Hope Clarke
Encyclopedia
Hope Clarke is an African-American actress, dancer, vocalist, and choreographer. Principal dancer with Katherine Dunham Company and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, 1960s; actress on stage, film, and television, 1970s-1980s; choreographer and director, 1980s--.
, Clarke, who was also raised in New York City
, appeared in West Side Story (1960), Hallelujah, Baby!
(1967), Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope
(1972), and Grind
(1975), and choreographed Jelly's Last Jam
(1992), for which she was nominated for a Tony
and Drama Desk Award
, and Caroline, or Change
(2004). Clarke was also cast as Tia Mowry's grandmother in Seventeen Again
.
Clarke made history in 1995 when she became the first African American, as well as the first African American woman, to direct and choreograph a major staging of the opera-musical Porgy and Bess. Clarke's production of the George Gershwin
classic was staged in celebration of the work's sixtieth anniversary, and it toured not only major American cities but Japan
and Europe
as well. Clarke drew critical acclaim for her commitment to staging the show as a monument to African American community and pride, giving a more hopeful, positive aura to a story that has been criticized for its stereotypes. As for the director herself, the success of Porgy and Bess is just the latest accolade in a long career devoted to dance and drama.
In 1960, the still-teenaged Clarke landed a role in the original touring cast of West Side Story
, a musical play about rival big city gangs. Following West Side Story, Clarke served as a principal dancer in two noted African American dance troupes: the Katherine Dunham Company and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
. She was particularly prominent in the Alvin Ailey
company and sometimes danced in partnership with Ailey himself. Clarke told Essence magazine that her years as a professional dancer helped her to prepare for the next stages in her career. "The discipline I learned in dance carried over into acting and directing," she said.
(1977), starring comedian/actor Bill Cosby
and Oscar-winning actor/director Sidney Poitier
. She also appeared in guest roles on numerous television shows, including The Jeffersons
, The Ropers
, Hill Street Blues
, Three's Company
, and As The World Turns
. Her Broadway credits include Don't Bother Me I Can't Cope, Purlie, and Hallelujah Baby. She also appeared in the critically acclaimed NBC-TV miniseries King
(1978) based upon the life and ministry of the slain civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr..
Clarke found ample opportunities to develop her choreographic skills and was rarely without a project either in America or abroad. She worked for the New York City-based Opera Ebony, helping to produce Porgy and Bess in such unlikely venues as Brazil and Finland. She earned a Tony Award nomination for choreography for her work in the 1992 Broadway hit, Jelly's Last Jam
. Over time, Clarke's choreographic talents were directed to projects as diverse as Dorothy Rudd Moore's
Freedom and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Cosi Fan Tutte
. All of these efforts helped to bring Clarke to the attention of opera and musical theater executives. One of them was David Gockley
, general director of the Houston Grand Opera. Gockley had decided to create a whole new touring production of Porgy and Bess, and wanted an African American director for the project.
Clarke reportedly thought that the idea was splendid. "I've worked through the ranks, and I was ready for this," she recalled in the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Elsewhere, in the San Diego Union-Tribune, she spoke to the contributions she could make to the play as an African American
and a woman.
Recalls Clarke of the plans for the Porgy & Bess production:
"As a director, I guess I bring in the female sensibilities," she said. "Since I'm also an actress, I've really tried to develop the characterizations so that the performers don't do a little singing here, and some acting there. And coming from a black perspective, I know how we think, how we feel, what we do. I understand the little things. That makes a difference."
, for an all-black cast. The story, set in a fictitious Charleston, South Carolina
neighborhood called Catfish Row, revolves around a crippled beggar named Porgy, a sensuous woman named Bess, and two troublemakers, Crown and Sporting Life. Though Gershwin's score has always been highly popular, especially the ballad "Summertime", the characters and setting have drawn criticism for portraying African Americans in stereotypical ways. For example, Porgy begs for money, Bess takes lovers, Sporting Life sells drugs, and Crown is a murderer.
Although Clarke knew that she could not tamper with the essential plot and characterizations in the play, she still, nevetheless had several ideas about how to present the residents of Catfish Row in a more favorable light. She conceived her production of Porgy and Bess as a celebration of the lives of Charleston-based Gullahs, an African American community believed to be Angola
n in origin.
