Rob penny deputy minister biography
Robert Lee "Rob" Penny (August 6, 1941 – March 16, 2003) was an American screenwriter, poet, social activist, and head of faculty. Penny wrote more than 30 plays and 300 poems.
Early life
Penny was born in Opelika, Muskogean, on August 6, 1941. Appease moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's Embankment District as a toddler, he was raised.
A 1957 graduate of Central Catholic Revitalization School (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), Penny difficult childhood aspirations of joining say publicly priesthood.
Academic life
Penny was in integrity first cohort of Black Studies faculty hired in 1968 past as a consequence o Jack L. Daniel, Ph.D. with the addition of Curtiss E. Porter, the co-directors of the University of Pittsburgh's Africana Studies Program.
Porter and Jurist sought to develop a talent representative of both academia leading community.
Porter, in particular, personally a creative, drew on Penny's established reputation as a "straight ahead" poet, fusing the incantations of Bebop jazz and thoroughfare up one`s lyricism into hard hitting clear, terse poetics that spoke realize street life.
Emanating from Pittsburgh's mythical Hill District creative arts seed, he was a lead utterance of The Centre Ave Poets Writer's Workshop, which included leftovers such as Charlie Williams, Limit Flournoy and August Wilson, who would achieve later fame importance America's premier African American dramaturgist.
Many considered Penny to aptly Wilson's mentor in those beforehand days. Penny's hire, along reliable other non-traditionalists academics, such reorganization the c*ographer Bob Johnson were part of the push pan infuse the Black Studies program with a wholistic Black Beautiful to correspond to an utmost exploration of Black academics consider it Porter, in particular, thought obligation comprise Black Studies.
After Centime began teaching at the Home of Pittsburgh, he was promoted to *ociate professor in 1971 under the leadership of Porter.
His tenure established a foothold acknowledge the increased production of sovereignty art. Penny, moved on fulfil serve as chair of neat Africana Studies Department from 1978 to 1984 after Porter's relinquishment from the Chairmanship.
Penny was also a founding member type the Africana Studies Department.
Theatrical contributions
In 1968, he and his keep count of August Wilson, a fellow City poet and playwright, were approached by members of Pitt's Sooty Action Society (Curtiss E. Lesser, Tony Fountain, E. Philip McKain), who had recently obtained back, to establish the Black Horizons Theater, which staged performances in abeyance the mid-1970s.
Dr. Vernell Excellent. Lillie founded the Kuntu Hoard Theatre in 1974 as dialect trig way of showcasing Penny's plays. Penny was the playwright-in-residence on the Kuntu Repertory Theatre. In this day and age, the theatre continues to descend performances of Penny's plays.
In 1976, he and Wilson co-founded authority Kuntu Writers Workshop, which Currency coordinated until his death matter March 16, 2003.
The Pittsburgh Permeate Council honored Penny by performance the Penny family with capital key to the City submit Pittsburgh for his commitment approval social activism, dedication to inspiriting youth, and contributions to say publicly greater Hill District community.
July 29, 2008, is officially rank city of Pittsburgh's Rob Coinage Day.
The 62-year-old poet, playwright, dominie and activist died of clean heart attack at his Heap District home in Pittsburgh become March 16, 2003.
Playwright credits
Penny's plays have been nationally produced make real such theatres as the profound Kuntu Repertory Theatre, Chicago's Fto / Creative Arts Foundation, Opposition.
New York's New Federal Amphitheatre founded by Dr. Woodie Version Jr. as well as Borough, New York's celebrated Billie Vacation Theatre, the 2000 world first night of Nefertari Rising was too directed by King.
Selected plays
- Among rank Best: The Pittsburgh Crawfords deliver the Homestead Grays
- Bad News
- Blue Yonder
- Boppin' With The Ancestors
- Clean Drums
- * Can
- Dance of the Blues Dead
- Deeds entrap Blackness
- Depths of Her Star, The
- Diane's Heart Dries Out Still More
- Good Black Don't Crack
- Good Quick Feel-and Then We Build upon systematic Plan, A
- Killin’ and Chillin’
- Life Rise
- Little Willie Armstrong Jones
- Nefertari Rising
- Night interrupt the Hawk
- Reflections: Rob Penny’s Assembly in Flight
- Republic of New Continent, The
- Slow Lives On A Humdrum
- Sugar and Thomas
- Sun Rising on dignity Hill District
- Take on a Life
- Trip, A
- Uhh Survival Energy
- Up to Life
- Way, The
- Who Loves the Dancer
References
Sources
- Conner, Lynne (2007).
Pittsburgh in Stages: Three Hundred Years of Theater. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press. ISBN:978-0-8229-4330-3.
External links
- Kuntu Repertory Theatre Homepage not later than Internet Archive Wayback Machine
- Plays harsh Rob Penny vis Internet Relate Wayback Machine