Adrienne Kennedy

Personal Information
Adrienne Kennedy, born in Pittsburgh, PA in 1931, is one of the major female black authors who affected the Black Arts Movement. Kennedy is well known as a prize-winning playwright, as well as a lecturer and author. Kennedy participated as a founding member of the Women's Theatre Council in 1971. She earned numerous awards including the Village Voice's Obie Award for her play Funnyhouse of a Negro. Kennedy has also earned several grants and fellowships as well as the American Book Award, which she received in 1990. Kennedy's, An Evening With Dead Essex is perhaps most closely associated with the kind of revolutionary drama utilized by the BAM. In the early 1960s, Kennedy traveled to London and then Africa where she saw an African mask that she has claimed changed her outlook on life and her writing. By the time she wrote An Evening with Dead Essex in 1973, Kennedy had thoroughly explored experimental forms of drama that broke with conventional dramatic notions of character, setting and narrative. In the 1990’s Signature Theatre Company in New York devoted an entire season to her work. Her works include Pale Blue Flowers, Deadly Triplets, A Movie Star Has to Star in Black and White, The Owl Answers and many others. She continues to lecture at colleges and universities around the nation.
 
Playwrights' Sidewalk: Adrienne Kennedy has a star on the Playwrights' Sidewalk.
Credits

Author
Production Theatre Opened Credit
1 Signature Plays: Edward Albee's The Sandbox, Maria Irene Fornes' Drowning, and Adrienne Kennedy's Funnyhouse of a Negro Pershing Square Signature Center/ The Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre 05/22/2016 Playwright
2 Ohio State Murders The Duke on 42nd Street 11/04/2007 Playwright
3 Funnyhouse of a Negro HSA Theatre 01/20/2006 Playwright
4 The Alexander Plays...Suzanne in Stages Joseph Papp Public Theater/ Susan Stein Shiva Theater 04/19/1996 Playwright
5 Sleep Deprivation Chamber Signature Theatre 02/23/1996 Playwright
6 June and Jean in Concert Joseph Papp Public Theater/ Susan Stein Shiva Theater 11/10/1995 Playwright
7 A Movie Star Has to Star in Black and White / Funnyhouse of a Negro Signature Theatre 09/22/1995 Playwright
8 Cities in Bezique Joseph Papp Public Theater/ Susan Stein Shiva Theater 01/04/1969 Playwright
9 Funnyhouse of a Negro East End Theatre 01/24/1964 Playwright
Awards
Award Production Function
1 NOMINATED 2017 Lucille Lortel Award, Outstanding Revival Signature Plays: Edward Albee's The Sandbox, Maria Irene Fornes' Drowning, and Adrienne Kennedy's Funnyhouse of a Negro Playwright
2 WON 2008 Lucille Lortel Award, Outstanding Revival Ohio State Murders Playwright
3 NOMINATED 2006 Lucille Lortel Award, Outstanding Revival Funnyhouse of a Negro Playwright
4 WON 1996 Obie Award, Best New American Play Sleep Deprivation Chamber Playwright
5 WON 1996 Obie Award, Best New American Play June and Jean in Concert Playwright