Critic Kenneth Herman noted in the Los Angeles Times
,
"Clarke ... fleshed out the opera's Gullah context, using that culture's integrity to compensate for some of the lead characters' moral defects. She ... also made certain the cast knows how to pronounce Gullah dialect, which the opera's libretto employs."
Clarke was well aware that she was making history both by serving as director of a large-scale production and by her artistic decisions about the show. She told the Los Angeles Times,
"I want African Americans who come to see the opera to be proud that an African American is directing ... and to recognize the people on stage. I wanted to draw a community which we could find today: It could be any poor community, but one with pride." She expanded upon this philosophy in Opera News, "In my production, everybody works. Everybody has some type of job. Just because you are poor doesn't mean you have to be slovenly or ignorant."
Clarke's staging of Porgy and Bess toured several major American cities, including San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, and Minneapolis. It also played engagements in Japan and at Italy's famed La Scala opera house in Milan. Clarke received a Tony Award for her work on Porgy and Bess and has since kept a full schedule in New York City and elsewhere, choreographing various plays and musicals. Through her successes, she is paving the way for other talented artists. "Blacks and women have been locked out of directing major productions for too long," she asserted in Essence. "It's time for us not only to tell our stories but to direct them."
... aka Planet Brooklyn (Canada: English title: DVD title)
... aka Uptown Undercover
Choreographer / (Nov 18, 2010 - Jan 9, 2011)
Choreographer / May 2, 2004 – Aug 29, 2004
Choreographer / Nov 1, 1995 – Dec 31, 1995
Director and Choreographer / 1995
Choreographer / Apr 26, 1992 – Sep 5, 1993
nominated for a Tony
and Drama Desk Award
Performer [Ruby] / Apr 16, 1985 – Jun 22, 1985
Performer / Apr 19, 1972 – Oct 27, 1974
Performer / Apr 26, 1967 - Jan 13, 1968
Performer, Dancer / Oct 23, 1961 - Nov 18, 1961
Performer / Apr 27, 1960 - Dec 10, 1960
Stage career
On BroadwayBroadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
, Clarke, who was also raised in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, appeared in West Side Story (1960), Hallelujah, Baby!
Hallelujah, Baby!
Hallelujah, Baby! is a musical with music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Adolph Green and Betty Comden, and a book by Arthur Laurents. The show is "a musical chronicle of the African American struggle for equality during the [first half of the] 20th century."...
(1967), Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope
Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope
Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope is a musical revue with music and lyrics by Micki Grant. It was originally produced by Edward Padula.The all-singing, all-dancing show focuses on the African American experience with songs on such topics as tenements, slumlords, ghetto life, student protests, black...
(1972), and Grind
Grind (musical)
Grind is a musical with a book by Fay Kanin, music by Larry Grossman, and lyrics by Ellen Fitzhugh. Grind is a portrait of a largely African-American burlesque house in Chicago in the Thirties.The reviews were mixed at best...
(1975), and choreographed Jelly's Last Jam
Jelly's Last Jam
Jelly's Last Jam is a musical with a book by George C. Wolfe, lyrics by Susan Birkenhead, and music by Jelly Roll Morton and Luther Henderson...
(1992), for which she was nominated for a Tony
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
and Drama Desk Award
Drama Desk Award
The Drama Desk Awards, which are given annually in a number of categories, are the only major New York theater honors for which productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway compete against each other in the same category...
, and Caroline, or Change
Caroline, or Change
Caroline, or Change is a through-composed musical with book and lyrics by Tony Kushner and score by Jeanine Tesori that combines spirituals, blues, Motown, classical music, and Jewish klezmer and folk music....
(2004). Clarke was also cast as Tia Mowry's grandmother in Seventeen Again
Seventeen Again
Seventeen Again is a fantasy–comedy film. It first aired on Showtime on November 12, 2000, and was released on DVD on April 9, 2002. The films stars Sister Sisters Tia & Tamera, and their brother Tahj Mowry from Smart Guy.-Plot:...
.
