The Colored Museum: Playwright: George C. Wolfe

Playwright Chronology

George C. Wolfe has had a rich theatrical life, which consists not just of writing his own plays but also directing. Here is a brief overview of his life and his works.

Life Events
Outline
Overview of Works
Footnotes

Life Events
George C. Wolfe was born on September 23, 1954 in Frankfort, Kentucky.¹ This was a segregated city, but Wolfe lived in a tight black community, which he said provided him with no sense of racial inferiority. At the age of seven, Wolfe was denied entrance to Frankfort's Capitol Theater to see 101 Dalmatians because he was black, which was a defining moment of racism for him.²

Wolfe pursued a B.A. at Pomona College in Claremont, California in Theatre. He then moved on to teach in Los Angeles and then in New York, where he earned his M.F.A. in dramatic writing from New York University in 1983.³

In 1987 Wolfe did his first production at the Public Theatre, which was The Colored Museum. He became producer of the Public Theatre in 1993 and resigned in 2005.⁴

Outline
Below is a brief outline of some of the major works Wolfe has done so far.

Author: Paradise!, 1985⁵
Author: The Colored Museum, 1986/87⁶
Author/Adapter: Queenie Pie, 1987⁷
Author/Adapter: Over There, 1988⁸
Author/Adapter: Spunk, 1989/90⁹
Author/Adapter: Jelly's Last Jam, 1992¹⁰
Director: Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992, which moved to Broadway that same year¹¹
Director (Movie): Fires in the Mirror, 1993¹²
Director: Daryl Waters's Bring in 'Da Noise, Bring in 'Da Funk, 1995¹³
Director: A Revival of On the Town, 1997¹⁴
Director: MacBeth, 1999¹⁵
Director: The Wild Party, 1999, which transferred to Broadway and was nominated for seven Tony Awards¹⁶
Director: Suzan-Lori Parks's Top Dog/Underdog, 2001, which transferred to Broadway and won a Pulitzer Prize¹⁷
Director: Tony Kushner's Caroline, or Change, 2004, which moved to Broadway and was nominated for six Tony awards¹⁸
Actor (Movie): Garden State, 2004¹⁹
As Himself (Movie): Broadway: The American Musical, 2004²⁰
Director: This is How it Goes, 2005, his last production as producer of the Public²¹
Director (Movie): Lackawanna Blues, 2005, which got an Emma Award Nomination for Best Director²²

Overview of Works
Nailing down George C. Wolfe is no easy task. He has worked as a producer, director, writer, actor, and professor, among other things. His work in the theatre is not just as one (or more) of the many important roles there within; indeed, he has worked to bring to the table issues that include people of all backgrounds.

"I want to see a world where differences are celebrated, explored, examined, smashed up against each other. It is the range of those voices that makes the Public Theater what it is; that makes America what it is. To have only one voice - of any kind - is creating an artificial reality," said George C. Wolfe.²³

The Colored Museum and Paradise! were his only two written plays, in the traditional sense. He worked on the libretto for Queenie Pie and for one of his most famous pieces, Jelly's Last Jam, was a book that he wrote and later directed.²⁴ Since his retirement in 2005 from being the producer of the Public Theatre, however, Wolfe declared that he is taking up the pen again²⁵.

During his time at the Public Theatre, Wolfe worked to include the stories written by and about people of alternative backgrounds. Black and gay American stories were present in his first season at the Public. Being both black and gay, he was criticized for "making the Public go black" or "gay."²⁶

To these accusations, he responded, "I was trained from very early on to see 'Leave It to Beaver,' 'Gilligan's Island' or 'Hamlet,' and look beyond the specifics of it -- whether it be silly white people on an island, or a family living in Nowheres, or a Danish person -- to leap past the specifics and find the human truths that have to do with me. I'm interested: Is the reverse possible? Can people who are not of color leap past the specifics of who these people are and get inside the dynamic of who they are as individuals?"²⁷

Themes of race and gender are found clearly in The Colored Museum; for instance, "Miss Roj" is about a drag queen while "Symbiosis" is about a black person rejecting his or her own history except on weekends and holidays. While this is present in his writing, it is more so present in his choice of theatrical season, which he put together considering the importance of mixing shows that represent a greatly mixed population like America.

