# csplays.com

> Charles Smith, playwright


## Posts

- [Objects in the Mirror](https://csplays.com/565-2/):   Objects in the Mirror named one of six finalists for the 2018 American Theatre Critics Association’s Steinberg Award Established in 1977, the Harold and Mimi Steinberg/American Theatre Critics Association New Play Award recognizes playwrights for the best scripts that premiered professionally outside New York City during 2017. According to the American Theatre Critics Association, Objects in the Mirror “compellingly takes us into the mindset of the masses of refugees fleeing wars and other violence and their struggle against great odds to survive and escape.” It’s about both “the price of immigration, and the importance of identity, with a second […]

## Pages

- [Objects in the Mirror](https://csplays.com/objects-in-the-mirror/): Escaping the horrors of his war-torn homeland, Liberian refugee, Shedrick Yarkpai, hopes to begin anew in Australia. But his path to peace is haunted by an explosive family secret and Shedrick must confront the ghosts of his past to reclaim his present. Objects in the Mirror illuminates a war refugee’s dangerous odyssey in this gripping story about identity, survival and the sacrifices of assimilation. Objects in the Mirror was developed by Goodman Theatre in Chicago in 2016 and produced by Goodman Theatre in 2017. It was directed by Goodman Theatre resident director, Chuck Smith. The production featured Allen Gilmore as […]
- [The Reclamation of Madison Hemings](https://csplays.com/the-reclamation-of-madison-hemings/): It’s 1866, and the Civil War has ended. Madison Hemings, son of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings, and Israel Jefferson, formerly enslaved footman, return to Monticello in search of Israel’s long-lost brother. Together, they must face their conflicting feelings about the man who wrote “All men are created equal.” Slavery has been abolished, but what really has changed? From what personal bonds do we need to break free? And where do we need to hold on tight? Don’t miss this gripping world premiere about history, family, and hard truths. The Reclamation of Madison Hemings was commissioned by Goodman Theatre in Chicago. […]
- [Home](https://csplays.com/): About Charles Smith Charles Smith’s plays have been produced off-Broadway and from coast to coast by theaters such as Indiana Repertory Theatre, Goodman Theatre, Victory Gardens Theater, New Federal Theatre, Shakespeare & Company, The Acting Company, People’s Lights & Theatre Company, Penumbra, Crossroads Theatre Company, Penguin Repertory, Ujima Theatre Company, The Colony Theatre, St. Louis Black Rep, Seattle Rep, Jubilee Theatre, Ensemble Theatre in Houston, Berkeley Rep, The Robey Theatre Company, and Ensemble Theatre in Cleveland. Many of his plays use historical contexts to explore contemporary issues of race, identity, and politics in America. His work spans a gamut from […]
- [Plays](https://csplays.com/plays/): Objects in the Mirror Escaping the horrors of his war-torn homeland, Liberian refugee, Shedrick Yarkpai, hopes to begin anew in Australia. But his path to peace . . . more The Gospel According to James In 1930, Thomas Shipp and Abram Smith were publicly tortured then murdered by a white mob in Marion, Indiana . . . more Free Man of Color Free Man of Color is the story of John Newton Templeton, formerly enslaved African American who graduated from Ohio University fifty years before the end of slavery . . . more Knock Me a Kiss Knock Me a […]
- [Freefall](https://csplays.com/freefall/): Freefall premiered in 1993 at Victory Gardens Theater. It was directed by Dennis Začek and featured Tim Rhoze as Grant, Leslie Holland as Alex, Malcolm-Jamal Warner as Spoon, and A.C. Smith as Monk. Freefall was produced off-Broadway by the Weissberger Theater Group in 1994. The production was directed by Donald Douglass and featured Geoffrey C. Ewing as Grant, Valerie Pettiford as Alex, Eugene Fleming as Spoon and K. Todd Freeman as Monk. Other productions of Freefall include Penumbra Theater Company in St. Paul, MN. Synopsis Although Grant and Monk are brothers, they took very different paths out of the neighborhood. […]