Clarke made history in 1995 when she became the first African American, as well as the first African American woman, to direct and choreograph a major staging of the opera-musical Porgy and Bess. Clarke's production of the George Gershwin
George Gershwin
George Gershwin was an American composer and pianist. Gershwin's compositions spanned both popular and classical genres, and his most popular melodies are widely known...
classic was staged in celebration of the work's sixtieth anniversary, and it toured not only major American cities but Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
as well. Clarke drew critical acclaim for her commitment to staging the show as a monument to African American community and pride, giving a more hopeful, positive aura to a story that has been criticized for its stereotypes. As for the director herself, the success of Porgy and Bess is just the latest accolade in a long career devoted to dance and drama.
Early life and career
A native of Washington, D.C., Ms. Clarke grew up in just the sort of community she sought to portray in Porgy and Bess. Segregation was still a harsh fact of life during her childhood. She recalled, for instance, how people shopped through mail-order catalogues in order to purchase clothes offered in stores where they were not welcome. "The black community, as I remember it, was very closely knit," Clarke said in the San Francisco Examiner. "Before the fabric of this society was torn by racism and lack of education, we all took care of each other. We all watched each other's children."In 1960, the still-teenaged Clarke landed a role in the original touring cast of West Side Story
West Side Story
West Side Story is an American musical with a script by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and choreographed by Jerome Robbins...
, a musical play about rival big city gangs. Following West Side Story, Clarke served as a principal dancer in two noted African American dance troupes: the Katherine Dunham Company and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is a modern dance company based in New York, New York. It was founded in 1958 by choreographer and dancer Alvin Ailey...
. She was particularly prominent in the Alvin Ailey
Alvin Ailey
Alvin Ailey, Jr. was an American choreographer and activist who founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in New York. Ailey is credited with popularizing modern dance and revolutionizing African-American participation in 20th century concert dance...
company and sometimes danced in partnership with Ailey himself. Clarke told Essence magazine that her years as a professional dancer helped her to prepare for the next stages in her career. "The discipline I learned in dance carried over into acting and directing," she said.
1970's acting works
After leaving the Alvin Ailey group in the 1970s, Clarke moved into acting. Her most notable feature film performance was in A Piece of the ActionA Piece of the Action (film)
A Piece of the Action is a 1977 comedy crime film starring Sidney Poitier and Bill Cosby. Poitier also directed the film. This was the third film pairing of Poitier and Cosby following Uptown Saturday Night and Let's Do It Again, and Poiter's last acting role for more than 10 years, as he focused...
(1977), starring comedian/actor Bill Cosby
Bill Cosby
William Henry "Bill" Cosby, Jr. is an American comedian, actor, author, television producer, educator, musician and activist. A veteran stand-up performer, he got his start at various clubs, then landed a starring role in the 1960s action show, I Spy. He later starred in his own series, the...
and Oscar-winning actor/director Sidney Poitier
Sidney Poitier
Sir Sidney Poitier, KBE is a Bahamian American actor, film director, author, and diplomat.In 1963, Poitier became the first black person to win an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in Lilies of the Field...
. She also appeared in guest roles on numerous television shows, including The Jeffersons
The Jeffersons
The Jeffersons is an American sitcom that was broadcast on CBS from January 18, 1975, through June 25, 1985, lasting 11 seasons and a total of 253 episodes. The show was produced by the T.A.T. Communications Company from 1975–1982 and by Embassy Television from 1982-1985...
, The Ropers
The Ropers
The Ropers is an American sitcom that ran from March 13, 1979 to May 22, 1980 on ABC. The series is a spinoff of Three's Company and based on the British sitcom George and Mildred...
, Hill Street Blues
Hill Street Blues
Hill Street Blues is an American serial police drama that was first aired on NBC in 1981 and ran for 146 episodes on primetime into 1987. Chronicling the lives of the staff of a single police precinct in an unnamed American city, the show received critical acclaim and its production innovations ...
, Three's Company
Three's Company
Three's Company is an American sitcom that aired from March 15, 1977, to September 18, 1984, on ABC. It is based on the British sitcom, Man About the House....
, and As The World Turns
As the World Turns
As the World Turns is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS from April 2, 1956 to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created As the World Turns as a sister show to her other soap opera Guiding Light...
