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J E Franklin

J E FRANKLIN

  (1937 - )
Nationality:    African American
email:    Click here to contact     Website:    n/a

Literary Agent:    n/a

Born in Houston, TX on august 10, 1937. B.A., University of Texas; Graduate hours, Union theological Seminary, NY. author, Black Girl From Genesis to Revelations, Signet Books. Skills include those of artist-therapist in intergenerational settings consisting of senior citizens and youths. Recipient: New York Drama Desk award, 1971; Media Women award, 1971; CaPS award, 1972; Institute for the Arts and Humanities Dramatic Arts award, Howard U., 1974; Better Boys Foundation Playwrighting award, 1978; National endowment on the Arts Creative Writing Fellowship, 1979; Rockefeller Grant, 1980

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below is a list of J E Franklin's plays - click on a Play Title for more information

         Another Morning Rising         Black Girl         Christchild         Coming To the Mercy Seat         Creation, The         CrUSAde For Justice         Cut Out the Lights And Call the Law         Enemy, The         First Step To Freedom         Four Women         Fritz Was Here         Guess What's Coming To Dinner         Hand-Me-Downs, The         Hip Hop Aesop         In-Crowd, The         Liars Die         Macpilate         Mau-Mau Room         Miss Honey's Young'Uns         Precious Memories         Prodigal Daughter, The         Prodigal Sister, The         Throw Thunder At This House         Two Flowers         Two Men'es Daughter         Where Dewdrops Of Mercy Shine Bright         Will the Real South Please Rise
Another Morning Rising

Synopsis:
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Notes:
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1st Produced:
Company Of Us, Greenwood, Sc     1976

Organisations:
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1st Published:
-   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

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Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Black Girl

Synopsis:
Trapped in a life which can lead nowhere, Billie Jean has dropped out of school and secretly taken a job as a dancer in a local bar, her ultimate goal being to become a ballet dancer. But her ambitions bring her into conflict with her envious sisters, both of whom have been locked into dreary marriages too early, and her mother, who has given up on her own children and now lavishes her care and affection on her "foster daughters" -industrious girls to whom she has transferred her own frustrated hopes. Billie Jean must fight a multiplicity of prejudices - family, sex, colour, class and economic - to win an education and forge her own identity. But with her grandmother's strength and trust to embolden her, Billie Jean breaks free, establishing at last a tenuous but hopeful relationship with her mother and taking the first sure steps toward a life which will, at least, be of her own making.

Notes:
Won for the Author A Drama Desk Award, 1971-72, As most promising playwright. First prod. As A videotape production (presumably by NFT) on NeT, WGBHIBoston, 1969. Prod. Off-Off-Bway by NFT, At St. Augustine's Chapel, New York; transferred to Bway At the theatre De Lys, June 16, 1971-June 16, 1972, playing for one year (247 perfs.); dir, by SHaUNeILLe PeRRY. With Kishasha, Arthur French, Lorraine Ryder, Gloria edwards, Loretta Greene, Louise Stubbs, MINNIe GeNTRY, Jimmy Hayeson, And SaUNDRa SHaRP. Prod. by the Bennett Coil. Little theatre, Oct. 18-20, 1973, for 3 perfs. Made into A film prod. by Lee Savin, released by Cinema Releasing, 1972, And dir, by OSSIe DaVIS. With Leslie Uggams, Brock Peters, Claudia McNeil, Peggy Petitt, And RUBY Dee

1st Produced:
Black Arts / West     1971

Organisations:
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1st Published:
Dramatists Play Service, NY, 1973   

Music:
-

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Genre:
Domestic Drama, 2 acts Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  6            Other:  1b 1g

Further Reference:
-

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Christchild

Synopsis:
Born with six fingers on his left hand, young Tom is rejected by his superstitious father. To win his father's praise and love, and to earn enough money for an operation on his hand, he wrestles a bear.

Notes:
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1st Produced:

Organisations:
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1st Published:
Women Playwrights: the Best Plays of 1993, Smith and Kraus Books, 1994   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
full length Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  4            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Coming To the Mercy Seat

Synopsis:
a collection of Ten-Minute plays on the role of mercy in the art of reconciliation

Notes:
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1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
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1st Published:
the First Decatet of Ten-Minute Plays SunRaSon Publications, 2004   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
plays Ten Min

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Creation, The

Synopsis:
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Notes:
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1st Produced:
Herman Lehman Coil., New York     1975

Organisations:
eureka Theatre Group

1st Published:
-   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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CrUSAde For Justice

Synopsis:
On the Life of Ida-Welles Barnett, antilynch Crusader, apparently written for the Boston Committee, 1975

Notes:
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1st Produced:
-     1975

Organisations:
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1st Published:
-   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

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Genre:
Film Treatment

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Cut Out the Lights And Call the Law

Synopsis:
a group of black students in a white college prepare to fight when attacked by whites.

