Vinnette Justine Carroll
Encyclopedia
Vinnette Justine Carroll (March 11, 1922 — November 5, 2002) was an American
playwright
, and the first African American
woman to direct on Broadway
, with the 1972 musical
Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope
.
to Edgar Edgerton and Florence (Morris) Carroll. She and her family moved to Jamaica
when she was three and she spent much of her childhood there as well as in the West Indies. She returned to New York, where she received a B.A. from Long Island University
in 1944 and an M.A. from New York University
in 1946. Carroll’s father encouraged his daughters to become physicians, and as a compromise, she chose psychology. She later completed doctoral work in psychology at Columbia University
and she worked as a clinical psychologist with the NYC Bureau of Child Guidance before pursuing acting.
She left the field of psychology to study theater, and in 1948, she accepted a scholarship to attend Erwin Piscator
’s Dramatic Workshop
at the New School for Social Research
and studied with Lee Strasberg
, Stella Adler
, Margaret Barker, and Susan Steele. She made her professional stage debut at the Falmouth Playhouse acting in Androcles and the Lion. Later, in due to the shortage of roles, Carroll created a one-woman show and toured the United States and the West Indies. For eleven years she taught theater arts and directed productions as a member of the faculty of the high school of Performing Arts in New York City. She made her Broadway
debut in 1957, and in 1962 she won an Obie Award for her role in Errol John’s Moon on a Rainbow Shawl. In 1964 she won an Emmy Award
for Beyond The Blues, which dramatized the works of Black poets. She founded the Urban Arts Corps in 1967 to foster participation by minority groups in all aspects of the theatrical arts, specialized in works by African-American writers and composers. In 1972 she became the first African American
woman to direct on Broadway with her staging of Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope
. This hit gospel revue was conceived by Carroll with music and lyrics by Micki Grant
. It was nominated for four Tony Awards. Her success was repeated in 1976, collaborating with Micki Grant and Alex Bradford
, with "Your Arms Too Short to Box with God
", which garnered three Tony nominations. This show was an adaptation of The Gospel According to Matthew.
Ms. Carroll remains the only African-American woman to receive a Tony nomination for Direction. As an actress, Carroll appeared in Up the Down Staircase (1967), Alice's Restaurant (1969), and other films. She also worked in television, and in 1964 she received an Emmy Award for Beyond the Blues.
She appeared in The Last Home Run
which was filmed in 1996 and released in 1998.
She died of heart disease and diabetes in Lauderhill, Florida
on November 5, 2002 at age 80.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
, and the first 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...
woman to direct on Broadway
Broadway 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...
, with the 1972 musical
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
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...
.
Biography
Born Vinnette Justine Carroll in New York CityNew 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...
to Edgar Edgerton and Florence (Morris) Carroll. She and her family moved to Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
when she was three and she spent much of her childhood there as well as in the West Indies. She returned to New York, where she received a B.A. from Long Island University
Long Island University
Long Island University is a private, coeducational, nonsectarian institution of higher education in the U.S. state of New York.-History:...
in 1944 and an M.A. from New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
in 1946. Carroll’s father encouraged his daughters to become physicians, and as a compromise, she chose psychology. She later completed doctoral work in psychology at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
and she worked as a clinical psychologist with the NYC Bureau of Child Guidance before pursuing acting.
She left the field of psychology to study theater, and in 1948, she accepted a scholarship to attend Erwin Piscator
Erwin Piscator
Erwin Friedrich Maximilian Piscator was a German theatre director and producer and, with Bertolt Brecht, the foremost exponent of epic theatre, a form that emphasizes the socio-political content of drama, rather than its emotional manipulation of the audience or on the production's formal...
’s Dramatic Workshop
Dramatic Workshop
Dramatic Workshop was the name of a drama and acting school associated with the New School for Social Research in New York City. It was launched in 1940 by German expatriate stage director Erwin Piscator. Among the faculty were Lee Strasberg and Stella Adler, among the students Marlon Brando, Tony...
at the New School for Social Research
The New School
The New School is a university in New York City, located mostly in Greenwich Village. From its founding in 1919 by progressive New York academics, and for most of its history, the university was known as the New School for Social Research. Between 1997 and 2005 it was known as New School University...
and studied with Lee Strasberg
Lee Strasberg
Lee Strasberg was an American actor, director and acting teacher. He cofounded, with directors Harold Clurman and Cheryl Crawford, the Group Theatre in 1931, which was hailed as "America's first true theatrical collective"...
