Carroll, Vinnette (1922–2002)

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Carroll, Vinnette (1922–2002)

African-American playwright and director. Born Mar 11, 1922, in New York, NY; grew up in Jamaica; died Nov 5, 2002, in Lauderhill, Florida; dau. of Florence and Edgar Carroll; graduate of Long Island University; New York University, MA in psychology; studied acting with Lee Strasberg and Stella Adler.

The 1st African-American to direct a production on Broadway, was best known for her show Your Arms Too Short to Box with God; wrote Trumpets of the Lord, an Off-Broadway hit (1963); directed and starred in Prodigal Son (1966); as an actress, won an Obie for Moon on a Rainbow Shawl (1962) and an Emmy for Beyond the Blues (1964); directed the hit musical revue Don't Brother Me, I Can't Cope (1972), for which she was the 1st black woman nominated for a Tony Award for direction; was also nominated for 2 other Tonys; was the founder (1967) and artistic director of the Urban Arts Corps in NY and worked in Los Angeles at the Inner City Repertory in Watts.