. Her Broadway credits include Don't Bother Me I Can't Cope, Purlie, and Hallelujah Baby. She also appeared in the critically acclaimed NBC-TV miniseries King
King
- Centers of population :* King, Ontario, CanadaIn USA:* King, Indiana* King, North Carolina* King, Lincoln County, Wisconsin* King, Waupaca County, Wisconsin* King County, Washington- Moving-image works :Television:...
(1978) based upon the life and ministry of the slain civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr..
Choreography work in the seventies
When she wasn't busy acting, Clarke was often called in to choreograph various stage and television shows. She discovered that she enjoyed the challenge of choreography and, after years as a dancer, was eminently qualified. Besides, she joked in Essence, "I had bills to pay."Clarke found ample opportunities to develop her choreographic skills and was rarely without a project either in America or abroad. She worked for the New York City-based Opera Ebony, helping to produce Porgy and Bess in such unlikely venues as Brazil and Finland. She earned a Tony Award nomination for choreography for her work in the 1992 Broadway hit, Jelly's Last Jam
Jelly's Last Jam
Jelly's Last Jam is a musical with a book by George C. Wolfe, lyrics by Susan Birkenhead, and music by Jelly Roll Morton and Luther Henderson...
. Over time, Clarke's choreographic talents were directed to projects as diverse as Dorothy Rudd Moore's
Dorothy Rudd Moore
-Life:Dorothy Rudd was born in New Castle, Delaware, and took piano lessons as a child. She graduated from Howard University in 1963 where she studied with Mark Fax, and continued her studies with Nadia Boulanger in Paris in 1963 and Chou Wen-Chung in New York in 1965.Rudd worked as a private music...
Freedom and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Cosi Fan Tutte
Così fan tutte
Così fan tutte, ossia La scuola degli amanti K. 588, is an opera buffa by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart first performed in 1790. The libretto was written by Lorenzo Da Ponte....
. All of these efforts helped to bring Clarke to the attention of opera and musical theater executives. One of them was David Gockley
David Gockley
David Gockley is an American opera company administrator. He served as general director of Houston Grand Opera from 1972 to 2005 and has been general director of San Francisco Opera since 2006.-Biography:...
, general director of the Houston Grand Opera. Gockley had decided to create a whole new touring production of Porgy and Bess, and wanted an African American director for the project.
Clarke reportedly thought that the idea was splendid. "I've worked through the ranks, and I was ready for this," she recalled in the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Elsewhere, in the San Diego Union-Tribune, she spoke to the contributions she could make to the play as an African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
and a woman.
Recalls Clarke of the plans for the Porgy & Bess production:
"As a director, I guess I bring in the female sensibilities," she said. "Since I'm also an actress, I've really tried to develop the characterizations so that the performers don't do a little singing here, and some acting there. And coming from a black perspective, I know how we think, how we feel, what we do. I understand the little things. That makes a difference."
Porgy and Bess (1995) Houston/Dallas Opera production
Porgy and Bess was written by a white composer, George GershwinGeorge Gershwin
George Gershwin was an American composer and pianist. Gershwin's compositions spanned both popular and classical genres, and his most popular melodies are widely known...
, for an all-black cast. The story, set in a fictitious Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
neighborhood called Catfish Row, revolves around a crippled beggar named Porgy, a sensuous woman named Bess, and two troublemakers, Crown and Sporting Life. Though Gershwin's score has always been highly popular, especially the ballad "Summertime", the characters and setting have drawn criticism for portraying African Americans in stereotypical ways. For example, Porgy begs for money, Bess takes lovers, Sporting Life sells drugs, and Crown is a murderer.
Although Clarke knew that she could not tamper with the essential plot and characterizations in the play, she still, nevetheless had several ideas about how to present the residents of Catfish Row in a more favorable light. She conceived her production of Porgy and Bess as a celebration of the lives of Charleston-based Gullahs, an African American community believed to be Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
n in origin.
Critic Kenneth Herman noted in the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
,
"Clarke ... fleshed out the opera's Gullah context, using that culture's integrity to compensate for some of the lead characters' moral defects. She ... also made certain the cast knows how to pronounce Gullah dialect, which the opera's libretto employs."
