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Contact Info:
BTAA 2007 Nominees•
Robert Hooks Bio and Photo• Robert Hooks Interview • Past Award Recipients • Past Award Photos •  
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BTAA Vincent Williams conceived and collaborated with David Barr and Mamie Till-Mobley in creating The State of Mississippi v. Emmett Till. A native of Chicago, Illinois, Vincent is an actor, singer and producer. As an actor, Vincent has performed in such plays as Godspell, Pippin, Jesus Christ Superstar, The Wiz, Guys and Dolls, Applause, and Once On This Island. Vincent’s stage manager credits are A Soldier’s Play, The Amen Corner, Sophisticated Ladies, and One Monkey Don’t Stop No Show. Vincent has earned a B.A. degree in Arts and Entertainment Media Management from Columbia College Chicago. Vincent has also served as a panel member for the Illinois Arts Council. Vincent founded the Black Theater Alliance Awards, Inc., in 1995 and has produced and presented an annual awards presentation to honor and recognize excellence by African American performing and technical artists in theater, dance and all areas of the performing arts. Vincent is the recipient of WKKC’s Critic’s Corner Fine Arts Award for his work with the Black Theater Alliance Awards. Inc. BTAA Sponsor •Tina Salamone •Kathy Perkins •Jackie Taylor •Columbia College Chicago •Camellio Lincoln •Valorie Harris •Deonne Wright •Herbert Allen •Timuel Black •Steppenwolf Theater •Tania Richard BTAA Supporter •The Silverman Group •Dionna Griffin-Irons •Allen Gilmore •Milo Bosh •Abena Joan Brown BTAA Friend •Elliott Scott |
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Ira Aldridge (b.1807-d.1867) is considered the first African American Shakespearean actor to become an accomplished actor in a foreign country. Ira Aldridge was born a free black man to poor parents in New York City, and developed an interest in rhetoric from the African Free School. Having been denied the opportunity to perform on a mainstream professional stage in the United States. Mr. Aldridge became the first of a long line of African American artist to immigrate to Europe to find outlets for their talents. He performed more than forty roles in his lifetime, including seven of Shakespeare's heroes, proving that a black man was capable of delivering a classic performance of the utmost standard. Black Theater Alliance Awards, Inc., Founder and President, Vincent Williams states, "We are proud to name our awards after Ira Aldridge, he is a trailblazer, a man whose contributions were world renowned, and he should be remembered in the theater community." The 14th Annual Black Theater Alliance/Ira Aldridge Awards Monday, September 29, 2008 The Fairmont Chicago 200 North Columbus Drive |
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 Hello, my name is Vincent Williams on Monday, April 9, 2007-Robert Hooks granted me this interview. Extremely insightful and forthtelling. This historic conversation represents a milestone for the Black Theater Alliance Awards, Inc. What follows is a conversation about African American culture, politics, and how Mr. Hooks molded Black Theater in America.Vincent: What set you on your path to a life in show business? Robert: Well, that’s a very interesting question, and it goes back to my older sister Bernice, back in the day when I was just a tough little kid in the neighborhood called Foggy Bottom in Washington, D.C. My sister Bernice was a recreational counselor for the summer, and she did all kinds of things for the community. One particular summer she was producing a play, The Pirates of Penzance, and she asked if I would play one of the leads in the play. It was a children’s version of it and, of course, I thought she was losing her mind because my buddies and I would run the streets, and we thought acting and doing plays was a sissy thing. So I told her “no” and she didn’t like that. Well, my sister Bernice and I slept in the same bed together back in the day — it was one of those childhoods. There was one bed and five kids in that bed. Two sisters slept up top, and my two brothers and I would be at the bottom. Bernice had these big toes and she could pick up things with them. What she did that really irked everybody was she would pinch you with them, real hard! And this is in my autobiography, in a chapter called “Bernice’s Big Toes.” After I said “no” to Bernice—— In the bed she would use her feet to find my leg and the real tender area of my thigh, and she would pinch me with those big toes until I agreed to do that play. “Okay, Okay,” I told her, convinced I would hate it. Well, I want to tell you, it was the best thing that ever happened to me and I loved it. I thought my buddies would be on my case about it, but to my surprise, they really and truly respected the fact that I performed on stage, and I enjoyed doing it. That was the beginning. And we did the play in the evening, in the recreation center for the people in the community. When the play ended and the applause started something happened to me. It felt good. And I thought to myself ‘this is wonderful.’ So I thank my sister for starting me on the path to a life in theater because, from that point on, I found myself going into drama clubs in schools and laying the foundation for what became my life’s work. That’s really how my acting started. It was my sister, with those big toes of hers, who forced me to say ”yes” to theater, and it was the best thing that happened to me. Vincent: What do you remember about your Broadway debut? Robert: Magically, my Broadway debut ended up being in the very play that prompted me to move from Philadelphia, which was where I was living. Let me back up and explain. I was in Philadelphia and studying acting, doing all kinds of roles. Philadelphia is a try-out town for New York, just like Chicago, and I along with Charlie Dierkop and Bruce Dern — both of whom went on to be actors themselves — would go to see these plays that would come through on their way to Broadway. Of course they were all-white plays — white actors, white directors and white producers — and that was routine. Until, I saw this one play that blew me away. I sat in a jam-packed theater and I was in tears because an all-black cast of actors—some of the most incredible performers I had ever seen — were up there on stage doing this play, written by a young black woman, titled A Raisin in the Sun. After I saw this play — I remember it was at the Walnut Street Theater in late 1959 — I just had to go backstage and meet them. I had to. I had never seen anything like it in my life. I never thought I would see that many black actors onstage. I thought when I start acting professionally I would be acting in plays with mostly white actors. But, as I say, I went backstage and met some of the actors. First, I went to Sidney’s — Sidney Poitier’s — dressing room. He was starring in the play. But his dressing room was too crowded and I couldn’t get in there. Then I went to Claudia McNeil’s dressing room. Too crowded. Couldn’t get in there either. Then I saw this door at the end of the hall, and I went in. Tthere were Ivan Dixon, Lou Gossett, Douglas Turner Ward, Lonne Elder, and Ed Hall — all the other male actors were in this room. So I went in and we had a wonderful, wonderful time. I told them I was a local actor and they encouraged me to move to New York. Four months later I was in Manhattan. The play had opened in New York and was a smash hit. So, incredibly, the very first play I did in New York, and a Broadway hit at that, ended up being the very piece that prompted me to move to New York. I ended up replacing Lou Gossett in A Raisin in the Sun, and that was my debut on Broadway. I will never forget walking to the theater the night I was going on, and looking at the card outside that said ‘Bobby Dean Hooks.’ It just thrilled me to no end and, from that point on, the rest is history. That was my Broadway debut. Vincent: What would you consider to be high points in your life? Robert: I’m a parent and I have to say all of my kids are high points in my life. My five sons and my one daughter are all high points. And, of course, their kids, my grand-children, after that. That’s the parent part of it. I guess, professionally, as an artist I would have to say that becoming a successful actor was a true high point. But, more than that, a bigger high point was my being responsible for founding three major theater companies. The first one was The Group Theater Workshop. But The Negro Ensemble Company was the high point, because it was dubbed a national treasure by the New York Times, and it was the most productive black theater company in the world, and it still is. My biggest highlight was founding that company with Douglas Turner Ward and Gerald Krone. Of course there have been many more high points since then but that is the most important. Literally, the closest we have ever come to having a national repertory company, black or white. Vincent: Who are your heroes? Robert: Well, the first person I felt was a hero of mine had nothing to do with theater, but a lot to do with sports — boxing — and that would be Joe Louis. Because, I remember as a kid growing up, when he fought, we were in the streets imitating his moves. Then along came Jackie Robinson.  Naturally, when I became serious about acting Paul Robeson was one of my favorite people, when I learned about him and the things he stood for and did. Of course, I saw everything Paul Robeson ever did in film and, as an artist, he became my hero. I also had the opportunity in my career to meet, and be guided by, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who was also a tremendous hero of mine; and people like Ossie Davis and Diana Sands. Mary McCloud Bethune, who I never met, is also a hero of mine because women in my life have been very important. My father died when I was very young. My sisters were tremendous fans of Mary McCloud Bethune and, because of that, I grew up with an ongoing awareness of all the wonderful things she was responsible for. And, of course, Sidney Poitier has remained a hero and an inspiration to me. Those are some of the people who have been my heroes. As you can imagine, there are many more.
Vincent: What up and coming artist do you admire right now? Robert: I admire any young artists — or old artists — who really and truly pursue their talents and their dreams. So, I admire most of the talented young people… actors, as well as people in the music industry. What really and truly interests me is the respect. To me they have to earn that respect by taking on the responsibility that young talented artists of any background are privileged to take on. To not be selfish, but to give back to the communities that they come from. Most artists don’t do that. Some do, but most don’t. And I’m not just talking about the young up and coming artists. One of the problems I also have with some of our artists who are success stories is that they often speak and carry themselves in ways that imply that education, dignity, respect for self and others, and for the spoken word, are not only not necessary to success... but are signs of "not keeping it real" or "authentically black." That simultaneously angers me and hurts my heart for our young people who emulate and look up to them. Of the up and coming young people, I think Will Smith probably stands out more than anybody, because, of what he has accomplished and the way he has accomplished it. I know him. I’ve worked with him. I respect his talent, and I respect his energy. I truly respect how he works with and respects other artists. And he and Jada do give back in many, many ways. But I'll refrain from singling out others who should do more. They know who they are. Besides, I have admiration for them too. I admire all of them. I know the difficulties they have had to endure. It is very difficult when you have talent, and we know how this industry is toward African Americans. Yet, despite that, they persist to the point where they become successful. That I admire. Vincent: What is your greatest indulgence? Robert: Oh, that’s easy. I’m a gardener. I have the most incredible garden. I love my garden and I indulge myself. I do it because it’s a great therapy for me. I also indulge myself with my fiancée. She has changed my life. But, if you forced me to choose my one greatest indulgence, that would be gardening. If you saw my garden you would not believe your eyes. It is that beautiful. Vincent: What motivates you? Robert: Well, again, nature. I’m motivated because it is therapy. Whenever I walk my garden, and sit in my garden, I’m motivated to write. I’m motivated to communicate through the arts. The arts motivate me deeply. Good productions. I don’t mean plays that are thrown together. I like good, strong and valued productions with good scripts, good directing, good acting and good stage craft. That motivates me. The ocean also motivates me. Nature. I love it. Those kinds of things. People motivate me. I’m a people person. I go to the grocery store and talk to the produce man, and we talk about everything. Some people might think because he’s a produce man that he would only know about produce, and that he doesn’t know a thing about politics, doesn’t know anything about communicating with other people — but that’s not true. Vincent: Do you think being an African American actor has advantages right now? Have we overcome? Robert: The answer to the second question is, 'No we have not overcome.’ We’re a long way from overcoming. First of all, 85% of black actors in this industry are out of work. That leaves 15% who are working, and I’m happy for them I think that they have done wonderful things with their careers. Some of them have been able to produce their own projects, and I’m really pleased about that. You know who they are. They’re all wonderful people and a lot of them are my friends, and I’m happy for their success, those 15%. But the industry hasn’t changed that much. It has changed for those people that are in a position of leverage. But the rest of the talented performers, artists that are out of work, starving for work, that are just completely ignored when it comes to opportunity. The opportunities go to that 15% who are constantly doing it, and a lot of those are not actors. A lot of those people that are getting film and television roles are basically comics and music people. Many are rappers. And I do not have a problem with the people who succeed in filmmaking, so this is not a rap on rappers. Look, if anybody can make it, and be successful in film, television, and theater that is fine with me. I just wish there was more room for those artists who have spent most of their lives studying the craft, the art of acting. But they get ignored, and people who really have not put in time honing the craft are the ones — because the way the industry is constructed. And it has nothing to do with those rappers, those that have made their inroads. It has to do with the powers that be — the white producers, white studios and network owners. Many of our great black actors have been recast in films with rappers. I know that for a fact. That doesn't happen to white actors. You don't see them being ousted for musical performers in pivotal acting roles. Ice Cube is a successful producer. No… let’s go back. We don’t have to use Ice Cube. Let’s use Tyler Perry, who is humungously successful, and deservedly so. He is a brilliant businessman and absolutely has important things to say as an artist. I’m happy for the brother. But he’s stuck with doing a certain kind of fare. If we don’t do something to change that, then we are going to be stuck with an audience that knows nothing about real, true, nuanced black subject matter — drama. The comedies are fine. I have no problems with it. But, it borders on stereotypical. And this, to me, is not a good thing if that’s the only thing in the diet. There’s nothing wrong with comedy, there is nothing wrong with the Chitlin’ Circuit, nothing wrong with the churchgoers. I’m happy that people are going to the theater. But, I don’t want them to get fed some of this comedy stuff that borders on embarrassing stereotypes, and that’s all they get. In a balanced diet you need vegetables and fruits, protein and vitamins; not just dessert. That will rot your insides. I don’t see that much in the way of advantages. I’m very happy for Jennifer [Hudson] and Forrest [Whittaker]. I voted for them. I’m a voting member of the Academy Awards. I knew they were going to win. Jennifer is a storybook success. I’m happy about that. But I look further than that. I look a little deeper into the cloth, and the cloth is woven very, very weakly underneath, and I hope as successful black artists we’ll be able to change that. I’m also disturbed about the quality of the subject matter. I’d love to see three, four, five films with nuanced, realistic subject matter and characters that relate to the black community. I’d love to see that. I undoubtedly won’t. Unfortunately. From what I've observed, I just don’t think the Academy is set up that way, and I’m a member. I have been a member for 40 years. I also serve on the Foreign Language Film Committee. I’m very active at the Academy. And as a matter of fact, looking at the advances that we have made, I’ve been responsible for helping to hold up the mirror, and there’s still a lot of work to be done — especially with the new museum they are building. The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences is building a museum in Hollywood. I recently sat down with the President of the Academy, Sid Ganis, and just laid out to him that the Academy cannot ignore the African American contribution to Hollywood in this museum. I told him, “If you do, you are going to regret it, and have a lot of trouble with the black community.” It’s going to take 8 to10 years to complete the project, and a portion of it should absolutely give recognition to our contributions in Hollywood under the most challenging of obstacles and circumstances. He was extremely interested, enthusiastic and appreciative. And I feel he is an honorable man. Vincent: What gave you the inspiration to create The Negro Ensemble Company? Give us the history. Robert: The Negro Ensemble Company, which we opened in 1967, was the successor to the first theater company that I started in New York. That first company was called The Group Theater Workshop (GTW). At the time I created GTW, I was doing Dutchman by Leroi Jones, Off-Broadway. It was a huge hit and I was asked to talk to the Chelsea Civil Rights Council. The country was right in the middle of the Civil Rights movement. I lived in New York’s Chelsea area at the time, and I knew most of the people who were at the event at which I spoke. We were talking about theater in general, blacks in theater, and Dutchman. Afterwards, a group of kids — there must have been about 20 to 25 kids, some of whom I knew, some I didn’t know — approached me and started talking about how they might get into the industry as actors, writers, and directors. So I decided that I would meet with these kids — because I love kids, and I was a professional — and I would share what I knew with them. We started meeting in my living room on West 28th Street, between 10th and 11th Avenues, in Chelsea. That grew into a very, very successful theater company of teenagers from all over New York. Ultimately, there must have been 120 kids from Manhattan, Queens, Jamaica, Bronx, and Brooklyn in my livingroom. We knocked out a wall in my living room (I ended up being evicted for it), we built a theater, and I started this group. We called it The Group Theater Workshop. Of course, the people in the community wanted to know “What’s going on? Why are all these kids coming in and out of this actor’s — Robert Hooks’ — house down there?” They didn’t know what we were doing. So I decided with Barbara Ann Teer, the Co-Founder of The Group Theater Workshop, to put on a showcase. At the time, Douglas Turner Ward, Lonne Elder, III, and I were like the three musketeers and doing all kinds of wonderful things together. Of course they were writing. Doug had written two terrific one-act plays, and we were trying to sell those plays to ‘angels’ around town, but there no buyers, no investors. One was a very funny four-character piece, and I used it in the showcase that we did, casting it with young actors. Hattie Winston was one of them. The showcase was a big success, and the bigger success of the evening was this play called Happy Ending. So I told Douglas. “Look if we get reviews like this for the play with kids playing the roles, imagine what it would be with professional actors. Let me produce these pieces." So he finally consented to change the rights from another friend of his, and he allowed me to move forward. I went and raised the money to produce Happy Ending and Day of Absence as a double bill.  Happy Ending and Day of Absence became the biggest hits in New York, and the Ford Foundation approached us, and decided that we were to be the chosen ones to create the most significant national black theatre company ever. They also asked Doug to write an article about blacks in theater. Douglas wrote a most incredible article that appeared in the New York Times and, as a result of that, they asked us to put together a plan for a theater company, and we did. It became The Negro Ensemble Company, and shortly thereafter The Group Theater Workshop was folded over into it and became the training program for the NEC. We then recruited the best, most exciting professional black actors for the company. The cream of the crop.
