Cheryl West
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Cheryl L. West (born October 23, 1965,
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
) is an American
playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes play (theatre), plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between Character (arts), characters and is intended for Theatre, theatrical performance rather than just Readin ...
.


Life

West holds a degree from the
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United ...
. She worked as a social worker and taught before turning to playwriting. In 1990, she came to
Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
for The Group Theatre's Multicultural Playwrights Festival, where she won the opportunity to workshop her play, ''Before It Hits Home''. That play went on to be produced at Arena Stage. On June 12, 1991, her play ''Jar the Floor'' had its world premiere at Seattle's The Empty Space Theater. In 1999, she relocated to Seattle. She won a
National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the feder ...
Playwrighting Award for 1995–96. Also making a successful foray into film, her play ''Before It Hits Home'' has been optioned by
Spike Lee Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, and author. His work has continually explored race relations, issues within the black community, the role of media in contemporary ...
; and she has been asked to pen a film adaptation for
Home Box Office Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...
and write an original screenplay for Paramount Studios. She had been commissioned to write a dramatic adaptation of Richard Wright's 1940 novel ''
Native Son Native may refer to: People * '' Jus sanguinis'', nationality by blood * '' Jus soli'', nationality by location of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Nat ...
''. A film version of her play ''Holiday Heart'' premiered on ''Showtime'' in 2000, starring
Ving Rhames Irving Rameses Rhames ( ; born May 12, 1959) is an American actor. He is best known for portraying IMF Agent Luther Stickell in the Mission: Impossible (film series), ''Mission: Impossible'' film series (1996–2025) and crime boss Marsellus Wal ...
and
Alfre Woodard Alfre Woodard ( ; born November 8, 1952) is an American actress. Known for portraying strong-willed and dignified roles on stage and screen, she has received various accolades, including four Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and three Scree ...
. In 2012, the
Seattle Repertory Theatre Seattle Rep (Seattle Repertory Theatre) is a major regional theater located in Seattle, Washington, at the Seattle Center. Founded in 1963, it is led by Artistic Director Dámaso Rodríguez and Managing Director Jeffrey Herrmann.Pasadena Playhouse Pasadena Playhouse is a Tony Award-winning historic performing arts venue located 39 S. El Molino Avenue in Pasadena, California. The 686-seat auditorium produces a variety of cultural and artistic events, professional shows, and community engag ...
premiered her play ''Shout Sister Shout!''


Awards

* ''Before It Hits Home''
Susan Smith Blackburn Prize The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize established in 1978, is the largest and oldest playwriting prize for women+ writing for English-speaking theatre. Named for Susan Smith Blackburn (1935–1977), alumna of Smith College, who died of breast cancer. W ...
Co-winner, 1990, AUDELCO Award for Outstanding Play, 1991, Helen Hayes Charles McArthur Award Winner, Outstanding New Play, 1992 * ''Jar the Floor'', Beverly Hills/Hollywood NAACP Best Play, 1995


Works


Plays

* '' Before It Hits Home'' - 1991 * * ''Puddin 'n Pete'' – 1993 * ''Holiday Heart'' – 1994 * ''
Play On! ''Play On!'' is a musical adaptation of Shakespeare's '' Twelfth Night'', featuring the music of Duke Ellington, conceived by Sheldon Epps, with a book by Cheryl L. West. The musical resets the story from Illyria to 1940s Swing-era Harlem. Pr ...
'' – 1997 * ''Birdie Blue '' – 2005 * ''Rejoice'' * ''Addy: An American Girl Story'' * ''Blues to the Bone'' * ''Elocutia Does Pygmalion'' * ''Pullman Porter Blues'' - 2012Review, Seattle Times
/ref> * ''Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy'' * ''Squeeze, Hold Release'' * ''Basketcases'' * ''Mwindo'' * ''Akeelah and the Bee'' * ''Shout Sister Shout!'' – 2017 * ''Lady Jazz'' * ''Last Stop on Market Street'' * ''The Watsons Go to Birmingham'' * ''Fannie'' - 2019 * ''Something Happened in Our Town'' - 2022


Teleplays

*
Diary of a Single Mom ''Diary of a Single Mom'' is a drama web series. This series is about three single mothers and their fight through obstacles trying to get ahead. Cast * Monica Calhoun as Ocean * Valery M. Ortiz as Lupe * Janice Lynde as Peggy * Jonathan Biggs ...
(1 episode, 2009) * ''Life Raft'' (2009) TV episode (writer) * ''
Glitter Glitter is an assortment of flat, small, reflective particles that are precision cut and come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. Glitter particles resemble confetti, sparkles and sequins, but somewhat smaller. Since prehistoric times ...
'' (2001) (story) * ''Holiday Heart'' (2000) (TV) (teleplay) * ''Play On!'' (2000) (TV) (writer)


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:West, Cheryl University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign alumni 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights Writers from Chicago Living people 1965 births African-American dramatists and playwrights American women dramatists and playwrights 20th-century American women writers 20th-century African-American women writers 20th-century African-American writers 21st-century African-American writers 21st-century African-American women