Spunk was adapted to drama by Wolfe in 1990 from Zora Neale Hurston's short stories. These stories take place in the 1920's and are about black Americans in rural and urban communities. The short stories themselves, when they were originally published, were rejected by some of the black community because they focused on the "common people," but Wolfe never backed down from a fight, especially when it came to the stage.²⁸

His book, Jelly's Last Jam (also known as Mr. Jelly Lord), was about Jelly Roll Morton, who was said to be the first true Jazz composer. Wolfe adapted his book for the stage by himself and made into a musical; he also directed the adaptation on Broadway.²⁹ While the theme of time, location, and place are all different for these three major works, his focus for them all is still the same: to show black Americans in all dynamics.

The Colored Museum contains themes of gender, sexuality, race, and history, all of which are important to George C. Wolfe. This is why some said that he "shook up" the Public Theatre. His goal was not only to present the stories of people of different backgrounds but also to entertain people from those backgrounds.

His last production of his own play was The Colored Museum, although now that he is retired he claims that he is going to write yet again.³⁰

For more information on these footnotes, please see the Critical Bibliography and the Contextual Bibliography.

© Kylie 'drago' McCormick, Mount Holyoke College '08.
Information last updated May 14, 2006. Page last updated 3 October 2009.

The Colored Museum Dramaturgical Production Notebook
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	George C. Wolfe has had a rich theatrical life, which consists not just of writing his own plays but also directing. Here is a brief overview of his life and his works. Life Events Outline Overview of Works Footnotes Life Events George C. Wolfe was born on September 23, 1954 in Frankfort, Kentucky.¹ This was a segregated city, but Wolfe lived in a tight black community, which he said provided him with no sense of racial inferiority. At the age of seven, Wolfe was denied entrance to Frankfort's Capitol Theater to see 101 Dalmatians because he was black, which was a defining moment of racism for him.² Wolfe pursued a B.A. at Pomona College in Claremont, California in Theatre. He then moved on to teach in Los Angeles and then in New York, where he earned his M.F.A. in dramatic writing from New York University in 1983.³ In 1987 Wolfe did his first production at the Public Theatre, which was The Colored Museum. He became producer of the Public Theatre in 1993 and resigned in 2005.⁴ Outline Below is a brief outline of some of the major works Wolfe has done so far. Author: Paradise!, 1985⁵ Author: The Colored Museum, 1986/87⁶ Author/Adapter: Queenie Pie, 1987⁷ Author/Adapter: Over There, 1988⁸ Author/Adapter: Spunk, 1989/90⁹ Author/Adapter: Jelly's Last Jam, 1992¹⁰ Director: Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992, which moved to Broadway that same year¹¹ Director (Movie): Fires in the Mirror, 1993¹² Director: Daryl Waters's Bring in 'Da Noise, Bring in 'Da Funk, 1995¹³ Director: A Revival of On the Town, 1997¹⁴ Director: MacBeth, 1999¹⁵ Director: The Wild Party, 1999, which transferred to Broadway and was nominated for seven Tony Awards¹⁶ Director: Suzan-Lori Parks's Top Dog/Underdog, 2001, which transferred to Broadway and won a Pulitzer Prize¹⁷ Director: Tony Kushner's Caroline, or Change, 2004, which moved to Broadway and was nominated for six Tony awards¹⁸ Actor (Movie): Garden State, 2004¹⁹ As Himself (Movie): Broadway: The American Musical, 2004²⁰ Director: This is How it Goes, 2005, his last production as producer of the Public²¹ Director (Movie): Lackawanna Blues, 2005, which got an Emma Award Nomination for Best Director²² Overview of Works Nailing down George C. Wolfe is no easy task. He has worked as a producer, director, writer, actor, and professor, among other things. His work in the theatre is not just as one (or more) of the many important roles there within; indeed, he has worked to bring to the table issues that include people of all backgrounds. "I want to see a world where differences are celebrated, explored, examined, smashed up against each other. It is the range of those voices that makes the Public Theater what it is; that makes America what it is. To have only one voice - of any kind - is creating an artificial reality," said George C. Wolfe.