Clarke was well aware that she was making history both by serving as director of a large-scale production and by her artistic decisions about the show. She told the Los Angeles Times,
"I want African Americans who come to see the opera to be proud that an African American is directing ... and to recognize the people on stage. I wanted to draw a community which we could find today: It could be any poor community, but one with pride." She expanded upon this philosophy in Opera News, "In my production, everybody works. Everybody has some type of job. Just because you are poor doesn't mean you have to be slovenly or ignorant."
Clarke's staging of Porgy and Bess toured several major American cities, including San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, and Minneapolis. It also played engagements in Japan and at Italy's famed La Scala opera house in Milan. Clarke received a Tony Award for her work on Porgy and Bess and has since kept a full schedule in New York City and elsewhere, choreographing various plays and musicals. Through her successes, she is paving the way for other talented artists. "Blacks and women have been locked out of directing major productions for too long," she asserted in Essence. "It's time for us not only to tell our stories but to direct them."
Film and TV filmography
- ShowBusiness: The Road to Broadway (2007) .... Herself
- Men Without (2004) .... Ms. Jackson
... aka Planet Brooklyn (Canada: English title: DVD title)
- Law & OrderLaw & OrderLaw & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It aired on NBC, and in syndication on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24,...
(TV).. Mrs. Marbury/Appellate Judge #2/Judge Emma Reynolds ... (3 episodes, 1996–2002) - Driving Fish (2002) .... Betty
- Seventeen Again (2000) .... Grandma Cat Donovan
- New York Undercover (TV)... Marilyn Farris (1 episode, 1996)
... aka Uptown Undercover
- Basquiat (1996) .... Matilde
- A Father's Homecoming (1988) (TV) .... Doctor
- AmenAmenThe word amen is a declaration of affirmation found in the Hebrew Bible and New Testament. Its use in Judaism dates back to its earliest texts. It has been generally adopted in Christian worship as a concluding word for prayers and hymns. In Islam, it is the standard ending to Dua and the...
.... Carol Wilson (1 episode, 1987) - Angel HeartAngel HeartAngel Heart is a 1987 North American/British mystery-thriller film written and directed by Alan Parker, and starring Mickey Rourke, Robert De Niro, and Lisa Bonet...
(1987) .... Voodoo Dancer - Square One TV (1987) TV series (stager: dance numbers) (unknown episodes)
- Into the Night (1985/I) .... Airport Cop
- Beat StreetBeat StreetBeat Street is a 1984 drama film, following Wild Style in featuring New York City hip hop culture of the early 1980s; breakdancing, DJing, and graffiti.-Plot:...
(1984) .... Dancing Instructor - The New Odd CoupleThe New Odd CoupleThe New Odd Couple is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from 1982 to 83, and was an updated version of the 1970s television series The Odd Couple. The New Odd Couple was the second attempt to remake a series of one of Neil Simon's plays with a primarily African-American cast...
.... Beth St. Clair (1 episode, 1983) - Hill Street BluesHill Street BluesHill Street Blues is an American serial police drama that was first aired on NBC in 1981 and ran for 146 episodes on primetime into 1987. Chronicling the lives of the staff of a single police precinct in an unnamed American city, the show received critical acclaim and its production innovations ...
.... Mrs. Reese (1 episode, 1982) - Lois Gibbs and the Love Canal (1982) (TV) .... Chris
- Maggie (TV).... Receptionist (1 episode, 1981)
- Body and Soul (1981) Choreographer
- Scout's Honor (1980) (TV)
- The White ShadowThe White ShadowThe White Shadow is an American drama television series that ran on the CBS network from November 27, 1978, to March 16, 1981.-Overview:...
.... Aunt Edna Heyward (1 episode, 1979) - Three's CompanyThree's CompanyThree's Company is an American sitcom that aired from March 15, 1977, to September 18, 1984, on ABC. It is based on the British sitcom, Man About the House....
.... Second Nurse (1 episode, 1979) - Hart to HartHart to HartHart to Hart is an American television series, starring Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers as Jonathan and Jennifer Hart, a wealthy couple who also moonlighted as amateur detectives. The series was created by writer Sidney Sheldon and produced by Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg...
