James Light (director)

1938 photograph of James Light by the Federal Theatre Project

James Light (1894 – February 11, 1964) was an American theatre director, actor, and educator. He is best remembered as a champion of the playwright Eugene O'Neill, and he directed many of his plays both on Broadway and in regional theaters.[1][2] He was a member of the Provincetown Players, and he succeeded George Cram Cook as director of that organization in 1922. During the Great Depression, he was director of the "Philadelphia Black Unit" of the Federal Theatre Project; an organization dedicated to fighting racial discrimination in hiring practices in the American theatre by producing plays with all-black casts. He taught on the faculties of the Yale School of Drama and The New School for Social Research; serving as the dean of the drama school at the latter institution from 1939 to 1942.[1]

  1. ^ a b "JAMES LIGHT DIES; O'NEILL ASSOCIATE; Staged Playwright's Works With Provincetown Group". The New York Times. February 12, 1964. p. 33.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Blansfield was invoked but never defined (see the help page).