²³ The Colored Museum and Paradise! were his only two written plays, in the traditional sense. He worked on the libretto for Queenie Pie and for one of his most famous pieces, Jelly's Last Jam, was a book that he wrote and later directed.²⁴ Since his retirement in 2005 from being the producer of the Public Theatre, however, Wolfe declared that he is taking up the pen again²⁵. During his time at the Public Theatre, Wolfe worked to include the stories written by and about people of alternative backgrounds. Black and gay American stories were present in his first season at the Public. Being both black and gay, he was criticized for "making the Public go black" or "gay."²⁶ To these accusations, he responded, "I was trained from very early on to see 'Leave It to Beaver,' 'Gilligan's Island' or 'Hamlet,' and look beyond the specifics of it -- whether it be silly white people on an island, or a family living in Nowheres, or a Danish person -- to leap past the specifics and find the human truths that have to do with me. I'm interested: Is the reverse possible? Can people who are not of color leap past the specifics of who these people are and get inside the dynamic of who they are as individuals?"²⁷ Themes of race and gender are found clearly in The Colored Museum; for instance, "Miss Roj" is about a drag queen while "Symbiosis" is about a black person rejecting his or her own history except on weekends and holidays. While this is present in his writing, it is more so present in his choice of theatrical season, which he put together considering the importance of mixing shows that represent a greatly mixed population like America. Spunk was adapted to drama by Wolfe in 1990 from Zora Neale Hurston's short stories. These stories take place in the 1920's and are about black Americans in rural and urban communities. The short stories themselves, when they were originally published, were rejected by some of the black community because they focused on the "common people," but Wolfe never backed down from a fight, especially when it came to the stage.²⁸ His book, Jelly's Last Jam (also known as Mr. Jelly Lord), was about Jelly Roll Morton, who was said to be the first true Jazz composer. Wolfe adapted his book for the stage by himself and made into a musical; he also directed the adaptation on Broadway.²⁹ While the theme of time, location, and place are all different for these three major works, his focus for them all is still the same: to show black Americans in all dynamics. The Colored Museum contains themes of gender, sexuality, race, and history, all of which are important to George C. Wolfe. This is why some said that he "shook up" the Public Theatre. His goal was not only to present the stories of people of different backgrounds but also to entertain people from those backgrounds. His last production of his own play was The Colored Museum, although now that he is retired he claims that he is going to write yet again.³⁰ Footnotes 1. George C. Wolfe's Biography 2. George C. Wolfe's Biography 3. George C Wolfe Detailed Biography 4. The Public Theatre: History 5. Plays by George C. Wolfe 6. Plays by George C. Wolfe 7. Plays by George C. Wolfe 8. Plays by George C. Wolfe 9. Plays by George C. Wolfe 10. Plays by George C. Wolfe 11. Public Theatre: History 12. Explore the Works of George C. Wolfe 13. Public Theatre: History 14. Public Theatre: History 15. Public Theatre: History 16. Public Theatre: History 17. Public Theatre: History 18. Public Theatre: History 19. Explore the Works of George C. Wolfe 20. Explore the Works of George C. Wolfe 21. Public Theatre: History 22. Explore the Works of George C. Wolfe 23. New Traditions Compendium Forums & Commentaries 24. Colman, "Back to My Child Brain" 25. Colman, "Back to My Child Brain" 26. McNeil, "George Wolfe and His Theater of Inclusion" 27. McNeil, "George Wolfe and His Theater of Inclusion" 28. Bray, "An Unpredictable Playwright Reverses Himself" 29. Bray, "An Unpredictable Playwright Reverses Himself" 30. Colman, "Back to My Child Brain" For more information on these footnotes, please see the Critical Bibliography and the Contextual Bibliography.
© Kylie 'drago' McCormick, Mount Holyoke College '08. Information last updated May 14, 2006. Page last updated 3 October 2009.

The Colored MuseumDramaturgical Production Notebook

The Colored Museum
Dramaturgical Production Notebook