Jeremy O. Harris
Jeremy O. Harris | |
---|---|
Born | June 2, 1989 |
Occupation |
|
Education | DePaul University Yale University (MFA) |
Years active | 2009–present |
Notable works | Slave Play (2018) |
Jeremy O. Harris (born June 2, 1989)
Early life and education
Harris grew up in a military family, moving often before settling in
Career
2016–2019: Early work and Slave Play
Harris landed a role in the play Jon at the
While still at Yale, Harris wrote
In 2018, Harris was awarded the Paula Vogel Playwriting Award, which includes a residency at the off-Broadway Vineyard Theatre.[21] In 2019, The New Group and the Vineyard Theatre co-produced a revised version of Harris's earlier play "Daddy". starring Alan Cumming.[2] Reviewer Christian Lewis called the play "a bold, experimental, political, and important work of theater that will not soon be forgotten".[22] New York Times reviewer Ben Brantley noted some excellent performances, but found the dialogue "endless and circular and repetitive" and the play too "cerebral".[11] In November 2019, an experimental work entitled Black Exhibition, credited under the pseudonym @GaryXXXFisher, debuted at the Brooklyn theater Bushwick Starr.[23] Using Ntozake Shange's term choreopoem to describe its structure, Harris combines language and movement in a work that centers on five characters: San Francisco writer Gary Fisher, Kathy Acker, Yukio Mishima, Samuel R. Delany, and Missouri college athlete Michael L. Johnson.[24]
2021–present: Career expansion
In early 2020, Harris signed a deal with
Harris is a co-author on the screenplay for the
'Black out' performances
Harris originated the concept of the Black out performance in which an artistic work is staged for an explicitly majority black or black identifying audience.[28] It has become prevalent in theatrical performances in the United States and Britain. The performances take place at plays telling black stories written by Black playwrights and seek to bring Black audiences to such plays.[29] The concept has also been seen as countering the negative psychological impact of double consciousness that can be experienced by black people.[28]
Philanthropy
As of 2020[update], Harris has pledged and redistributed a significant portion of his earnings from collaborations with the fashion industry and an HBO deal to The New York Theatre Workshop, libraries across the United States, and microgrants to the Bushwick Starr theater in New York.[3]
For the New York Theatre Workshop, Harris has created two $50,000 commissions for new works by black women playwrights. He produced streaming for both Heroes of the Fourth Turning (a remount of an earlier digital reading) and Circle Jerk (later produced as a physical production by the same team), donated a collection of plays by black writers to one library in each of the 50 states, plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and Guam, and pledged various fees and royalties from Slave Play to fund $500 microgrants, administered by the Bushwick Starr theater, to 152 U.S.-based playwrights.
In 2020, Harris sent a letter to then-president-elect Joe Biden, urging him to revive the Federal Theatre Project, and then used an appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers to further advocate the idea.[30]
Personal life
Harris is gay.[20] Interviews frequently mention Harris's physical appearance, including his 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) stature,[4] and what GQ called his "dandyish style".[31]
List of works
Theatre
- Xander Xyst, Dragon 1 (2017)
- Slave Play (2018)
- "Daddy": A Melodrama (2016, revised 2019)
- Water Sports; or, Insignificant White Boys (2019)
- Black Exhibition (2019)
- Yell: A Documentary of My Time Here (revised 2020)
- A Boy’s Company Presents: 'Tell Me If I'm Hurting You' (2021)
Film
- Zola (2021), co-writer with Janicza Bravo
- The Sweet East (2023) as Matthew
Television
- High Maintenance (2018) as Tyrell
- What We Do in the Shadows (2019) as Colby
- Gossip Girl (2021) as Jeremey O. Harris
- Emily in Paris (2022) as Grégory Elliot Duprée
- Irma Vep (2022), supervising producer
- Euphoria (2022), co-producer
Awards and nominations
- Paula Vogel Playwriting Award, 2018[21]
- Lotos Foundation Prize, 2018[32]
- Rosa Parks Playwriting Award, 2018[13]
- Lorraine Hansberry Playwriting Award, 2018[13]
In June 2019, to mark the
Year | Association | Category | Nominated work | Result | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2020 | Tony Award
|
Best Play | Slave Play | Nominated | [35] |
Human Rights Campaign | Equality Award | Himself | Honoree | [36] | |
2021 | Independent Spirit Award
|
Best Screenplay | Zola | Nominated | [37] |
2022 | NAACP Image Awards | Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture | Nominated | [38] | |
Black Reel Awards | Best Screenplay | Nominated | [39] | ||
Outstanding First Screenplay | Nominated | ||||
2023 | Obie Award | Special Citation | Circle Jerk | Won | [40] |
Tony Award | Best Play | Ain't No Mo' | Nominated | [35] | |
Best Revival of a Play | The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window | Nominated |
See also
- LGBT culture in New York City
- List of LGBT people from New York City
- Hari Nef
- John Golden Theatre
- Isabella Summers
- Nimrod Kamer
References
- ^ Harris, Jeremy O. (June 3, 2023). "playwright/novelist jeremy o harris on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
- ^ ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
- ^ ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
- ^ ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
- ^ "Jeremy O. Harris, the Mind Behind Off-Broadway Breakout Daddy, Actually Prefers Mommies". Interview.