, Stella Adler
Stella Adler
Stella Adler was an American actress and an acclaimed acting teacher, who founded the Stella Adler Studio of Acting in New York City and the The Stella Adler Academy of Acting in Los Angeles with long-time protege Joanne Linville, who continues to teach and furthers Adler's legacy...
, Margaret Barker, and Susan Steele. She made her professional stage debut at the Falmouth Playhouse acting in Androcles and the Lion. Later, in due to the shortage of roles, Carroll created a one-woman show and toured the United States and the West Indies. For eleven years she taught theater arts and directed productions as a member of the faculty of the high school of Performing Arts in New York City. She made her Broadway
Broadway 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...
debut in 1957, and in 1962 she won an Obie Award for her role in Errol John’s Moon on a Rainbow Shawl. In 1964 she won an Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
for Beyond The Blues, which dramatized the works of Black poets. She founded the Urban Arts Corps in 1967 to foster participation by minority groups in all aspects of the theatrical arts, specialized in works by African-American writers and composers. In 1972 she became the first 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...
woman to direct on Broadway with her staging of 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...
. This hit gospel revue was conceived by Carroll with music and lyrics by Micki Grant
Micki Grant
Micki Grant is an American singer actress, writer and composer. She performed in Having Our Say , Tambourines to Glory and Jericho-Jim Crow, The Gingham Dog, Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope and has received three Tony Award nominations for her writing...
. It was nominated for four Tony Awards. Her success was repeated in 1976, collaborating with Micki Grant and Alex Bradford
Alex Bradford
Professor Alex Bradford was a multi-talented gospel composer, singer, arranger and choir director who was a great influence on artists such as Little Richard, Bob Marley and Ray Charles and who helped bring about the modern mass choir movement in gospel.Born in Bessemer, Alabama, he first appeared...
, with "Your Arms Too Short to Box with God
Your Arms Too Short to Box with God
Your Arms Too Short to Box with God: A Soaring Celebration in Song and Dance is a Broadway musical based on the Biblical Book of Matthew, with music and lyrics by Alex Bradford and a book by Vinnette Carroll, who also directed...
", which garnered three Tony nominations. This show was an adaptation of The Gospel According to Matthew.
Ms. Carroll remains the only African-American woman to receive a Tony nomination for Direction. As an actress, Carroll appeared in Up the Down Staircase (1967), Alice's Restaurant (1969), and other films. She also worked in television, and in 1964 she received an Emmy Award for Beyond the Blues.
She appeared in The Last Home Run
The Last Home Run
The Last Home Run is a 1996 film directed by Bob Gosse.It tells the story of Jonathan Lyle, an elderly man in a nursing home who is transformed by a mystic, for five days, into a 12-year-old boy playing Little League Baseball.The Last Home Run also starred Jordi Vilasuso and Vinnette Justine...
which was filmed in 1996 and released in 1998.
She died of heart disease and diabetes in Lauderhill, Florida
Lauderhill, Florida
Lauderhill is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 66,887. It is part of the Miami–Fort Lauderdale–Pompano Beach Metropolitan Statistical Area, which was home to 5,564,635 people at the 2010 census....
on November 5, 2002 at age 80.
Directing Credits
- The Prodigal Son (1965)
- Black NativityBlack NativityBlack Nativity is a retelling of the classic Nativity story with an entirely black cast. Traditional Christmas carols are sung in gospel style, with a few songs created specifically for the show. Originally written by Langston Hughes, the show was first performed on Broadway on December 11, 1961,...
(1961) - Don't Bother Me, I Can't CopeDon't Bother Me, I Can't CopeDon'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) - Desire Under the ElmsDesire Under the ElmsDesire Under the Elms is a play by Eugene O'Neill, published in 1924, and is now considered an American classic. Along with Mourning Becomes Electra, it represents one of O'Neill's attempts to place plot elements and themes of Greek tragedy in a rural New England setting. It is essentially a...
(1973) - Your Arms Too Short to Box with GodYour Arms Too Short to Box with GodYour Arms Too Short to Box with God: A Soaring Celebration in Song and Dance is a Broadway musical based on the Biblical Book of Matthew, with music and lyrics by Alex Bradford and a book by Vinnette Carroll, who also directed...
(1976) - But Never Jam TodayBut Never Jam TodayBut Never Jam Today was a 1979 musical with music by Bert Keyes & Bob Larimer, lyrics by Larimer, and a book by both Larimer and Vinnette Carroll...
(1979)
Further reading
- Phelps, Shirelle (editor), "Who's Who Among African Americans", Gale, Detroit and London, 1998 (11th Edition)