That’s how it started, and that was the beginning of what became the true historical turning point in black theater and, consequently, theater in America. But the initial inspiration in creating the NEC was working with those young GTW kids, plus seeing so many extraordinary black actors — i.e., Roscoe Lee Browne, James Earl Jones, Moses Gunn, Rosalind Cash, Ruby Dee — walking around New York not having anything to do, except maybe a play here and there. That was, of course, the reason for creating a company with ongoing training and performance. I was inspired to do it. And of course Douglas Turner Ward. By then, I had hired Gerald Krone to be the company manager for Happy Ending and Day of Absence, and that’s how Gerry became the administrative director for the NEC. When we opened the NEC the plays were still running, and it was a built-in arrangement which the three of us made work. Vincent: In comparing and contrasting television, film, and theater today, please talk about the negative aspects or positive improvements over the past? Are there any? Robert: I would say the best improvement, as far as I’m concerned, is in television because we have cable. Yes. Television as it relates to improvements, positive improvements. Not that much in film or theater — but TV. The arrival and growth of cable, and the fact that they need programming so desperately, opens the doors for black writers, directors, and actors to work more. So cable has been a tremendous positive for TV. As in the past, the networks are still guilty of stereotyping and exclusion, and just not using African American actors in positions we occupy in the real world. There are some exceptions, however. Take Grey’s Anatomy as it relates to television. I think it is the best show on television. It is written and created by a black woman, and the casting is amazing. But, for the most part, regarding the major networks — we have not seen that many positive improvements as it relates to employment, image, and executive, decision-making positions; which is why we don’t see our images improving that much in the media. Now, theater is another story. We’ve lost our way. Where once we aspired to see stirring, nuanced representations of ourselves on stage, and worked hard to make that happen; now there appears to be a preponderance of broad, almost chitlin' circuit-style theatre with a heavy dose of music and simplistic morality tales. True, there are a lot of regional theaters — although the loss of New Jersey's Crossroads was huge. But as it relates to Broadway, there is a lot to be desired. Woodie King, Jr. is probably the busiest producer in New York, and his work has not been given the kind of attention that it should be. He is a very successful producer, associated with a lot of wonderful writers, actors and directors, very much like The Negro Ensemble Company. Theater has kind of lost its way as it relates to the national audience. Except for the regional plays and festivals here and there, there haven’t been that much positive improvement on a steady basis. Hopefully, we can fix those things. There is a wealth of rich, beautifully written black theatre beyond August Wilson, but you would hardly know it. As with anything that has to do with us, it appears that one person gets anointed, with the lingering inference that there is only room for one of us at a time. Vincent: I was recently interviewed by Savoy magazine, and one question that was asked of me was ‘Are black audiences today ready for serious theater?’ What is your view on that question? Robert: I mentioned this earlier, but let me reiterate that I think we see black audiences coming to the theater more and more in the last few years than before. They are coming because of these black entrepreneurs, and I call them entrepreneurs and not necessarily producers. Some of them are, but most of them aren’t theatre producers. They’re businessmen, and they’re very smart, and they have learned how to go to the churches and get the church people to come into the theater, and get the people in the community to come to theater, and I think that’s great. My only problem with it is what the people see when they get to the theater. And, again, I have nothing against the broad comedies and musicals that these artists are writing. But that’s all that’s out there. The commercials are on radio, and they do it very, very successfully. It is a big business. So at least we are getting black people into the theater. Now the question ‘Are black people ready for serious theater?’ There’s the rub. Because is it just to make them laugh because they work all week, and they go to Church, and they want to go to the theater and laugh? That’s fine. I like to laugh. Everybody likes to laugh. But, there are so many stories to be told, so many characters that we've never seen up there, and that we won’t learn about until such times as we start seeing these entrepreneurs and producers, or seasoned theatre professionals, bringing more serious drama and mixing it up. Not that they should stop doing comedy. But if you’ve got the audience in the palm of your hand, for crying out loud, bring some reality into it. They’ll enjoy it. We've fought so long and hard to stop being stereotyped and now, out of laziness and lack of imagination, we are doing it to ourselves. Can you imagine that same audience coming to the theater to see Ceremonies In Dark Old Men, A Raisin in the Sun or A Soldier’s Play, just to name a few. And there are so many more plays that have been written that are black theater classics and that need to be remounted. Unfortunately, if it’s not a comedy the interest isn’t there. But there could be an interest if those entrepreneurs that are producing the equivalent of Soul Plane for the stage would go find the real theatre pieces. They’re out there, and they’re just as entertaining. Actually, I have an innovative approach to breathing 21st century life into the consumption of our great