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Hope Clarke

Hope Clarke (born March 23, 1941) is an American actress, dancer, vocalist, choreographer, and director. Clarke, a Tony Award nominee, made history in 1995 when she became the first African-American, as well as the first African-American woman, to direct and choreograph a major staging of the classic opera, Porgy and Bess. Clarke began her career as a principal dancer with the Katherine Dunham Company and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and as an actress appeared in many stage, film, and television productions. As a choreographer, Clarke is credited with staging and movement for more than 30 shows on and off Broadway.

Early life and education

A native of Washington, D.C., Clarke took dance classes with her sister at the Alma Davis Dance School, and as a senior in high school, she was a lead dancer with Doris Jones' company in DC.[1][2] Clarke worked as a summer employee for the Central Intelligence [Agency].[2] She grew up in a middle class Black community, a place where people shopped through mail-order catalogues in order to purchase clothes offered in stores where they were not welcomed. “The black community, as I remember it, was very closely knit," Clarke said in the San Francisco Examiner: "Before the fabric of this society was torn by racism and lack of education, we all took care of each other. We all watched each other's children."[3]

Career

West Side Story to Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope

In 1959, Clarke landed a role in the original touring cast of West Side Story.[2] At the urging of her sister, she auditioned for the role, got it, and joined the touring company while it was in Chicago,[1][4][5] and remained in the cast until April 23, 1960.[6] In 1961, Clarke appeared in the interracial love story Kwamina starring Brock Peters and Robert Guillaume, and featuring the choreography of Agnes de Mille.[1][5] In 1967, she played a minor role and was part of the ensemble in Hallelujah, Baby!, which received five Tony Awards, including Best Musical.[1][4][5] In 1968, she played Mamselle Tulip in the House of Flowers at the Lucille Lortel Theatre.[7] In 1969, Clarke had a role in Douglas Turner Ward’s “The Reckoning” at the St. Mark’s Playhouse,[1][4] an off-off Broadway theater that showcased the work of the Negro Ensemble Company.[4][7]

In 1970, Clarke was a dancer in “Purlie,” a musical that nominated for five Tony Awards.[1][4] In 1972, she was in the musical “Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope,” which was the first Broadway musical to be directed by an African American woman, Vinnette Carroll.[1][2][5][8]

Alvin Ailey, Katherine Dunham, and 5 Plus

Clarke served as a principal dancer in the Katherine Dunham Company and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.[1][4][9][10][2] In the Ailey company, she toured internationally and received positive reviews and audience ovations.[2][11] In addition to dancing with Dunham and Ailey, Clarke performed with the companies of Tally Beatty,[2][4] George Faison,[4] and Louis Johnson.[1][4]

Clarke, along with Michael Blake, Carmen de Lavallade, Sheila Rohan, and others, co-founded the former 5 Plus Ensemble (New Beginnings Theater), a dance company created to showcase the work of dancers, choreographer, and musicians who are older than the age of 50.[2][12][13]

Film and Television

After appearing on Broadway and around the world as a dancer, Clarke moved to Hollywood, California with the help of actor and friend Raymond St. Jacques.[2] Her most memorable film roles were co-starring with Sidney Poitier in A Piece of the Action (1977);[2] working with St. Jacques and Philip Michael Thomas on the A Book of Numbers' set in Dallas;[2][14][4] and portraying Jean-Michel Basquiat's mother, Matilde, in Basquiat (1996).[2][7] Clarke has had a variety of guest roles on tv shows, such as Hill Street Blues,[2] Amen, Another World, As the World Turns, Beat Street, Hart to Hart, Into the Night, The Jeffersons, The Ropers, Sex and the City, Three's Company.[1] She appeared in the TV miniseries King (1978), which was based upon the life of Martin Luther King Jr., the slain civil rights leader.

