Layon Gray

Layon Gray (born January 26, 1969, in Alexandria, Louisiana) is an American playwright and director known for work about African-American subjects. His best known work is the Off-Broadway play Black Angels Over Tuskegee, about the Tuskegee airmen.

Writer Director Layon Gray

Career

A native of Louisiana, Gray writes, directs and develops stage plays and films. He focusses on creating conversational dialogue in his works, including traditional African-American theater. His play Kings Of Harlem, about the New York Renaissance, also known as the Renaissance Big Five and as the Rens (an all-black professional basketball team established in 1923), was performed for the NBA Legends during All-Star week. His latest work Black Sparta about the Dahomey Amazons, an all-female military regiment of the Kingdom of Dahomey in the present-day Republic of Benin which lasted until the end of the 19th century, was selected to perform at the 2017 National Black Theatre Festival and is in development as a motion picture. His play Cowboy about marshal Bass Reeves premiered in 2019 at the National Black Theatre Festival

Gray has also directed plays such as: A Raisin In The Sun, A Soldiers Play, The Crucible, Before It Hits Home, For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When The Rainbow is Enuf, and Miss Evers' Boys.

Works
Play Year Premiered Length Notes
Meet Me At The Oak 2003 120 Minutes Meet Me At The Oak premiered at Whitmore Lindley Theatre Center, in North Hollywood, CA in 2003 under the direction of Layon Gray. It would win Best Director, Best Play, Best Writer, Best Supporting Actor, Best Ensemble.
Diary Of A Catholic School Dropout 2005 80 Minutes Diary Of A Catholic School Dropout premiered at the Avery Schreiber Theatre in North Hollywood. It was directed by Layon Gray.It would go on to win Best Play that year. It ran in Los Angeles for 5 Years.[1]
WEBEIME 2006 90 Minutes WEBEIME premiered at the Whitmore Lindley Theatre Center In North Hollywood in 2006. Midtown International Theatre Festival in 2007 National Black Theatre Festival in 2008. Negro Ensemble Company in 2009. Planet Connections Theatre Festivity in 2012. All performances under the direction of Layon Gray. The play would go on to win Best Director, Best Play, Best Ensemble, Best Production, Best Choreography.
Black Angels Over Tuskegee 2009 - open run 120 Minutes Black Angels Over Tuskegee the story of the Tuskegee Airmen premiered at the Whitmore Lindley Theatre Center in North Hollywood 2009. National Black Theatre Festival in 2009. Off-Broadway at St. Luke's Theatre in 2010. Off-Broadway at The Actors' Temple in 2012. It has been performed at Smithsonian Institution, NAACP, National Urban League, The National WWII Museum, United States Military Academy, United States Army, National Civil Rights Museum, Tuskegee University, and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. The play would win an NAACP Award for Best Play. It is in pre-production for a Broadway transfer. '[2]
The Girls Of Summer 2009 120 Minutes The Girls Of Summer premiered Off-Broadway at The Actors' Temple in 2010, under the direction of Layon Gray. It would go on to win an NAACP Award for Best Play.[3]
Searching For Willie Lynch 2012 120 Minutes Searching For Willie Lynch premiered at the National Black Theatre Festivalin 2013. In 2015, it had a staged reading at the Signature Theatre Company in New York City produced by the Negro Ensemble Company . Under the direction of Layon Gray.
Kings Of Harlem 2015 90 Minutes Kings Of Harlem premiered at the National Black Theatre Festival in 2015 The Actors' Temple In New York in 2016. In 2018 at the M Ensemble in Miami. The play would go on to win Best Play, Best Director, Best Ensemble, Best Supporting Actor. Under the direction of Layon Gray. The play is in development as a feature film.[4]
CowBoy 2019 85 Minutes National Black Theatre Festival debuted Cowboy the story of Bass Reeves in August 2019 under the direction of Layon Gray

Awards and honors
  • 2018 Miami Corbonell Award (Best Director, Best Play, Best Ensemble, Best Supporting Actor
  • 2016 Broadway League Fellowship
  • 2012 NYC Inspire Award
  • 2012 Al Sharpton Man of Vision Award
  • 2012 PCTF Award (Best Director)
  • 2010 NY AUDELCO Award (Achievement Award for Excellence)
  • 2009 NAACP Award (Best Ensemble Award)
  • 2009 Hollywood ADA Award (Best Ensemble Award)
  • 2008 Match-Life Artist of the Year
  • 2007 NAACP Award (Best Producer, Best Play)
  • 2007 MITF Award (Best Play, Best Writer, Best Director, Best Producer)
  • 2006 NAACP Award (Best Play)
  • 2005 Hollywood ADA Award (Best Play)
  • 2004 Hollywood ADA Award (Best Play, Best Writer, Best Director)
  • 2003 Los Angeles MADDY Award (Best Play, Best Writer, Best Director, Best Ensemble)

References
  1. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on October 27, 2017. Retrieved May 16, 2019.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. "Black Angels Over Tuskegee". Black Angels Over Tuskegee. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  3. "Layon Gray's THE GIRLS OF SUMMER". summer. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  4. "kingsofharlem". kingsofharlem. Retrieved May 3, 2019.

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