Charles Randolph-Wright
Charles Randolph-Wright has built a dynamic and diversified career in directing, writing, and producing for television, film, and theatre.
Television credits include Producing Director and Executive Producer (with Oprah Winfrey) of the OWN series DELILAH, director on BRILLIANT MINDS, THE SANTA CLAUSES, GREENLEAF, THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES, WILL TRENT, THE BIG LEAP, KATY KEENE, STEP UP: HIGHWATER, LINCOLN HEIGHTS, SOUTH OF NOWHERE, and LIVE AT LINCOLN CENTER. Charles directed and co-produced the specials A BOLD NEW LOVE on CBS, Bebe Winans’ AMERICA AMERICA on BET, and co-produced AN EVENING WITH BERRY GORDY on PBS. He was producer and writer of the critically acclaimed series LINC’S. His musical staging has been seen on a variety of programs, including THE GOLDEN GIRLS. Charles has directed many videos and commercials, including the award winning European “Freestyle” campaign for Nike.
He is an Executive Producer of the film MAURICE HINES: BRING THEM BACK, which won the Grand Jury Prize of the NY Documentary Film Festival and the Jury Award at American Black Film Festival. His feature film directorial debut, PREACHING TO THE CHOIR, swept the feature film prizes at the ABFF, and was featured in numerous festivals (including the Pan African Film Fest, Cannes, and London). Charles has written screenplays for Showtime, Walt Disney Pictures, HBO, and 20th Century Fox.
Forr the theatre, Charles directed the Tony nominated Broadway premiere of Alice Childress’ Trouble In Mind at the Roundabout, the acclaimed premiere of the new musical American Prophet: Frederick Douglass In His Own Words (which he co-wrote with Grammy winner Marcus Hummon), the smash hit MOTOWN: THE MUSICAL (Broadway, London, and the National Tour), the Broadway bound musical BORN FOR THIS (Alliance Theatre, Cutler Majestic Theatre), which he co-wrote with gospel icon Bebe Winans, the Pulitzer prize winning play RUINED and the record breaking musical SOPHISTICATED LADIES (starring Maurice Hines) at Arena Stage, GUYS AND DOLLS (50th anniversary national tour), the 75th anniversary tour of the opera PORGY AND BESS, Brian Stokes Mitchell in his solo show LOVE/LIFE at Lincoln Center, Daniel Beaty’s THROUGH THE NIGHT at the Union Square Theatre and the Geffen Theatre, THEY’RE PLAYING OUR SONG (in Portuguese) in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, Brasil, BLOOD KNOT at ACT in San Francisco (featuring music by Tracy Chapman), and CABARET VERBOTEN at the Mark Taper Forum (with Bebe Neuwirth and Roger Rees).
Charles directed and co-wrote THE DIVA IS DISMISSED (starring Jenifer Lewis) at the NYSF Public Theater, ME AND MRS. JONES (a musical which starred Lou Rawls featuring the classic music of the Sound of Philadelphia) at the Prince Music Theatre, and HOMEWORK (starring Kim Coles) in NYC, LA, and NJ at Crossroads Theatre. He directed the world premieres of TOUGH TITTY by Oni Faida Lampley at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, AKEELAH AND THE BEE for the CTC in Minneapolis and Arena Stage, and SENOR DISCRETION HIMSELF, (the last musical written by Frank Loesser, based on a story by Budd Schulberg, and co-written with Culture Clash). He also directed TARTUFFE and INSURRECTION: HOLDING HISTORY at ACT, HAIR ... FOR THE NEXT GENERATION, the 20th anniversary event at the United Nations (which was the first benefit of its kind for children with AIDS), and MUSIC AND REMEMBRANCE (starring Leontyne Price, Itzhak Perlman, and James Galway) at Carnegie Hall.
Charles wrote the play BLUE, starring Phylicia Rashad, which broke box office records at Arena Stage (where Charles was an inaugural resident playwright). BLUE subsequently has been produced throughout the United States, including its New York debut at the Roundabout Theatre (which starred Ms. Rashad and Hill Harper) and the Pasadena Playhouse (which starred Ms. Rashad, Diahann Carroll, and Clifton Davis). Charles also wrote DUKE & ROYA (starring Jay Ellis), CUTTIN’ UP (based upon the best-selling book by Craig Marberry), THE NIGHT IS A CHILD (starring JoBeth Williams), and co-wrote BEA ARTHUR ON BROADWAY: JUST BETWEEN FRIENDS, which toured internationally, including a Tony nominated run on Broadway.
Charles was awarded grants from the Theatre Communications Group, the Pew Charitable Trusts, the NEA, the Edgerton Foundation New American Plays Award, and is the recipient of the S.C. Medal of Honor in the Arts, the Creative Spirit Award from the New Professional Theatre, The Pasadena Playhouse Theatrical Diversity Award, an honorary MFA from ACT, the Arena Stage American Artist Award, and the Paul Robeson Award from Actors’ Equity. Charles’ productions have received numerous awards, including NAACP Image, Helen Hayes, Ovation, and Audelco as well as Grammy and Tony nominations.
As a performer, Charles’ credits include Broadway (the original cast of DREAMGIRLS), television (HILL STREET BLUES, MELROSE PLACE, FALCON CREST), music (a disco group which will remain nameless that nonetheless garnered three gold records), film, numerous shows in theatre, and countless television commercials.
A native of York, South Carolina, Charles is an honor graduate of Duke University where he was an A.B. Duke Scholar and received the Distinguished Alumni Award. He serves on the Advisory Committee of the American Theatre Wing, the Board of Directors of the Roundabout Theatre a board member of the Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives, and is a founding member of the Wright Family Foundation of South Carolina.