Eulalie Spence

Eulalie Spence
A young Black woman with light skin, dark hair, wearing a necklace
Eulalie Spence, from a 1928 publication
Born(1894-06-11)June 11, 1894
Nevis, British West Indies
DiedMarch 7, 1981(1981-03-07) (aged 86)
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, US
NationalityAmerican
Occupation(s)Playwright, teacher

Eulalie Spence (June 11, 1894[1] – March 7, 1981) was a writer, teacher, director, actress and playwright from the British West Indies. She was an influential member of the Harlem Renaissance, writing fourteen plays, at least five of which were published.[1] Spence, who described herself as a "folk dramatist" who made plays for fun and entertainment,[2] was considered one of the most experienced female playwrights before the 1950s,[2] and received more recognition than other black playwrights of the Harlem Renaissance period, winning several competitions.[3] She presented several plays with W.E.B. Du Bois' Krigwa Players, of which she was a member from 1926 to 1928.[2] Spence was also a mentor to theatrical producer Joseph Papp, founder of The Public Theater and the accompanying festival currently known as Shakespeare in the Park.[4]

  1. ^ a b "Eulalie Spence papers, 1926-1991." Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, The New York Public Library. Retrieved October 22, 2012. (website lists two different birth dates- 1884 and 1894. Date of 1894 is used for this article.)
  2. ^ a b c Perkins, Kathy A. Black Female Playwrights: An Anthology of Plays Before 1950. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 1990. ISBN 0253113660. Google Books. Retrieved October 27, 2012.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference dialect was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Zara, Christopher. "Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep Pitch in for Public Theater Reboot." International Business Times, October 5, 2012. Retrieved October 24, 2012.