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Carlyle Brown

CARLYLE BROWN

  
Nationality:    African American
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Literary Agent:    Bret Adams Ltd  

Carlyle Brown is the founder of Carlyle Brown & Company, based in Minneapolis. His plays include the Beggar's Strike, the Negro of Peter the Great, the African Company Presents Richard III, the Little Tommy Parker Celebrated Colored Minstrel Show, Buffalo Hair, and others. He has received commissions from Arena Stage, the Houston Grand Opera, the Children's Theatre Company, and Alabama Shakespeare Festival. He is the recipient of playwriting fellowships from the New York Foundation for the Arts, the Minnesota State Arts Board, the McKnight Foundation, the Jerome Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, the National endowment for the Arts, Theatre Communications Group, and the Pew Charitable Trusts. He is an alumnus of New Dramatists and the Playwrights' Center.

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below is a list of Carlyle Brown's plays - click on a Play Title for more information

         Abe Lincoln And Uncle Tom In the White House         African Company Presents Richard Iii         Arabian Nights         Are You Now Or Have You Ever Been. . .         Beggar's Strike, The         Big Blue Nail, A         Buffalo Hair         Dartmoor Prison         Down In Mississippi         Fula From America, The         Human Voice, The         Little Tommy Parker Celebrated Colored Minstrel Show, The         Negro Of Peter the Great, The         Point Of Revue         Pool Room, The         Pure Confidence         Richard III         Smithers And Snide         Talking Masks         Therapy and Resistance         Yellow Moon Rising

Abe Lincoln And Uncle Tom In the White House

Synopsis:
On the eve of signing the emancipation Bill - abraham Lincoln is visited by Uncle Tom

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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:
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Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
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African Company Presents Richard Iii

Synopsis:
earning their income with satires of white high society, the African Company came to be known for debunking the sacred status of the english classics (which many politically and racially motivated critics said were beyond the scope of black actors). Inside the Company's ranks, similar debates raged about whether to mimic the english tongue, or to provide a more lively interpretation of white theatre by acknowledging the vibrancy of the black experience (in the words of the African Company's manager: "say ya Shakespeare like ya want." Shakespeare is the chosen cultural battleground in this inventive retelling of a little known, yet pivotal event in the African Company's history. Knowing they are always under prejudicial pressures from white society, and facing their own internal shake-ups, the African Company battles for time, space, audiences and togetherness. their competition, Stephen Price, an uptown, Broadway-type impresario, is producing Richard III at the same time as the African Company's production is

Notes:
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1st Produced:
-    -

Organisations:
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1st Published:
Dramatists Play Service, NY, 1998   -

Music:
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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:  5            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
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Arabian Nights

Synopsis:
Sinbad and his men are captured and put into a maze with many doors.

Notes:
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1st Produced:
Yellow Springs Kids Playhouse, Yellow Springs, Ohio    -

Organisations:
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1st Published:
-   -

Music:
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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:
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Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
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Are You Now Or Have You Ever Been. . .

Synopsis:
The night before he is due to face the Committee on Un-American Activities Langston Hughes tries to write a poem

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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

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
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Beggar's Strike, The

Synopsis:
The Beggars Strike tells the story of an Islamic West African community caught between the pressures of traditional and contemporary values. The government wants to increase tourism as a source of revenue and so decides to rid the city streets of the ragged beggars. But the beggars are essential to the spiritual life of the community, and they know it. As the government plans to remove the city beggars, the beggars decide to strike. The farcical conclusion includes an avalanche of mistaken identities, hilarious chaos, and befuddled orders.

Notes:
Music by Kysia Bostic from book by Aminita Sow fall

1st Produced:
The Children's Theatre Company-Minneapolis.    2001

Organisations:
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1st Published:
Plays for Young Audiences   -

Music:
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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:
TYA

Parts:
Male:  9            Female:  6            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Big Blue Nail, A

Synopsis:
Towards the end of his life Robert Peary, the explorer is beset with guilt as his black companion, Matthew Henson reached the North Pole first but Peary took the glory.

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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:
-

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
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Buffalo Hair

Synopsis:
During the night, on a dusty, sage-brush covered island on the southern plains, in the middle of the Red River, black Buffalo Soldiers capture a young warrior called Buffalo Hair, a black man who has chosen to live among the Cheyenne ever since they saved his life. the soldiers find their captive to be a foe from without and within, being so much alike and different from themselves. To Buffalo Hair, his captors are slaves to the white man and enemies of his true people, the Cheyenne. In the morning, a hundred Cheyenne warriors will come to the river to take Buffalo Hair back. Now the soldiers must choose whether to stay loyal to the army and fight, or let Buffalo Hair go and have a chance at saving themselves. Disagreement between the troopers builds to a confrontation. In the excitement a pistol is fired, bringing a hundred Cheyenne warriors down on the island. When the dust clears, the soldiers are captives and now it is Buffalo Hair's turn to choose. He can kill and scalp the black soldiers to prove he is

Notes:
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1st Produced:
Penumbra theatre    Fall, 1993