theatre pieces for the electronic age. But I'm afraid that's all I can say about it right now. So, I think that the issue needs to be addressed by those who are making millions and millions of dollars. But they need to build audiences into a smart theater audience that really and truly can understand black drama and embrace it the same way they embrace the sometimes hilarious and, too often, the stereotypical stuff. If I was producing theater today I’d certainly do comedy, though I wouldn’t do all that silly stuff. After all, the two pieces that put me on the map as a producer were comedies — Day of Absence and Happy Ending. But there was a skewering humor and bite and point of view propelling the laughter. But I’m a serious theater producer, and that’s what is lacking today. So, "Are black audiences ready for serious theater?" I think they are. We need to bring it to them. But the people that are capable of delivering it to them are so busy running to the bank that serious theater is not on their mind. Vincent: Mr. Hooks you have worked in all genres of the performing arts. Which is the most challenging and fulfilling? And why? Robert: Theater is the most challenging; and that's because it's in your face…there is no film, tape or video which will be edited later. The audience is there…the play is there…the curtain goes up…there is no “Cut! Let’s do that again.” It’s beginning, middle and end, and the actors have to be on it, and the playwright has to keep the audience’s interest. So, theater is challenging and fulfilling because there is nothing like the one-on-one. And when you’re on a stage you are playing to an actual person in the same room. Now, the house is out there but you are playing to a person, plus everybody else on stage. But theater to me — and I’ve done film, television, cable, and have had fun doing it — I have never been fulfilled like I have been on the stage. Vincent: What do you think would be the most helpful thing to the future of theater in America? Robert: Well, the most helpful thing, I think, would be if we as a people — in every major city in this country — would build black cultural institutions, in each of those communities. Here I am referring to cultural institutions that have a theater company, a training program, an art gallery, and all the other wonderful things that go with culture. The future of theater rests in communities in this country realizing how important a cultural experience is. A cultural institution in every major city in this country. That’s what we need. It can happen. I did it 3 times. Again, leadership is the answer to why it hasn’t happened. Black theater has to come back to the community and educate culturally to the community. I can speak for the future of black theater in America, but I can’t answer that question for the future of theater in America because then you are talking about a lot of white stuff. A lot of it I like, some of it I don’t bother with because I don’t relate to it. However, the classic productions in theater across the country will always be the backbone of theater in America. But black theater has to come back to the community and educate culturally in order to encourage black people to accept going to the theater instead of going to the movies — or in addition to going to the movies. You certainly can’t stop me from going to the movies, except I'm lucky. I get to see most of my movies at the Academy (of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences), so I don’t have to pay. Vincent: What in your view makes a good director of theater? Robert: A good stage director needs to know everything there is about putting on a production — not just directing actors in a play. A good theater director would also be, I think, a good theater producer. I’m basically talking about black theater. I’m not talking about Broadway or the high-fallutin' fare that you see in music centers across the country and all that. A good theater director is someone who understands what production is, understands what the story is, who the characters are, and how it plays for story, the depth of each character, and how that character relates to every other character in the play. A good director has to understand lighting and stage direction, in the sense of how you move your actors. The full knowledge of what the play means and how to get those actors to those levels of performance. You have to be able to control not just the story itself but, once the actors start interpreting the characters, you have to be able to understand how to get those individual actors to give you or the writer or the audience what that character calls for in that particular scene or confrontation. I’m a director and producer. Vincent: Mr. Hooks, you have worked with all the very best in the business. Who would you like to work with in this business that you have not worked with? Robert: I’d always wanted to do a movie with Sidney Poitier, who has been a friend of mine for some forty years, but we had never worked together. We would always say, "I wish we could do a movie. I hope something comes along." Now, I have worked with the greats but, I had always wanted to do a film with Sidney. Then, along came that opportunity. I got a call from Sidney a few years ago, and he had a serious project at Columbia, but Columbia wouldn’t do it — they wanted another comedy from him. So he took it somewhere else. It was a vehicle for his daughter, whose name is also Sidney, she is Sidney-Tamia. It was a wonderful story. He was in it, his daughter was in it and I played his best friend. So I got the opportunity to work with Sidney before I retired from acting. Well I guess you could say I’ve ‘semi-retired.’ There’s nothing meaningful to do. I can’t do the silly stuff that is offered to me. I just won’t do it. My agents don’t love me for that. But you can’t go backwards in life, not just in this industry. You have to move forward, and the offers they make to me are silly dumb shit, and I can’t do it, even though the money is good and all. Vincent: Do you believe in colorblind casting? Robert: Oh yeah. Absolutely. Non-traditional casting. Casting needs to looks more like real life. What really pisses me off is these lazy, unimaginative casting directors, and agents who are so afraid to offend the studios and the networks, that don’t submit the black actors that they represent even for roles they could easily play. Of the roles that are written for films and television, all are assumed to be white unless specified otherwise. Often, it's obvious that here is a character that can be played by any male or female actor, or any ethnicity; it wouldn't matter. But those roles usually go to white actors because the casting agents are so afraid to offend the people they work for — and/or the studios and networks, — that they just automatically cast white actors in those roles. That, to me, is a crime. Literally. It would be a class action suit in any other industry. As it relates to colorblind or non-traditional casting, you take an actress like a Jennifer Beals. She stars in the Showtime series, The L Word, and she’s wonderful in it. She’s black —mixed race, but of course that makes her black — but she doesn’t look like she's black. So they don’t cast her in black roles, and then she’s not cast in other roles because she’s not caucasian. The studio's unawareness about her ethnicity caused quite a brouhaha before Flashdance was released. Importantly, in Steven Speilberg’s Jurassic Park, they cast a black girl as Jeff Goldbum’s daughter, and there she was. No explanation. And nobody cared! Just as in life, they just accepted it. No need to get all involved in explaining and justifying it. I’m for non-traditional casting. I’ve been doing it for most of my career. I’ve played roles that have not been “black roles.” After all, white actors play African American, Asian, Latin and Native American roles all the time. Can you say, "Charleton Heston?" Vincent: Jeanne Crain in Pinky (1949) Robert: Yes. Exactly. It’s been going on, but it never has worked in our direction. Now, it appears that it is. Of course, Joe Papp is responsible for a lot of that on the stage because Joe Papp did that many years ago. He was doing all-black versions of Shakespeare. Vincent: Do you have a pre-performance ritual? If so, what is it? Robert: Before I go on stage or in front of the camera I have to center myself in my character,so I completely wipe everything else out of mind. I need some solitude for that, so I spend time in my dressing room cleansing outside stuff. You constantly concentrate on what’s happening at the moment and cease worrying about the argument you had last night with your best friend. Meditation is the best. Vincent: Any advice you want to share with up and coming performing and producing artists? Robert: Yeah. Study and be aware of everything you are about to do. A lot of actors think they’re born with this talent, but they can’t just jump out there and do it without really understanding what they are doing. Craft. Being able to take care of yourself if the director doesn't have the time or skill to work with you. Also, I think knowledge of what you are doing at all times, and the history of what’s been done before you got here, is important. Certainly for up and coming performers, whether they are performing on stage or producing, you have to know your history in order to be really and truly successful, or at least be convincing to others. So, the advice I would share would be to study and understand the history of theater, producing, and acting. Study and read about the people that have come before you. Vincent: If you could talk to God…what would you say? Robert: I would probably ask God, "Why not spend more energy dealing with those people who are in trouble i.e., Aids, poverty, (jokingly) getting work in the industry of film and television." I would say to God, “Lighten up on the brother.” Vincent: What are you currently working on? Robert: I am in the process of writing my autobiography with my fiancée Lorrie Marlow. The proposal for it is done, and the agents have it. It’s titled, Life For Me: At the Crossroads of Art, Politics, Culture and the Civil Rights Movement. Also, we’re hard at work on another book whose title announces controversy and the continuation of my life’s work, Blackbusters!: Hollywood. The Last Plantation. I’m especially excited about the fact that we’ve just signed-off on a huge film project with a major film production entity — a project that Lorrie had spent several years researching and writing— based on the life of Valaida Snow. A legendary musician, arranger, composer, dancer and singer, Valaida was glamorous and self-aware in the mold of Josephine Baker. And, like Josephine, she was an expatriate, which undoubtedly explains why her extraordinary story and musical legacy aren’t known to us in America, although that is about to change. Also, my current fascination is with a one-man show I’m creating on Langston Hughes, who I was fortunate enough to have had a friendship with in his later years. In the course of trying on his amazing language, I’m falling in love with the idea of acting all over again. Other than that, I’m basically producing and developing. My son Kevin is constantly trying to get me on his show, Prison Break; he’s the Producer and directs as many episodes as he can. My youngest son, Robert Jr., is making films as well. Kevin’s son, Michael is in his second year at NYU’s Tisch Film School, and his oldest daughter, Christiana, is a respected associate producer and a very talented writer. So, you can see, film is in the Hooks genes. * denotes winner Category 1 The Negro Ensemble Company Award Best Play (Drama or Comedy) Blaxploitation 2 – MPAACT *Joe Turner’s Come And Gone- Congo Square Theatre Company Lifetime On The Streets – eta Creative Arts Foundation *Trouble The Water – MPAACT Category 2 Best Play (Musical or Revue) Don’t Shed A Tear : The Story ofBillie Holiday – Black Ensemble Theater *Memphis Soul: The Story of Stax Records – Black Ensemble Theater Sarafina! The Music of Liberation – Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre Category 3 Best Ensemble *Blaxploitation 2 – MPAACT Blues For An Alabama Sky- eclipse theatre company Crowns – Open Door Repertory Company Joe Turner’s Come And Gone – Congo Square Theatre Company Stoops – eta Creative Arts Foundation Category 4 The Lorraine Hansberry Award Best Writing of aPlay (Drama or Comedy) *Shepsu Aakhu – Trouble The Water – MPAACT Aaron Carter – Panther Burn – MPAACT Kevin Douglas,Inda Craig Galvan, and Carla Stillwell – Blaxploitation 2 – MPAACT Danai Gurira and Nikkole Salter – In The Continuum- The Goodman Theatre Category 5 Best Writing of a Play (Musical or Revue) *David Barr III – Memphis Soul: The Story of Stax Records – Black Ensemble Theater Jackie Taylor- Don’t Shed A Tear:The Story of Billie Holiday- Black Ensemble Theater Category 6 The Lloyd Richards Award Best Direction of a Play (Drama or Comedy) Robert O’Hara- In The Continuum- The Goodman Theatre Kenny Leon – Radio Golf – The Goodman Theatre Mignon McPherson Nance- Trouble The Water – MPAACT *Derrick Sanders- Joe Turner’s Come And Gone – Congo Square Theatre Company Category7 Best Direction of an Ensemble Terry Cullers – Blaxploitation 2 – MPAACT *Kamesha Jackson – Stoops – eta Creative Arts Foundation McKinley Johnson – Crowns – Open Door Repertory Company James Pringle – Lifetime On The Streets – eta Creative Arts Foundation Category 8 Best Direction of a Musical Ilesa Duncan – Sarafina! The Music of Liberation – Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre Jackie Taylor – Don’t Shed A Tear: The Story of Billie Holiday – Black Ensemble Theater *Jackie Taylor – Memphis Soul:The Story of Stax Records – Black Ensemble Theater Category 9 Most Promising Actor Calvin Dutton Kevin Hope Theo Huff *Keir Thirus Rashawn Thompson Category 10 Most Promising Actress Rhonda Bynum Adelia S. Givens *Genn Jackson Samantha Tanner Lauren Wells Category 11 The Harry Belafonte Award Best Performance In An Ensemble (Actor) Eddie Jordan lll –Blaxploitation 2 – MPAACT *Jonathan Keaton – Blaxploitation 2 – MPAACT J.J. McCormick – Lifetime On The Streets – eta Creative Arts Foundation Renardo Johnson – Crowns – Open Door Repertory Company Keith Smitherman – Blaxploitation 2 - MPAACT Category 12 The Ethel Waters Award Best Performance In An Ensemble (Actress) Sharyon A.. Culberson – Lifetime On The Streets – eta Creative Arts Foundation Desla Epison – Lifetime On TheStreets- eta Creative ArtsFoundation Melba Nicholson – Crowns – Open Door Repertory Company *Tamberla Perry – Blaxploitation 2 – MPAACT Deanna K. Reed – Crowns – Open Door Repertory Company Elizabeth Shivers – Lifetime On The Streets – eta Creative Arts Foundation Category 13 Best Lighting Design Maggie Fullilove-Nugent- Trouble The Water- MPAACT Benny Gomes – Black Nativity – Congo Square Theatre Company Denise Karczewski – Don’t Shed A Tear: The Story of Billie Holiday – Black Theater Ensemble *Arthur Reese – Bedtime Story – eta Creative Arts Foundation Category 14 Best Sound Design Keith Austin – Bedtime Story – eta Creative Arts Foundation *Chaos and Disorder – Blaxploitation 2 – MPAACT Nigel Harsch – Trouble The Water - MPAACT Ron White – Memphis Soul: The Story of Stax Records- Black Ensemble Theater Category 15 Best Set Design Shepsu Aakhu – Blaxploitation 2 – MPAACT Runako Jahi – Living In The Wind – eta Creative Arts Foundation Robert Martin – Blaxploitation 2 - MPAACT Jackie Penrod and Rick Penrod – Black Nativity – Congo Square Theatre Company *Reginald B. Wilson – Bedtime Story – eta Creative Arts Foundation Category 16 Best Costume Design Evelyn Danner and Glendar Howard – Those Sensuous Seductive 70’s – Black Ensemble Theater Evelyn Danner and Glendar Howard – Memphis Soul: The Story of Stax Records – Black Ensemble Theater *Christine Pascual – Joe Turner’s Come And Gone – Congo Square Theatre Company Sharlett Webb – Crowns – Open Door Repertory Company Sharlet Webb – Stoops – eta Creative Arts Foundation Category 17 The Duke Ellington Award Best Musical Direction Kenny Anderson – Those Sensuous Seductive 70’s- Black Ensemble Theater Clifford Dubose – Crowns – Open Door Repertory Company William Kurk – Sarafina! The Music of Liberation – Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre James A. Taylor – Dreamgirls – ABJ Center of the Arts and Men of Heritage *Jimmy Tillman – Memphis Soul:The Story of Stax Records – Black Ensemble Theater Category 18 The Sammy Davis. Jr. Award Best Leading Actor In a Play(Musical or Revue) Jayson Brooks – Ragtime – Porchlight Music Theatre Kenny Davis – Those Sensuous Seductive 70’s- Black Ensemble Theater Aaron Holland – The Life – Bohemian Theatre Ensemble David St. Louis – Raisin – Court Theatre *Rick Stone – Memphis Soul:The Story of Stax Records – Black Ensemble Theater Category 19 The Lena Horne Award Best Leading Actress In a Play (Musical orRevue) Stephanie Booth – Those Sensuous Seductive 70’s – Black Ensemble Theater Tawny Newsome – The Life – Bohemian Theatre Ensemble *Vikki Omega Stokes – Don’t Shed A Tear: The Story of Billie Holiday – Black Ensemble Theater Kylah Williams – Sarafina! The Music of Liberation – Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre Melvia Rogers-Williams – Those Sensuous Seductive 70”s – Black Ensemble Theater Category 20 The Bill Bojangles Robinson Award Best Featured Actor in a Play (Musical or Revue) Michael Booth – The Life – Bohemian Theatre Company Nikkiel DeMone – Memphis Soul: TheStory of Stax Records-Black Ensemble Theater Theo Huff- Those Sensuous Seductive 70’s – Black Ensemble Theater *Gerald Richardson- The Wiz – White Horse Theatre Company Travis Turner – Raisin – Court Theatre Category 21 The Eartha Kitt Award Best Featured Actress in a Play (Musical or Revue) Karla Beard – Ragtime – Porchlight Theatre Company Cynthia Carter – Memphis Soul: The Story of Stax Records – Black Ensemble Theater Michele Cason – The Wiz – White Horse Theatre Company Shayla Jarvis – The Wiz – White Horse Theatre Company *Bethany Thomas – The Life – Bohemian Theatre Company Category 22 The Sidney Poitier Award Best Leading Actor In a Play (Drama or Comedy) Anthony Fleming lll – Denmark – Victory Gardens BiographTheater *Clarence Gilyard – My Children, My Africa- Victory Gardens Green House Theater and Gilyard Productions, LLC. Allen Gilmore – Joe Turner’s Come And Gone – Congo Square Theatre Company Javon Johnson – Joe Turner’s Come And Gone – Congo Square Theatre Company Alfred Kemp – Blues For An Alabama Sky – eclipse theatre company Alfred H. Wilson – Black Caesar – Pegasus Players Category 23 The Ruby Dee Award Best Leading Actress In A Play (Drama or Comedy) Danai Gurira – In The Continuum – The Goodman Theatre Tanya Lane – Hospice – eclipse theatre company Ericka Ratcliff – Court-Martial at Fort Devens – Victory Gardens Biograph Theater Nikkole Salter – In The Continuum – The Goodman Theatre *Taylar – Blues For An Alabama Sky – eclipse theatre company Frances Wilkerson – Late Bus To Mecca – eclipse theatre company Category 24 The Ossie Davis Award Best Featured Actor In A Play (Drama or Comedy) Ali Amin Carter – Living In The Wind – eta Creative Arts Foundation Ronald Conner – The African Company Presents Richard lll – Congo Square Theatre Company John Earl Jelks – Radio Golf – The Goodman Theatre Brandon Miller – Flyin West – Court Theatre *Beethoven Oden – My Children, My Africa – Victory Gardens Green House Theater Andre Teamer – Black Caesar – Pegasus Players Terrance Watts – Blues For An Alabama Sky – eclipse theatre company Category 25 The Hattie McDaniel Award Best Featured Actress In A Play (Drama or Comedy) Tyla Abercrumbie – Flyin West – Court Theatre Cheryl Lynn Bruce – Flyin West – Court Theatre Monet Butler – Flyin West – Court Theatre Heather Ireland – Black Caesar – Pegasus Players *Ericka Ratcliff – The African Company Presents Richard lll – Congo Square Theatre Company Charlette Speigner – Blues For An Alabama Sky – eclipse theatre company Taylar – Joe Turner’s Come And Gone – Congo Square Theatre Company Category 26 Best Performance In A Music/Dance Program *Brotha Blanks – The Burning Bush – Najwa Dance Corps Sarita Smith Childs- Ida - Momenta Christopher Courtney – Third Eye – Dance Chicago 2006 Momentum (3BM) – I S.P.I.T. – Najwa Dance Corps Category 27 Best Choreography In a Music/Dance Program *Idy Ciss – Dekkal Thiossane (Rebirth of Culture) – Muntu Dance Theatre of Chicago Van Collins – Riot In The Heart – Dance Chicago 2006 Joel Hall – In The Shadow of Nina Simone Act ll – Chicago City Theatre Company Lynna C. Hollis – My Love Cannot Be Moved – Dance Chicago 2006 Suave and Karlo Familara – Another Level – Dance Chicago 2006 Category 28 The Katherine Dunham Award Best Choreography In A Play Vaune C. Blalock – Sarafina! The Music of Liberation – Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre Baron L. Clay, Jr. – The Wiz – White Horse Theatre Company Rueben Echoles – Memphis Soul:The Story of Stax Records – Black Ensemble Theater Kyle Vincent Terry – Black Diamond – Lookingglass Theatre *Lisa Johnson Willingham – Trouble The Water – MPAACT Category 29 The Alvin Ailey Award Best Choreography In A Music/Dance Program (Non-Resident) Alvin Ailey (posthumously) – Pas De Duke – Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Alvin Ailey (posthumously) – The River – Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater *George Faison – If This Hat Could Talk – Van Jo Productions and West Vision Entertainment Vincent Sekwati Koko Mantsoe – Men-Jaro – The Dance Center of Columbia College |
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Complete List of Black Theater
Alliance Award Recipients |
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 Shepsu Aakhu's "Trouble The Water", produced by MPAACT  The cast of Congo Square Theatre Company's production of "Joe Turners Come And Gone". |
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 Cast of "Memphis Soul: The Story of Stax Records", produced by The Black Ensemble Theater. |
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 "An Evening of Deeply Rooted Dance featuring Roberta Flack". Pictured: Elaina Anderson - Deeply Rooted Productions. |
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(L to R) Jacqueline Williams, Anthony Fleming-Best Featured Actor(Drama or Comedy), and A.C.Smith in "Fences". Directed by Ron OJ Parson.
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 The featured players of "Play On!" directed by Sheldon Epps, and produced by the Goodman Theatre. |
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 The full cast ensemble of "Pill Hill", directed by Douglas Alan-Mann and produced by The Chicago Theater Company. |
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 The Cast of "Blaxploitation 2", produced by MPAACT. |
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 The Cast of "Shoes" written by Gloria Bond Clunie, and produced by The Victory Gardens Theater. Pictured L-R Warren Jackson, Jacqueline Williams, Ora Jones, Linara Washington and Tory Davis. |
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In 1967, actor Robert Hooks, playwright Douglas Turner Ward, and theater manager Gerald Krone founded the Negro Ensemble Company (NEC), the catalyst for this project was the 1959 production of "A Raisin in the Sun".
Prior to the 1960's there were virtually no outlets for the wealth of black theatrical talent in America. NEC was created to concentrate primarily on themes of black life. Since its founding the NEC has produced more than two hundred new plays among them; The River Niger, which won a Tony Award for Best Play of the Year in 1974 , A Soldiers Play, Zooman and the Sign, Ceremonies In Dark Old Men, Day of Absence, and The Dutchman.