Notes:
Prod. by NeC, 1970s. the Author states that two scenes were read At the literary events of FeSTaC in Lagos, Nigeria, 1977.

1st Produced:
Nft, NY (May Not Have Been Produced)     1972

Organisations:
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1st Published:
-   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Drama, 2 acts

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  4BM 5BF

Further Reference:
-

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Enemy, The

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Herman Lehman Coil., New York     1973

Organisations:
eureka Theatre Group

1st Published:
-   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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First Step To Freedom

Synopsis:
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Notes:
Was part of A Mississippi CORe-SNCC program designed to interest students in reading

1st Produced:
Sharon Waite Community Center, Harmony, Ms     1964

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
thesis Play

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Four Women

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Herman Lehman Coil., New York     1973

Organisations:
eureka Theatre Group

1st Published:
-   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Fritz Was Here

Synopsis:
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Notes:
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1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
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1st Published:
-   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Guess What's Coming To Dinner

Synopsis:
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Notes:
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1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
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1st Published:
-   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

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Genre:
Mime Show

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Hand-Me-Downs, The

Synopsis:
a pre-adolescent girl and her Older brother resolve problems of sibling rivalry and the shame they feel towards their father's illiteracy and old age.

Notes:
presented At the LaMont-Zeno theatre the same year

1st Produced:
Theatre For Artcentric Living, New York     1978

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
full length Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Hip Hop Aesop

Synopsis:
A new spin on Aesop's fables

Notes:
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1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
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1st Published:
-   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

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Genre:
Youth play

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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In-Crowd, The

Synopsis:
a gang of young kids decides to judge the cruelty of their parents toward them, but when they kill the parents in effigy, they realize that parents are family after all.

Notes:
Prod. As A rock musical for the young by New Federal theatre, New York, 1977.

1st Produced:
Montreal Expo, Canada     1967

Organisations:
Mobilization for Youth (New York)

1st Published:
-   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play for youngbloods One act

Parts:
Male:  8            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Liars Die

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Macpilate

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Herman Lehman Coil., New York     1974

Organisations:
eureka Theatre Group

1st Published:
-   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Mau-Mau Room

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Nec Workshop, NY     1969

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Miss Honey's Young'Uns

Synopsis:
Set on the campus of a southern university, a young undergraduate struggles with the racially-charged ideologies set in motion to determine the proper response to oppression.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
in Black Drama In America, Howard University Press, 1994   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  4            Female:  6            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Precious Memories

Synopsis:
a collection of Ten-Minute bio-plays on African-American historical personalities who boldly confronted the political forces of their day and who left us the benefit of their wisdom in overcoming these forces

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
the Second Decatet of Ten-Minute Plays SunRaSon Publications, 2005   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
plays Ten Min

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Prodigal Daughter, The

Synopsis:
the problems of a young unwed mother

Notes:
the orig. play on which her musical the Prodigal Sister (1974) was based. Prod. in New York As A street-theatre project At Lincoln Center, And on street corners in the Bronx.

1st Produced:
Lincoln Center, NY    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Prodigal Sister, The

Synopsis:
Jackie, a young black woman in conflict with parents, becomes pregnant and leaves home for the freedom of the big city, only to return home to find love and acceptance

Notes:
Music And lyrics by Micki Grant. Book And lyrics by J e Franklin

1st Produced:
Theatre De Lys, NY     1974

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
SF; Music by Fiddle-back Music Co., New York, 1975   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Musical Comedy Musical

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  6 BM, 7 BF

Further Reference:
-

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Throw Thunder At This House

Synopsis:
the first black undergraduate attending the University of Texas gets trapped by non-academic forces which degenerate into internecine warfare

Notes:
Presented At Skidmore Coil., Saratoga Springs, New York, 1970s.

1st Produced:
Theatre For Artcentric Living    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
full length Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  4            Female:  5            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Two Flowers

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
New Feminist Theatre, NY    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Two Men'es Daughter

Synopsis:
In a racialized world where "race" is the great divider, a feisty elder refuses to pass for white as she struggles with feelings of anger toward the white Father who wronged her Black mother

Notes:
also published in Perrine's Literature: Seventh edition, Harcourt-Brace, 1998

1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
in the Best American Short Plays of 1994-95, Applause Theatre Book Publishers, 1995   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Short Play One act

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Where Dewdrops Of Mercy Shine Bright

Synopsis:
an insensitive parent loses a second child to the world

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Rites And Reason, Brown Univ., Providence, Ri     1983

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Will the Real South Please Rise

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Musical

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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