- [Publishers](https://csplays.com/publishers/): Acting Editions Collections The Gospel According to James and Other Plays Included in the anthology: The Gospel According to JamesKnock Me a KissFree Man of ColorJelly BellyPuddn’head Wilson “The strengths of Smith’s theatre collection are numerous and exhilarating. His characters are original and surprising, often vexing and exasperating, but they each have their piece to contribute. Smith’s dramas are persuasive without being didactic, and without suggesting simple conclusions. They are eloquent and poignant, but with a punch. Something like Carson McCullers without the malaise, or Spike Lee without the chatter. These are smart, profoundly felt, demanding scripts that refuse to […]
- [Takunda](https://csplays.com/takunda/): Sixteen-year-old Takunda’s world is turned upside down when her father is arrested for his political activities in the turbulent Rhodesia of 1973. This coming-of-age story in relevant for our complex times, carrying a message of hope and courage. The play incorporates African folk tales and songs, featuring an ensemble of four actors and the vibrant art of storytelling. The original version of Takunda, titled Tales of South Africa, was commissioned and produced by the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis’ Imaginary Theatre Company, Tony Kushner, artistic director, Russell Vandenbroucke, associate producing director. Under the titleTakunda, it was produced with nine other plays for […]
- [Videos](https://csplays.com/videos/)
- [The Gospel According to James](https://csplays.com/the-gospel-according-to-james/): In 1930, Thomas Shipp and Abram Smith were publicly tortured then murdered by a white mob in Marion, Indiana. The Lawrence Beitler photograph capturing the aftermath of this double lynching became an iconic symbol of America’s long history of racial terrorism. The Gospel According to James delves into the events that led up to that night through a fictional meeting between an adult James Cameron, who was the third teenager arrested alongside Thomas Shipp and Abram Smith, and Mary Ball, the woman who was at the center of it all. They survived history. But whose history? As their past and […]
- [Links](https://csplays.com/links/): The Goodman TheatreIndiana Repertory TheatreVictory Gardens TheaterWoodie King Jr.’s New Federal TheatreEnsemble TheatreIndependent TheatreNew DramatistsPenguin RepPenumbraUjima Theatre Company Publishers Swallow PressDramatic PublishingNorthwestern PressSamuel FrenchMeriwether Press Other Links of Interest André DeShieldsBackstage Pass with Lia ChangDistinguished Professors at Ohio University Playwriting at Ohio University: Blog Site
- [Biography](https://csplays.com/biography/): Charles Smith’s plays have been produced Off-Broadway and across the country by theaters such as Indiana Repertory Theatre, Goodman Theatre, New Federal Theatre, The Acting Company, People’s Light & Theatre Company, Penumbra, Ensemble Theatre in Cleveland, Crossroads Theatre Company, Penguin Repertory Theatre, Ujima Theatre Company, The Colony Theatre, St. Louis Black Rep, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Jubilee Theatre, Ensemble Theatre in Houston, The Robey Theater Company, and Berkeley Repertory Theater. Nine of his plays received their world premiere productions at Victory Gardens Theatre in Chicago. His play, The Reclamation of Madison Hemings, was commissioned by Goodman and produced by Indiana Repertory […]
- [Black Star Line](https://csplays.com/black-star-line/): Commissioned and produced by the Goodman Theatre in Chicago and directed by Tazewell Thompson, Black Star Line chronicles the rise and fall of Marcus Garvey and the Back to Africa movement of the 1920’s. Garvey, a Jamaican immigrant to the United States, founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA). At a time when W.E.B. Du Bois and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) were arguing that African Americans should claim their full rights as US citizens, Garvey was pushing for a separate black sovereign nation in Liberia. “One of the best plays about race that I […]
- [Cane](https://csplays.com/cane/): Cane was developed at Victory Gardens Theater as part of the Michael and Marianne O’Shaughnessy Playwright Development Program. It is the stage adaptation of Jean Toomer’s 1923 novel of the same name. A patchwork of stories, poems, and dramatic interludes, the novel was considered a landmark work of the Harlem Renaissance, the period of artistic blossoming in the 1920’s when black intellectuals began to explore their identity. The play brings the novel to life by featuring 10 actors in nearly 40 roles in a blend of drama, dance and music including old spirituals and a capella songs connected by the […]
