstanding New Play (with Robert Hooks and Gerald S. Krone, Negro Ensemble Company) for Nevis Mountain Dew[6]
• 1982 Drama Desk Award nomination, Outstanding New Play (with Robert Hooks and Gerald S. Krone, Negro Ensemble Company) for A Soldier's Play[6]
• 1982 Drama Desk Award nomination, Outstanding Director of a Play for A Soldier's Play[6]

References

1. Lopez, Oscar (January 4, 2016). "Fighting with Guerrilla Theater After the Death of Eric Garner". Newsweek. Retrieved January 25, 2016.
2. "Douglas Turner Ward Chronology". The Douglas Turner Ward Quarterly. Retrieved January 25, 2016.
3. "Weddings; Elizabeth Ward, Manuel Cuprill Jr". The New York Times. July 19, 1998. Retrieved January 25, 2016.
4. "A Raisin in the Sun". New York, New York: Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved December 3, 2009.
5. "Happy Ending/Day of Absence". New York, New York: Lortel Archives:The Internet off-Broadway Database. Archived from the original on September 13, 2007. Retrieved December 3, 2009.
6. "Douglas Turner Ward". New York, New York: Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved December 3, 2009.
7. "A Soldier's Play". New York, New York: Lortel Archives:Internet off-Broadway Database. Archived from the original on January 6, 2005. Retrieved December 4, 2009.
8. "Zooman and the Sign". New York, New York: Lortel Archives:Internet off-Broadway Database. Archived from the original on September 17, 2007. Retrieved December 4, 2009.
9. "Home". New York, New York: Lortel Archives:Internet off-Broadway Database. Archived from the original on October 7, 2012. Retrieved December 4, 2009.
10. "Home – Theatre Four — Cort Theatre". New York, New York: Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved December 4, 2009.
11. "The First Breeze of Summer". New York, New York: Lortel Archives:Internet off-Broadway Database. Archived from the original on October 2, 2007. Retrieved December 4, 2009.
12. "The River Niger". New York, New York: Lortel Archives:Internet off-Broadway Database. Archived from the original on October 2, 2007. Retrieved December 4, 2009.
13. "Happy Ending/Day of Absence". New York, New York: Lortel Archives: The Internet Off-Broadway Database. Archived from the original on October 7, 2012. Retrieved December 4, 2009.
14. "Daddy Goodness". New York, New York: Lortel Archives:Internet off-Broadway Database. Archived from the original on October 7, 2012. Retrieved December 4, 2009.
15. "About Heaven and Earth". New York, New York: Lortel Archives: The Internet Off-Broadway Database. Archived from the original on October 7, 2012. Retrieved December 4, 2009.
16. "The Reckoning". New York, New York: Lortel Archives: The Internet Off-Broadway Database. Archived from the original on October 7, 2012. Retrieved December 4, 2009.
17. "Happy Ending/Day of Absence". New York, New York: Lortel Archives: The Internet Off-Broadway Database. Archived from the original on September 13, 2007. Retrieved December 4, 2009.
18. "The River Niger". New York, New York: Lortel Archives: The Internet Off-Broadway Database. Archived from the original on October 2, 2007. Retrieved December 4, 2009.
19. "The River Niger". United States: Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved December 4, 2009.
20. "The River Niger". United States: Internet Theatre Database. Retrieved December 4, 2009.
21. "Ceremonies in Dark Old Men". New York, New York: Lortel Archives: The Internet Off-Broadway Database. Archived from the original on August 12, 2014. Retrieved December 4, 2009.
22. Genzlinger, Neil, Gerald Krone, 86, Founder Of Negro Theater Troupe Dies at 86, The New York Times, New York Edition, Section D, Page 6, March 9,

External links

• Douglas Turner Ward at IMDb
• Douglas Turner Ward at the Internet Broadway Database
• Excerpt from Day of Absence at the National Humanities Center
• Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library, Emory University: Douglas Turner Ward papers, circa 1957-2012