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

Music:
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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:  8            Female:  -            Other:  flexible casting

Further Reference:
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Dartmoor Prison

Synopsis:
During the War of 1812 the British navy impressed thousands of American sailors. a large number refused to serve the British and were sent to Dartmoor Prison. Of those that were sent there, a large number were black sailors. these men were segregated and had their own section of the jail - which they soon took charge of

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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:
-

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
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Down In Mississippi

Synopsis:
1964. Three college students go to Mississippi to help register black people to vote

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Music:
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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:
-

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
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Fula From America, The

Synopsis:
a semi autobiographical monologue. An african American travels through Africa in search of his roots and discovers what it means to be an African American

Notes:
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1st Produced:

Organisations:
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1st Published:
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Music:
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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:
95 min one man show

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
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Human Voice, The

Synopsis:
Over the telephone, a woman says goodbye to her lover for the last time. (Inspired by and contemporized from the play by Jean Cocteau.)

Notes:
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1st Produced:
Guthrie Theater (Guthrie experience actor training program) (Minneapolis, MN, United States)    2001

Organisations:
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1st Published:
Playscripts, Inc - New York   -

Music:
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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:
10-15 min Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  2            Other:  1 male, 2 females

Further Reference:
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Little Tommy Parker Celebrated Colored Minstrel Show, The

Synopsis:
Six black minstrel players in a Pullman porter railroad car on a cold winter's afternoon in February, 1895, outside the rural town of Hannibal, Missouri, wait for showtime to arrive. the chilly wind blows outside as they pass the time with stories and memories. Suddenly one member, Percy, so far absent, bursts in and collapses on the floor. When the troupe realizes their friend has been chased by a white mob, they must find a way to protect him and themselves. Fear, anxiety and deep honesty surface as these black men blacken their faces with burnt cork, trying to allow their friend to avoid detection. the white mob realizes where Percy is and shows up at the train where Percy goes out to face them, hoping to save the others.

Notes:
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1st Produced:
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Organisations:
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1st Published:
Dramatists Play Service, NY,    -

Music:
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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:  7            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
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Negro Of Peter the Great, The

Synopsis:
Peter the Great has an African Prince kidnapped and brought to Russia.

Notes:
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1st Produced:

Organisations:
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1st Published:
Contained in: "New Dramatists Best Plays of the Graduating Class of 2001" published by Smith and Kraus,    -

Music:
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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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Point Of Revue

Synopsis:
a composite shot of African America. . .with attitude. Through a riveting series of short plays and songs, this vaudeville defies stereotype as it explores a myriad of topics and places, from Northern Uganda to the American South, HIV to Condoleeza Rice. Swinging from the serious to the absurd, there's plenty to laugh and cry about in this powerful piece.

Notes:
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1st Produced:
Mixed Blood Theatre Company (Minneapolis, MN, United States)    2006

Organisations:
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1st Published:
Playscripts, Inc - New York   -

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:
90-115 min Dramatic/Comedic vaudeville

Parts:
Male:  6            Female:  6            Other:  6 males, 6 females, 3 either (12-60 actors possible: 6-40 males, 6-20 females)

Further Reference:
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Pool Room, The

Synopsis:
JJ and Jazz battle it out on the pool table.

Notes:
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1st Produced:
Freedom Repertory Theater, Philladelphia    1996

Organisations:
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1st Published:
-   -

Music:
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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:
-

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
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Pure Confidence

Synopsis:
the high-stakes world of Civil War-era horse racing is the stage for this riveting Drama of slavery and Reconstruction. Both Simon Cato, a smart, cocky colored' jockey, and his horse, Pure Confidence, are owned by Colonel Wiley Johnson. Cato uses his wits and his championship winnings to buy his and his wife's freedom. But the Civil War changes everything, and the passage of time doesn't bring Cato the success he expects in this surprisingly funny, daring and emotionally moving look at the complexity of race, humanity, love and dignity in the second half of the nineteenth century. With a vivid backdrop of fast horses, gritty racetracks and high-stakes betting, PURe CONFIDeNCe is an extraordinary tale of human triumphs and failings that explores the true meaning of freedom.

Notes:
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1st Produced:
Humana 2005 Festival    2005

Organisations:
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1st Published:
Dramatists Play Service Inc, NY, 2007   -

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:  2            Other:  doubling

Further Reference:
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Richard III

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
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1st Produced:

Organisations:
African Company

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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Smithers And Snide

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
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1st Produced:
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Organisations:
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1st Published:
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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:
-

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
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Talking Masks

Synopsis:
-

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:
-

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
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Therapy and Resistance

Synopsis:
A man tries to avoid the draft and being sent to Vietnam by that he is a manic depressive schizophrenic with paranoid tendencies

Notes:
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1st Produced:
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Organisations:
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1st Published:
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Music:
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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

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Yellow Moon Rising

Synopsis:
about slavery and escape in 19th century America

Notes:
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1st Produced:
Ohio State University    Feb 1996

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:
-

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
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