- [City of Gold](https://csplays.com/city-of-gold/): Commissioned by Seattle Repertory Theatre to commemorate the 500th year anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ voyages to the Americas, City of Gold was produced as Seattle Rep’s MOB Show (Mobil Outreach Bunch) and toured into schools in the Seattle area. Based upon the diaries of Christopher Columbus, this play questions Columbus’ relationship with the native Taino tribe whose life and customs he documented when he arrived in the Americas. City of Gold explores the idea that Columbus was neither a glorified hero nor an evil conqueror, but a multi-faceted human who was caught in a difficult, complex situation. Cast size: 5. […]
- [Contact us](https://csplays.com/contact-information/): Do you have additional questions? Need information about a particular play and/or production rights? Contact us: You may also contact us directly: Barbara HogensonBarbara Hogenson Agency165 West End AvenueSuite 19-CNew York, NY 10023(212) 874-8084
- [Denmark](https://csplays.com/denmark/): What is our commitment to fulfill our personal hopes and dreams, versus our obligation to a greater public good, at a time when the need for that greater good is dire? The provocative questions raised in the world premier of Denmark in 2006 share remarkable similarities to conversations held in the recent history of the United States of America. Commissioned and produced as the inaugural production of Victory Gardens Theatre’s 12 million dollar renovation of the historic Biograph Theater, Denmark is an evocative drama about freed slave Denmark Vesey, who allegedly organized a slave rebellion in Charlestown, South Carolina in […]
- [Free Man of Color](https://csplays.com/free-man-of-color/): Recipient of the 2004 Jeff Award for Best New Work, Free Man of Color tells the story of John Newton Templeton, a young man who spent the early years of his life enslaved. After emancipation, he attended Ohio University and graduated in 1828, thirty-five years before the end of slavery. Free Man of Color was commissioned by Ohio University to commemorate its Bicentennial Celebration. The play had its world premiere production at Victory Gardens Theater in Chicago in January 2004. Directed by Andrea J. Dymond, the production featured Gary Houston as Reverend Robert Wilson, Anthony Fleming III as John Newton Templeton, […]
- [Golden Leaf Ragtime Blues](https://csplays.com/golden-leaf-rag-time-blues/): This is the story of a young African American boy and an aging vaudevillian thrown together in circumstances beyond their control, Golden Leaf Ragtime Blues explores their unusual connection, as discovered through stories and music, illustrating how our basic needs and human emotions cut across the barriers of race, religion, and age. An early draft ofGolden Leaf Ragtime Blues was developed by American Blues Theatre in Chicago in 1987 and the HBO new writers workshop in 1994 before being produced by Ensemble Theater in Cleveland in 2016. The revised version of Golden Leaf Ragtime Blues was produced by Shakespeare & Company in […]
- [Jelly Belly](https://csplays.com/jelly-belly/): Employing gritty poetry of the streets, Jelly Belly is a powerful story of a convict returning from a brief prison stay to resume his position as the neighborhood kingpin. An early draft of Jelly Belly titled Jelly Belly Don’t Mess with Nobody was awarded the 1985 Cornerstone National Playwriting Award and was produced by Penumbra Theatre Company. The production was directed by James A. Williams and featured Latifu as Jelly Belly, Abdul Razzac as Mike, Walter Pridgen as Kenny, and Marion McClinton as Bruce. Jelly Belly was also awarded the Theodore Ward Playwriting Award and was produced by Victory Gardens […]
- [Knock Me a Kiss](https://csplays.com/knock-me-a-kiss/): Knock Me a Kiss was inspired by the sensational events surrounding the 1928 marriage of W.E.B. Du Bois’s daughter, Yolande, to one of Harlem’s great poets, Countee Cullen. The marriage marked the height of the Harlem Renaissance and was viewed as the perfect union of Negro talent and beauty. It united the daughter of America’s foremost black intellectual, cofounder of the NAACP and publisher of Crisis Magazine, with a young poet whose work was considered to be one of the flagships for the New Negro movement. Knock Me a Kiss was originally produced by Victory Gardens Theater in Chicago. The […]
