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Creator
Richardson, Willis, 1889-1977
Call number
*T-Mss 1974-002
Physical description
1.5 linear feet (2 boxes)
Language
English
Preferred Citation

Willis Richardson Papers, *T-Mss 1974-002. Billy Rose Theatre Collection, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.

Repository
Billy Rose Theatre Division
Access to materials
Request an in-person research appointment.Restrictions apply

The Willis Richardson papers document through correspondence, ephemera and scrapbooks his career as a playwright. Coverage is sketchy and there are major gaps in the collection.

Biographical/historical information

Playwright Willis Richardson (1889-1977) was the first African-American dramatist to have a non-musical work staged on Broadway when his play The Chip Woman's Fortune opened in May 1923. The first writer to win two first prizes during the Harlem Renaissance he is called by some the "Father of Black Drama". Born in Wilmington, North Carolina on November 5, 1889, Willis Richardson was a child of nine when a race riot in his hometown resulted in the deaths of sixteen African-Americans. He and his parents moved soon thereafter to Washington, D.C., where Willis was educated at the M Street School, later named the Dunbar High School, the first public high school for blacks in the United States. Having taken correspondence courses in playwriting as well as poetry, Richardson staged his early plays in black high schools and colleges, including Howard University, and also had his work published in magazines. On May 15, 1923, Richardson's play The Chip Woman's Fortune opened at the Frazee Theatre (later known as the Wallack Theatre), where it played 31 performances. His other plays include Mortgaged (1924) and The Boot Black Lover (1925). In later years Richardson edited the anthologies Plays and Pageants from the Life of the Negro (1930) and Negro History in Thirteen Plays (1935). He married Mary Ellen Jones in 1914, and the couple had three daughters. Richardson earned his living at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, where he worked from 1911 to 1954. Willis Richardson died on November 7, 1977, two days after his 88th birthday.

Scope and arrangement

The Willis Richardson papers consists of correspondence, ephemera and scrapbooks and document his career in theater. Though sketchy with many gaps there is some correspondence from noted black playwrights and actors including Eulalie Spence, Ridgely Torrence, Paul Robeson and Frank H. Wilson. There are some interesting programs from early black theater companies, high schools and universities. Of special note is a program for an awards dinner given by Opportunity magazine.

The Willis Richardson papers are arranged in three series:

  • Series I: Correspondence
    1910-1975
    49 folders

    The correspondence series contains letters written to Willis Richardson from friends and professional acquaintances. Included are letters from Heywood Broun, Walt Disney, W.E.B. DuBois, Randolph Edmonds, John LaFarge, Alain LeRoy Locke, Richard Nixon, Raymond O'Neil, Paul Robeson, Eleanor Roosevelt, Eulalie Spence, Ridgely Torrence, Carl Van Vechten and Frank H. Wilson, among others.

  • Series II: Personal Papers
    1910-1971
    23 folders

    This series consists of personal papers, ephemera and programs from the life and career of Willis Richardson. Missing from the collection are photographs and clippings.

  • Series III: Scrapbooks
    1925-1965
    2 volumes

    Scrapbooks document both the life and career of Willis Richardson as well as early black plays and playwrights. Included in the scrapbooks are newclippings, correspondence and programs all pertaining to black theater history of the early to mid 20th century.

Administrative information

Source of acquisition

The Willis Richardson papers were donated in 1974 most probably by Willis Richardson.

Processing information

Processed by Mary Ellen Rogan; Machine-readable finding aid created by Mary Ellen Rogan.

The Willis Richardson papers were reprocessed in 2003. The collection was formally contained in Call No. 8-MWEZ + n.c. 25333-25336.

Using the collection

Location

Billy Rose Theatre Division
New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center
40 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY 10023-7498
Third Floor

Conditions Governing Use

For permission to publish, contact the Curator, Billy Rose Theatre Collection.

Access restrictions

Photocopying prohibited.