.... Teacher (1 episode, 1979) - The RopersThe RopersThe Ropers is an American sitcom that ran from March 13, 1979 to May 22, 1980 on ABC. The series is a spinoff of Three's Company and based on the British sitcom George and Mildred...
.... Dr. Young (1 episode, 1979) - Jennifer: A Woman's Story (1979) (TV) .... Annie (secretary)
- What's Happening!!What's Happening!!What's Happening!! is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC from August 5, 1976 to April 28, 1979. The show premiered as a summer series. With good ratings and reviews, and after the failure of several other shows on the network, What's Happening!! returned in November 1976 as a weekly...
.... Elizabeth Duncan /Mrs.Watson ... (2 episodes, 1977–1978) - Good TimesGood TimesGood Times is an American sitcom that originally aired from February 8, 1974, until August 1, 1979, on the CBS television network. It was created by Eric Monte and Michael Evans, and developed by Norman Lear, the series' primary executive producer...
.... Brenda Gordon (1 episode, 1978) - KingKing- Centers of population :* King, Ontario, CanadaIn USA:* King, Indiana* King, North Carolina* King, Lincoln County, Wisconsin* King, Waupaca County, Wisconsin* King County, Washington- Moving-image works :Television:...
(1978) TV mini-series .... Mary (unknown episodes) - The JeffersonsThe JeffersonsThe Jeffersons is an American sitcom that was broadcast on CBS from January 18, 1975, through June 25, 1985, lasting 11 seasons and a total of 253 episodes. The show was produced by the T.A.T. Communications Company from 1975–1982 and by Embassy Television from 1982-1985...
.... Sherry Barnes (1 episode, 1977) - A Piece of the ActionA Piece of the Action (film)A Piece of the Action is a 1977 comedy crime film starring Sidney Poitier and Bill Cosby. Poitier also directed the film. This was the third film pairing of Poitier and Cosby following Uptown Saturday Night and Let's Do It Again, and Poiter's last acting role for more than 10 years, as he focused...
(1977) .... Sarah Thomas - Book of Numbers (1973) .... Pigmeat Goins
- Going Home (1971) .... Mother at prison
- Change of Mind (1969) .... Nancy
Stage credits
- A Free Man of Color
Choreographer / (Nov 18, 2010 - Jan 9, 2011)
- ShowBusiness: The Road to Broadway (2007) .... Herself
- Caroline, or Change (Original, Musical, Drama)
Choreographer / May 2, 2004 – Aug 29, 2004
- The Tempest (Revival, Play, Comedy)
Choreographer / Nov 1, 1995 – Dec 31, 1995
- Porgy And Bess (Revival, Musical, Drama)
Director and Choreographer / 1995
- Jelly's Last Jam (Original, Musical)
Choreographer / Apr 26, 1992 – Sep 5, 1993
nominated for a Tony
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
and Drama Desk Award
Drama Desk Award
The Drama Desk Awards, which are given annually in a number of categories, are the only major New York theater honors for which productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway compete against each other in the same category...
- Grind (Original, Musical)
Performer [Ruby] / Apr 16, 1985 – Jun 22, 1985
- Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope (Original, Musical, Revue, All Black Cast)
Performer / Apr 19, 1972 – Oct 27, 1974
- Hallelujah, Baby! (Original, Musical)
Performer / Apr 26, 1967 - Jan 13, 1968
- Kwamina (Original, Musical)
Performer, Dancer / Oct 23, 1961 - Nov 18, 1961
- West Side Story [Revival, Musical, Drama]
Performer / Apr 27, 1960 - Dec 10, 1960
Awards and recognitions
- 1993 - Tony Award (nominated) - for choreography in Jelly's Last Jam
- 1995 - Tony Award (won) - for directing Porgy and Bess.
Further reading sources
- Essence, August 1995, p. 56.
- Los Angeles Times, March 5, 1995, p. 46; June 1, 1995, p. F1.
- Opera News, January 21, 1995, pp. 12–16.
- San Diego Union-Tribune, March 5, 1995, p. D1.
- San Francisco Examiner, April 30, 1995, p. M10.
- Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN), April 23, 1995, p. F1; April 28, 1995, p. E4.
External links
- http://broadwayworld.com/people/Hope_Clarke/