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“Writers on Writing” Radio Show
November 22, 2020 at 7:00 pm - 7:30 pm
“Writers on Writing” Radio Show
About the Episode
Dr. Brenda Greene interviews writer, producer, filmmaker and visionary Carl Clay, founder and CEO of Black Spectrum Theatre. Greene and Clay discuss the origins of his professional life as a playwright, screenwriter and lyricist, the subject matter of plays produced during the Black Arts era, and his views on the responsibility of the Black artist. Clay has spent much of his professional life producing Black Spectrum Theatre, a theater group company that works with youth and adults as it examines issues of social significance to the Black community. When asked about the future, Clay emphasized that he is committed to providing theater to the community and to ensuring that it continues in this new technological environment.
About the Guest
As the founder and CEO of Black Spectrum Theatre, Carl Clay has produced more than 450 plays and written and directed 20 films aimed at African American youth. Clay has produced more than 40 jazz concerts, and he has written more than 20 plays. He has been awarded five AUDELCO Awards, as Producer of the Year for the productions Two Trains Running, Kingfish, and Deadwood Dick, Legend of the West. He was recently awarded the Douglas Turner Ward Award at the 15th National Black Writers Conference.
As a lyricist, Clay has written songs for well-known jazz and rap artists. He has received an ASCAP Award for his songs in the motion picture Coffy. He also received a National Library Association Award for his film Babies Making Babies and an International Film and TV Festival Bronze Medal Award for The Follower and Clear Vision. Clay’s films Urban Encounters and Justice Is Done were given National Black Programming Consortium Award for Outstanding Youth Programming. Clay completed his first book entitled Poor-Ducing Theatre & Film at Black Spectrum in 2010.
Select episodes of “Writers on Writing” can now be heard on the new CBL YouTube channel. Explore our digital archives!
Email writers@mec.cuny.edu for more information.