Grind, A Tony Nomination, and Fly

In 1985, Clarke played “Ruby” in the musical Grind[4][5][15] and worked with Lester Wilson.[2] In 1992, Clarke earned a Tony Award nomination for “Best Choreography” for her work in the 1992 Broadway hit Jelly's Last Jam.[1][5][16] The show grew from New York workshops and a Los Angeles production at the Mark Taper Forum to a Broadway show.[17]

In 1995, Clarke choreographed “The Tempest.”[4][5] In November 2003, she started work on Caroline, or Change, a musical that features spirituals, blues, Motown, classical music and Jewish Klezmer.[18] Clarke was responsible for the choreography of the show that began as an Off-Broadway production, received a Broadway production of 126 performances in 2004, received six Tony Award nominations, and had a two-month run at the Lyttleton Theatre, National Theatre in London, winning the Olivier Award for Best New Musical.[18][7][15]

In 2010, Clarke choreographed A Free Man of Color,[5] and in 2017, she choreographed, Fly, a play about the Tuskegee Airmen. The show was produced by the Lincoln Center Institute and toured to several venues, including Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Pasadena Playhouse, Florida Studio Theatre, St. Louis Rep, Cincinnati Playhouse, Ford's Theatre, Vineyard Playhouse, and Crossroads Theatre.[2][19][20][21]

Collaborations with George C. Wolfe

After George C. Wolfe hired Clarke to create movement and staging for The Colored Museum,[1][22] the pair have collaborated on 10 plays,[2] including the opera Amistad,[23]the Off-Broadway play, Spunk,[22] and Broadway shows Caroline, Or Change, A Free Man of Color, and Jelly's Last Jam, which earned Clarke a Tony Award nomination.[24][25]

In 1995, Clarke directed the Houston Grand Opera production of Porgy & Bess, the first African American to stage a major professional U.S. staging of “Porgy and Bess.[22][9][10] Regarded as America’s greatest opera, the two million dollar Houston Grand production toured throughout the United States, as well as performances in Italy and Japan.[26][9]

In 2012, Clarke directed a Morgan State University production of Porgy & Bess at the Murphy Fine Arts Center.[27][28]