- [Les Trois Dumas](https://csplays.com/les-trois-dumas/): Les Trois Dumas was commissioned and produced by the Indiana Repertory Theatre (Janet Allen, artistic director; Brian Payne, managing director) in Indianapolis, Indiana, in April of 1998. The production was directed by Tazewell Thompson; set design was by Donald Eastman; costume design was by Merrily Murray-Walsh; the lighting design was by Robert Wierzel; the sound and music was composed by Fabian Obispo; the fight chorographer was Nick Sandys; the dramaturg was Janet Allen.  The production was directed by Tazewell Thompson and featured Ryan Artzberger as Alexandre Dumas Fils, Leon Addision Brown as General Thomas Alexandre Dumas/Alexis, Jay K. Duval as Napoleon, […]
- [Pudd’nhead Wilson](https://csplays.com/puddnhead-wilson/): Pudd’nhead Wilson, a stage adaptation of the Mark Twain novel of the same name, was commissioned by The Acting Company, Margo Harley, producing director. The production, directed by Walter Dallas, toured to twenty-two US cities 2001-02. The tour ended with 16 performances at the Lucille Lortel Theatre in New York. Synopsis Pudd’nhead Wilson is the story of the two sons of Judge Driscoll, the chief citizen of Dawson’s Landing, Missouri. Tom is the judge’s legal heir and the child of the judge’s wife; Chambers is the judge’s illegitimate child by the enslaved girl, Roxy. When Driscoll threatens to sell Roxy’s […]
- [Shoot the Piano Player](https://csplays.com/shoot-the-piano-player/): Shoot the Piano Player is a jazz-infused musical adaptation of David Goodis’s novel Down There – the inspiration for Francois Truffaut’s famous French New Wave film. In this version set in the 1950s, Eddie is a washed up classical pianist playing the piano at a Southside bar in Philadelphia. When his estranged brother gets in trouble, Eddie, against his will, is dragged into his brother’s seedy world and is forced to flee for his life. Shoot the Piano Player is a moving portrait of a man facing the demons of his past, the loss of loved ones, race and struggling […]
- [Sister Carrie](https://csplays.com/sister-carrie/): Commissioned and produced in 2002 by Indiana Repertory Theatre, Janet Allen, Artistic director, Sister Carrie is the stage adaptation of the Theodore Dreiser novel of the same name. Sister Carrie is the story of Carrie Meeber, an impressionable young girl who leaves the insulated confines of rural Wisconsin in the early 1900’s and enters the throbbing, amoral world of the big city. Soon her yearning for an honorable life and for lasting love is compromised. Each attempt to reconcile her dreams with reality forces Carrie into ever-more tangled affairs until she is forced to contend with the deep and driving […]
- [The Sutherland](https://csplays.com/the-sutherland/): The Sutherland, loosely based upon the life of Chicago jazz trumpeter Malachi Thompson, featured music composed and performed live by Malachi Thompson. It developed and produced by Victory Gardens Theater in Chicago in 1997. Synopsis A promising young musician, Eugene Taylor, comes of age in the midst of Chicago’s Southside jazz scene of the 1950’s with musical royalty Miles Davis, Duke Ellington and John Coltrane as his role models. Having embarked on a six month European tour, he returns 15 years later after being seduced by the European’s appreciation of jazz and the love of a Viennese woman. While abroad […]
- [Young Richard](https://csplays.com/young-richard/): Young Richard is about a young African American writer whose white patron abruptly withdraws his financial support when Richard’s writing shifts focus from “black issues” to areas the patron deems inappropriate. Blaming the world’s ills on larger entities such as corporations and figure heads, Richard ultimately discovers something about himself and personal responsibility in this exploration of the social and political issues plaguing America. Young Richard was produced in 1991 by the St. Louis Black Repertory Company, Ron Himes artistic director, and was presented at the National Black Theatre Festival the same year. Cast size: 5m., 2w. For licensing information, please contact […]


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