Edmund Cambridge
Encyclopedia
Edmund Cambridge was an American
actor and director who was a founding member of the Negro Ensemble Company (NEC)
and the Kilpatrick-Cambridge Theater Arts School.
At age 15, Cambridge began his professional career at Swan's Paradise in Harlem as a chorus boy. This assignment ended when his mother discovered that he was sneaking out of bed to do the job.
In 1968 he joined Robert Hooks
, Douglas Turner Ward and several other actors to start the Negro Ensemble Company
. He staged Ceremonies in Dark Old Men, as one of the company's first productions. The Lonne Elder III
play went on to win many awards including a Drama Desk Award
for the author. Other productions Cambridge directed at NEC include steve carter's critically acclaimed drama, Eden
.
A longtime resident of Los Angeles
, Cambridge died on August 18, 2001 in New York, New York as a result of injuries sustained from a fall.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor and director who was a founding member of the Negro Ensemble Company (NEC)
Negro Ensemble Company
The Negro Ensemble Company is a New York City-based theater company. Established in 1967 by playwright Douglas Turner Ward, producer/actor Robert Hooks, and theater manager Gerald S...
and the Kilpatrick-Cambridge Theater Arts School.
Biography
Edmund James Cambridge, Jr. was born on September 18, 1920 in Harlem, New York.At age 15, Cambridge began his professional career at Swan's Paradise in Harlem as a chorus boy. This assignment ended when his mother discovered that he was sneaking out of bed to do the job.
In 1968 he joined Robert Hooks
Robert Hooks
Robert Hooks is an American actor of films, television and stage. With a career as a producer and political activist to his credit, he is most recognizable to the public for his over 100 roles in films and television, as well as his political and civil rights activities...
, Douglas Turner Ward and several other actors to start the Negro Ensemble Company
Negro Ensemble Company
The Negro Ensemble Company is a New York City-based theater company. Established in 1967 by playwright Douglas Turner Ward, producer/actor Robert Hooks, and theater manager Gerald S...
. He staged Ceremonies in Dark Old Men, as one of the company's first productions. The Lonne Elder III
Lonne Elder III
Lonne Elder III was an American actor, playwright and screenwriter. In 1973, he along with Suzanne de Passe became the first African Americans to be nominated for the Academy Award for writing...
play went on to win many awards including a Drama Desk Award
Drama Desk Award
The Drama Desk Awards, which are given annually in a number of categories, are the only major New York theater honors for which productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway compete against each other in the same category...
for the author. Other productions Cambridge directed at NEC include steve carter's critically acclaimed drama, Eden
Eden (play)
Eden is a 1976 play by American playwright Steve Carter. Set in the 1920s, it is the first of Carter's Caribbean trilogy. Eden explores intra-racial conflicts between recent immigrants from the Caribbean and the African-American population...
.
A longtime resident of Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, Cambridge died on August 18, 2001 in New York, New York as a result of injuries sustained from a fall.
Acting
| Year | Production | Role | Theatre(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | One Crack Out | Earl | Marymount Manhattan Theatre | |
| 1951 | The Taming of the Shrew The Taming of the Shrew The Taming of the Shrew is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1591.The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the Induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunken tinker named Sly into believing he is actually a nobleman himself... |
Servant/ Officer |
City Center | |
| 1947 | Our Lan' | Chester | Royale Theatre Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre The Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre located at 242 West 45th Street in midtown-Manhattan.Designed by architect Herbert J. Krapp, it opened as the Royale Theatre on January 11, 1927 with a musical entitled Piggy... |
Directing
| Year | Production | Theatre(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Nevis Mountain Dew Nevis Mountain Dew Nevis Mountain Dew is a 1978 play by American playwright steve carter . Set in the 1950s, it is the second of Carter's Caribbean trilogy. Nevis Mountain Dew explores the subject of euthanasia involving the patriarch of an affluent family who is confined to an iron lung.-Characters:Jared Philibert:... |
Los Angeles Actors Theatre | |
| 1980 | Eden Eden (play) Eden is a 1976 play by American playwright Steve Carter. Set in the 1920s, it is the first of Carter's Caribbean trilogy. Eden explores intra-racial conflicts between recent immigrants from the Caribbean and the African-American population... |
Los Angeles Actors Theatre | Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award The Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards is an annual awards program presented by the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle . Established in 1969, the awards recognize excellence in theatre in the Greater Los Angeles Area.... |
| 1976 | Eden Eden (play) Eden is a 1976 play by American playwright Steve Carter. Set in the 1920s, it is the first of Carter's Caribbean trilogy. Eden explores intra-racial conflicts between recent immigrants from the Caribbean and the African-American population... |
St. Mark's Playhouse | |
| 1971 | Behold! Cometh the Vanderkellans | Theatre de Lys Lucille Lortel Theatre The Lucille Lortel Theatre is an off-Broadway playhouse located at 121 Christopher Street in New York City's Greenwich Village.The venue was built in 1926 as a 590-seat movie theater called the New Hudson, later known as Hudson Playhouse... |
|
| 1969 | Ceremonies in Dark Old Men | St. Mark's Playhouse |
Awards
- 1980 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle AwardLos Angeles Drama Critics Circle AwardThe Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards is an annual awards program presented by the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle . Established in 1969, the awards recognize excellence in theatre in the Greater Los Angeles Area....
- Direction, EdenEden (play)Eden is a 1976 play by American playwright Steve Carter. Set in the 1920s, it is the first of Carter's Caribbean trilogy. Eden explores intra-racial conflicts between recent immigrants from the Caribbean and the African-American population...