Horacena J. Taylor

Horacena J. Taylor (born November 21, 1940)[1] is an American director and stage manager. She is best known for staging the original off-Broadway production of Steve Carter's critically acclaimed play Nevis Mountain Dew.

Horacena J. Taylor
Born (1940-11-21) November 21, 1940
Columbia, South Carolina
Occupation(s)Theatre director, stage manager
Years active1970s–1980s

Biography

Taylor was born in Columbia, South Carolina and is a graduate of Hampton Institute. She also attended Howard University where she was a business manager for the Howard Players. Relocating to New York City, she gained the reputation as "one of best stage managers in New York."[2]

Starting in the early 1970s, Taylor has worked extensively as a stage manager on numerous productions for the Negro Ensemble Company (NEC) including The Sty of the Blind Pig, The First Breeze of Summer and The Brownsville Raid.

In 1978, she made her off-Broadway debut as a director with the play Nevis Mountain Dew by Steve Carter. The critically acclaimed production was selected by the Burns Mantle Yearbook as one of the ten best plays of the 1978–1979 season.[3] For her work as a director, Taylor received a Drama Desk Award nomination.[4][5]

Selected Credits

Theatre
Year Production Theatre(s) Notes
1982 Home[6] Arena Stage
Colored People's Time[7][8] Cherry Lane Theatre Did not play at Theatre Four due to the extended run of Charles Fuller's A Soldier's Play
1980 The Sixteenth Round[9] Theatre Four
Big City Blues[10] St. Mark's Playhouse
1979 Nevis Mountain Dew[11] Arena Stage
Old Phantoms[12] St. Mark's Playhouse
1978 Nevis Mountain Dew[13] St. Mark's Playhouse Drama Desk Award nomination, Outstanding Director of a Play[4][5]

Awards and nominations

References
  1. "U.S. Public Records Index [database online]". Ogden, Utah: Ancestry.com Operations Inc. 2009. Retrieved December 5, 2009.
  2. Johnson, John H., ed. (April 1973). "Black women 'star' behind scenes in New York drama". Ebony. Chicago, Illinois: Johnson Publishing Company, Inc. 28 (6): 108.
  3. Guernsey Jr. (Ed.), Otis L. (1979). The Best Plays of 1978-1979. New York & Toronto: Dodd, Mead & Company. pp. 269–280. ISBN 0-396-07723-4.
  4. "1978-1979dd 25th Drama Desk Awards". New York, New York: Drama Desk Awards. Archived from the original on July 4, 2008. Retrieved December 5, 2009.
  5. "Horacena J. Taylor". New York, New York: Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved December 5, 2009.
  6. "Production History" (PDF). Washington, D.C.: Arena Stage. p. 7. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 1, 2006. Retrieved December 5, 2009.
  7. Rich, Frank (April 1, 1982). "THEATER: CENTURY OF BLACKS". New York Times. Retrieved December 5, 2009. The director, Horacena J. Taylor, adeptly uses snatches of period music and dance to stitch the cavalcade together.
  8. "Colored People's Time". New York, New York: Lortel Archives:Internet off-Broadway Database. Retrieved December 5, 2009.
  9. "The Sixteenth Round". New York, New York: Lortel Archives:The Internet off-Broadway Database. Retrieved December 5, 2009.
  10. "Big City Blues". New York, New York: Lortel Archives:The Internet off-Broadway Database. Retrieved December 5, 2009.
  11. Guernsey Jr. (Ed.), Otis L. (1979). The Best Plays of 1978-1979. New York & Toronto: Dodd, Mead & Company. p. 128. ISBN 0-396-07723-4.
  12. "Old Phantoms". New York, New York: Lortel Archives:The Internet off-Broadway Database. Retrieved December 5, 2009.
  13. "Nevis Mountain Dew". New York, New York: Lortel Archives: The Internet Off-Broadway Database. Archived from the original on September 13, 2007. Retrieved December 5, 2009.


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