Quotable

Honors and Awards

Credits

Stage

TV and Film

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Nesmith, Nathaniel G, and Hope Clarke interview. Hope Clarke: A Career of Being Ready for the Next Chance. American Theatre. August 29, 2021. https://www.americantheatre.org/2021/01/29/hope-clarke-a-career-of-being-ready-for-the-next-chance/
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Waters, Sylvia and Hope Clarke interview. Jerome Robbins Dance Division Oral History Project. The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. April 20, 24, and 25, 2017. 3 streaming files (approximately approximately 4 hours and 55 minutes) : digital + transcript (232 pages). https://legacycatalog.nypl.org/record=b21682817~S1
  3. ^ San Francisco Examiner, April 30, 1995, p. M10.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Artist Bio. Hope Clarke. Bio as of June 2006. Goodman Theatre. https://www.goodmantheatre.org/artists/hope-clarke/
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Hope Clarke. Choreographer. Playbill. https://playbill.com/person/hope-clarke-vault-0000004523
  6. ^ Hope Clarke. Internet Broadway Database. Touring. https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/hope-clarke-1101#touring
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Hope Clarke. Broadway World. https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Hope-Clarke/
  8. ^ Don't bother me, I can't cope, 1972. Gospel Music History Archive. Victory Baptist Church (Los Angeles) Archival Collection. University of Southern California. Libraries. 1972. https://digitallibrary.usc.edu/asset-management/2A3BF1O3VHSN3?FR_=1&W=1679&H=992
  9. ^ a b c d Herman, Kenneth. Performing Arts: 'Porgy' Gets a Cultural Makeover: Director Hope Clarke has added a historic African American flavor to Gershwin's classic characters on “Catfish Row.” Los Angeles Times. March 5, 1995. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-03-05-ca-39028-story.html
  10. ^ a b c Segal, Lewis. It’s Summertime, and the Staging Ain’t Easy . . . : Opera: Hope Clarke is unhappy that her work on ‘Porgy and Bess’ is being modified before its area visit. But the Houston Opera’s general director counters that ‘it’s not a new staging.’ Los Angeles Times. June 1, 1995, p. F1. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-06-01-ca-8403-story.html
  11. ^ Matchan, Linda. What made Mr. Ailey Mr. Ailey? New documentary offers a fuller picture of the modern dance pioneer. Washington Post. July 25, 2021. https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/theater_dance/new-alvin-ailey-documentary/2021/07/21/a1bdf592-e67b-11eb-b722-89ea0dde7771_story.html
  12. ^ Harris-Kelley, Diedra. My Life in Movement: Inheriting the Dancing Body. The Scholar and Feminist Online. Issue 19.1 | Summer 2023 — To Make Visible Everywhere: Our Bold, Beautiful, Aging Bodies. https://sfonline.barnard.edu/my-life-in-movement-inheriting-the-dancing-body/
  13. ^ 5 Plus Ensemble. The Ensemble: Meet the Founders. https://5plusensemble.com
  14. ^ Peterson, Maurice. He's Making a Big Numbers ’ Racket. New York Times. May 13, 1973. https://www.nytimes.com/1973/05/13/archives/hes-making-a-big-numbers-racket-hes-making-a-big-numbers-racket.html
  15. ^ a b Hope Clarke at the Internet Broadway Database
  16. ^ Richard Christiansen, "`Jelly's Last Jam' Jumps", Chicago Tribune, April 19, 1995.
  17. ^ Podcasts with America's seminal directors and choreographers: The Making of Jelly's Last Jam. TDF. November 23, 1992. 65 minutes. https://www.tdf.org/on-stage/masters-of-the-stage/the-making-of-jellys-last-jam/
  18. ^ a b c Tentative d'Encyclopédie des Théâtres de musicals. National Theatre. 68) Caroline or change (Revival). https://www.bruxellons.be/YYMusicalLieuxLondresNTHist08.php
  19. ^ a b c d e f g h i Hope Clarke. Biography. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0164789/bio/
  20. ^ Alabama Shakespeare Festival Soars with FLY, Celebrating the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen, Jan. 26-Feb 11. 2017. Alabama Shakespeare Festival. December 20, 2017. https://asf.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/FLY-PR.pdf
  21. ^ a b c d Hope Clarke. Lincoln Center Theater. 2010. https://www.lct.org/shows/people/hope-clarke/
  22. ^ a b c Amistad. Opera in Two Acts. Liner notes. https://nwr-site-liner-notes.s3.amazonaws.com/80627.pdf
  23. ^ Page, Tim. Amistad Misses the Boat: Slave Tale Reduced to a Well-Scored Sermon. Washington Post. November 30, 1997. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1997/12/01/amistad-misses-the-boat/68e26cd1-fbdb-488d-bbc2-20b71d06915a/