- ^ Jung, E. Alex (March 6, 2019). "How to Fuck With White Supremacy". Vulture. New York Magazine. Retrieved March 24, 2019.
- ^ McEntee, Billy (February 5, 2019). "Jeremy O. Harris Continues His Firecracker Season with "Daddy"". The Brooklyn Rail. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
- ^ Saxena, Jaya (March 27, 2019). "Playwright Jeremy O. Harris Is Blowing Up Broadway". www.gq.com. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
- ^ "Bio—Jeremy O. Harris". www.jeremyoharris.me. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
- ^ "Xander Xyst, Dragon: 1 | ANT Fest 2017". Archived from the original on March 21, 2019. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
- ^ ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
- ^ "SLAVE PLAY by Jeremy O. Harris. Yale School of Drama, 2017". Issuu. July 12, 2018. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
- ^ a b c Kennedy Center (May 3, 2018). "Award and Scholarship Recipients of the 2018 Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival" (PDF). The Kennedy Center. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
- ^ Daniels, Karu F. (January 7, 2019). "Rising Playwright Jeremy O. Harris Addresses Backlash Over Controversial Slave Play". The Root. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
- ISSN 0950-6101.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
- ^ Buchanan, David (October 15, 2020). "'Slave Play' breaks Tony nominations record for a play with a staggering 12 bids". goldderby.com. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
- ^ "Paula Vogel Playwriting Award". Vineyard Theatre. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
- ^ a b Street, Mikelle (November 8, 2018). "Meet Jeremy O. Harris: The Queer Black Savior the Theater World Needs". www.out.com. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
- ^ a b Clement, Olivia (September 7, 2018). "Jeremy O. Harris Named 11th Recipient of Paula Vogel Playwriting Award". Playbill. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
- ^ Lewis, Christian (March 6, 2019). "Review: Jeremy O. Harris's "Daddy" is a Masterpiece of Melodrama". Medium. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
- ^ Paulson, Michael (November 4, 2019). "Secret From 'Slave Play' Creator: Surprise Show in Brooklyn". The New York Times. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
- ^ Green, Jesse (November 12, 2019). "Review: In 'Black Exhibition,' a Playwright Exposed". The New York Times. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
- ^ Thorne, Will (March 2, 2020). "'Slave Play' Writer Jeremy O. Harris Inks Overall Deal With HBO". Variety. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
- ^ Evans, Greg (December 4, 2020). "'Slave Play' Playwright Jeremy O. Harris & New York Theatre Workshop Set $50,000 Commissions For New Stage Work". Deadline. Retrieved December 5, 2020.
- ^ "Yell: A Documentary of My Time Here". N+1 (38). November 11, 2020. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
- ^ New York Times. Retrieved March 3, 2024.
- ^ Lukowski, Andrzej (February 29, 2024). "Why are Black audiences-only London theatre nights causing a scandal?". Time Out. Retrieved March 3, 2024.
- ^ Padgett, Donald (December 8, 2020). "Watch Jeremy O. Harris Scam Seth Meyers On His On Show, Yet Again". Out. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
- ^ "Introducing Jeremy O. Harris: The Theater World's Vital New Voice". GQ. November 21, 2018. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
- ^ "Prize Recipients". The Lotos Foundation. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
- ^ "Queerty Pride50 2019 Honorees". Queerty. Retrieved June 15, 2019.
- ^ Gremore, Graham (June 14, 2019). "Playwright Jeremy O. Harris is 'the queer black savior the theater world needs'". www.queerty.com. Retrieved June 15, 2019.
- ^ a b "Jeremy O. Harris – Broadway Cast & Staff | IBDB". www.ibdb.com. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
- ^ "Jeremy O. Harris and Naomi Campbell to Be Honored With 2020 Human Rights Campaign Awards". The Root. January 31, 2020. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
- ^ Welk, Brian (December 14, 2021). "'Zola' Leads 2022 Film Independent Spirit Awards Nominations". TheWrap. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
- ^ Pierre, Mekishana (February 26, 2022). "53rd NAACP Image Awards: The Complete Winners List". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
- ^ "Nominee, Outstanding First Screenplay | Zola". Black Reel Awards. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
- ^ "22". Obie Awards. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
Further reading
- Schama, Chloe (February 15, 2019). "Jeremy O. Harris Is One of the Most Promising Playwrights of His Generation". Vogue. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
- Clement, Olivia (December 2, 2018). "Meet Playwright Jeremy O. Harris, Making His Mark With 2 World Premieres Off-Broadway". Playbill. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
- Román, David (2022). "Jeremy O. Harris", in 50 Key Figures in Queer US Theatre, eds Jimmy A. Noriega and Jordan Schildcrout, Routledge, pp. 90–93. ISBN 978-1-032-06796-4.
External links
X-Twitter https://x.com/jeremyoharris