  24. ^ Collins, Glenn. Jelly's Last Jam,' With 11, Leads in Tony Nominations. New York Times. May 5, 1992.https://www.nytimes.com/1992/05/05/theater/jelly-s-last-jam-with-11-leads-in-tony-nominations.html
  25. ^ Cousin, Tome. Lack of Diversity in Theatre's Directors and Choreographers. Live & In Color. June 18, 2019. https://liveandincolor.org/blog/2019/6/18/lack-of-diversity-in-theatres-directors-and-choreographers
  26. ^ Hope Clarke. 5 Plus Ensemble. https://5plusensemble.com/hope-clark/
  27. ^ Morgan State to stage ‘Porgy and Bess.’ Baltimore Sun. Updated October 1, 2021. https://www.baltimoresun.com/2012/03/23/morgan-state-to-stage-porgy-and-bess-2/
  28. ^ Murphy Fine Arts Center Presents -- Porgy & Bess. March 19, 2012. https://news.morgan.edu/murphy-fine-arts-center-presents-porgy-and-bess/
  29. ^ Essence, August 1995, p. 56.
  30. ^ San Diego Union-Tribune, March 5, 1995, p. D1.
  31. ^ Opera News, January 21, 1995, pp. 12–16.
  32. ^ Huston, Caitlin. SDC re-elects Michael John Garcés, Melia Bensussen in 2020 election. Broadway News. November 17, 2020. https://www.broadwaynews.com/sdc-re-elects-michael-john-garces-melia-bensussen-in-2020-election/
  33. ^ Wild, Stephi. Project1VOICE Honors The Lifetime Achievements Of Vinnette Carroll, Hope Clarke, Harold Wheeler And Hattie Winston-Wheeler. Broadway World. June 17, 2018. https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Project1VOICE-Honors-The-Lifetime-Achievements-Of-Vinnette-Carroll-Hope-Clarke-Harold-Wheeler-And-Hattie-Winston-Wheeler-20180617
  34. ^ 2015-2016 Tony Awards Nominating Committee Announced. Tony Awards. https://www.tonyawards.com/press/2015-2016-tony-awards-nominating-committee-announced/
  35. ^ 2017-2018 Tony Awards Nominating Committee Announced. Tony Awards. https://www.tonyawards.com/press/2017-2018-tony-awards-nominating-committee-announced/
  36. ^ Healy, Patrick. Nominating Committee Announced for 2009-2010 Tony Season. New York Times. July 21, 2009. https://archive.nytimes.com/artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/21/nominating-committee-announced-for-2009-2010-tony-season/
  37. ^ Gans, Andrew. 2010-2011 Tony Nominating Committee Includes De Shields, Edelstein, Greif, Kaufman and More. Playbill. July 19, 2010. https://playbill.com/article/2010-2011-tony-nominating-committee-includes-de-shields-edelstein-greif-kaufman-and-more-com-170141
  38. ^ Eadicicco, Lisa. Tony Nominating Committee for New Broadway Season Announced. Backstage, June 17, 2011. http://www.backstage.com/news/tony-nominating-committee-for-new-broadway-season-announced/
  39. ^ a b NYC's Harlem-Based Audelco Awards Turn Blue. On Nov. 19, the 29th Annual Vivian Robinson AUDELCO Recognition Awards for Excellence in Black Theatre were given in Harlem, New York, with Hope Clarke, Ruby Dee and Charles Randolph-Wright (and his multi-winning play, Blue) among the better-known recipients. November 24, 2001. https://playbill.com/article/nycs-harlem-based-audelco-awards-turn-blue-com-99922
  40. ^ Jones, Kenneth. Stage Directors Elect Ted Pappas New President, Plus Board Officers. Playbill. December 15, 1998. https://playbill.com/article/stage-directors-elect-ted-pappas-new-president-plus-board-officers-com-78993
  41. ^ Volume II, Issue 18: George C. Wolfe. Black Listed Culture. September 15, 2021. https://blacklistedculture.com/george-c-wolfe/
  42. ^ Brown, Donald. Home for the Holidays. New Haven Review. December 10, 2023. https://www.newhavenreview.com/blog/index.php/2023/12/home-for-the-holidays
  43. ^ Musical Lets Freedom Ring. New York Daily News. January 11, 2019. https://www.nydailynews.com/2000/09/25/musical-lets-freedom-ring/
  44. ^ Brown, Donald. Comfort and Joy. New Haven Review. Dec 12, 2018. https://newhavenreview.squarespace.com/?offset=1544879338070&category=Reviews
  45. ^ Alabama Shakespeare Festival Soars with FLY, Celebrating the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen, Jan. 26-Feb 11. 2017. Alabama Shakespeare Festival. December 20, 2017. https://asf.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/FLY-PR.pdf
  46. ^ Janis, Nancy Sasso. Review: A Christmas Carol A Ghost Story of Christmas at Hartford Stage. December 5, 2016. https://www.onstageblog.com/reviews/2016/12/5/review-a-christmas-carol-a-ghost-story-of-christmas-at-hartford-stage
  47. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Hope Clarke. Internet Off-Broadway Database. http://www.iobdb.com/CreditableEntity/6396
  48. ^ Grey Gardens The Musical. Bay Street Theatre. https://www.baystreet.org/calendar/grey-gardens/
  49. ^ Brown, Donald. Look Out, Cleveland. New Haven Review. December 16, 2014. https://www.newhavenreview.com/blog?year=2014
  50. ^ Sawyer, Jessie. Hartford Stage's 'A Christmas Carol': A Comical Holiday Ghost Story. Patch. Dec 20, 2013. https://patch.com/connecticut/avon/hartford-stages-a-christmas-carol-features-avons-murphy-as-tiny-tims-brother
  51. ^ Hetrick, Adam, and Andrew Gans. George C. Wolfe Honored with 2011 Mr. Abbott Award. Playbill. Oct. 3, 2011. https://playbill.com/article/george-c-wolfe-honored-with-2011-mr-abbott-award-oct-3-com-183134
  52. ^ Deni, Laura. Broadway To Vegas. October 10, 2010. https://www.broadwaytovegas.com/October10,2010.html
  53. ^ Agnes De Mille : From Ballet to Broadway. Dance Enthusiast. https://www.dance-enthusiast.com/dance-listings/events/view/Agnes-De-Mille-From-Ballet-to-Broadway-2010-10-11/
  54. ^ Gold, Sylviane. Delving Into the Black Experience, Generation by Generation. New York Times.October 31, 2008. https://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/02/nyregion/connecticut/02theaterct.html
  55. ^ Oxman, Steven. The Dreams of Sarah Breedlove. Variety. June 27, 2006. https://variety.com/2006/legit/reviews/the-dreams-of-sarah-breedlove-1200515143/
  56. ^ Blankenship, Mark. The Learned Ladies of Park Avenue. Variety. October 3, 2005. https://variety.com/2005/legit/reviews/the-learned-ladies-of-park-avenue-1200521367/
  57. ^ Creative Team. Stormy Weather. Broadway World. https://www.broadwayworld.com/shows/creative.php?showid=7322
  58. ^ Willow Cabin Theater Company presents The Odyssey. 2002. https://www.abouttheartists.com/productions/183935-the-odyssey-at-the-theater-at-st-clements-2002
  59. ^ Hartford Stage Begins "A Ghost of Christmas." Hartford Courant. Nov. 16, 2000. https://www.courant.com/2000/11/16/hartford-stage-begins-a-ghost-of-christmas/
  60. ^ Ehren, Christine. Reggie Montgomery Is A Prophet Among Them at OB's Blue Heron June 21-July 15. Playbill. June 21, 2001. https://playbill.com/article/reggie-montgomery-is-a-prophet-among-them-at-obs-blue-heron-june-21-july-15-com-97358
  61. ^ Burns, Gail M. Mack and Mabel. Review. June, 1999. https://myvanwy.tripod.com/companies/barrington/mackmabel.html
  62. ^ Simonson, Robert. Jeff McCarthy and Kelli Rabke Are Barrington's Mack and Mabel, June 22. Playbill. June 22, 1999. https://playbill.com/article/jeff-mccarthy-and-kelli-rabke-are-barringtons-mack-and-mabel-june-22-com-82697
  63. ^ Lincoln, Ivan M. 'South Pacific' a lush, beautifully staged production. Deseret News. April 29, 1999. https://www.deseret.com/1999/4/29/19442711/south-pacific-a-lush-beautifully-staged-production/
  64. ^ 7 Things to Learn About. Chicago Tribune. August 22, 2021. https://www.chicagotribune.com/2008/11/16/7-things-to-learn-about/
  65. ^ Andres Teuber. Cambridge Theatre Company Productions 1997 -98. https://people.brandeis.edu/~teuber/ctc92_98.html
  66. ^ Launched March 6, 2020: The Lyric Opera of Chicago’s World Premiere of Amistad. Chicago History Museum. https://www.chicagohistory.org/exhibition/lyric-opera-chicago-amistad/
  67. ^ A... My Name Will Always Be Alice > Barrington Stage Company. Cast Albums. 1996. https://castalbums.org/recordings/A-My-Name-Will-Always-Be-Alice-1996-Barrington-Stage-Company/3926
  68. ^ The Tempest. Broadway. Play. Revival. Playbill. 1995. https://playbill.com/production/the-tempest-broadhurst-theatre-vault-0000002004#carousel-cell134948
  69. ^ Production History. LaJolla Playhouse. https://lajollaplayhouse.org/who-we-are/about-the-playhouse/production-history/
  70. ^ Holland, Bernard. Review/Opera; A Modest 'Cosi' in Which the Comedy Prevails. New York Times. Sept. 10, 1991. https://www.nytimes.com/1991/09/10/arts/review-opera-a-modest-cosi-in-which-the-comedy-prevails.html
  71. ^ The Negros Burial Ground: A Cantata for the Departed. Program. Opera Ebony bio. The Kitchen. May 1996. http://archive.thekitchen.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Program_The-Negros-Burial-Ground_Jenkins_1996.pdf
  72. ^ Hope Clarke. AFI Catalog. https://catalog.afi.com/Person/71006-Hope-Clarke?sid=67c0a1d9-a371-4491-b842-d7b3d5aa1dcf&sr=10.804653&cp=1&pos=0&isMiscCredit=false
  73. ^ Greenspun, Roger. Film: 'Book of Numbers':St. Jacques Focuses on Southern Town The Cast. New York Times. April 12, 1973. https://www.nytimes.com/1973/04/12/archives/film-book-of-numbersst-jacques-focuses-on-southern-town-the-cast.html