Tommy Duren
Encyclopedia
Harold Thomas Duren, II (born February 18, 1967) is a popular African American
child entertainer and puppeteer
from Washington, DC who developed a form of puppetry also known as Poppetry. Poppetry, which uses forms of dance, theatrics, and magic to tell stories that feature puppets and live actors often with an ethnic or urban twist. Most notably Duren's plays Illusions and Images were featured plays during the late 1980s and spawned an international tour that introduced his form of performance art to an international audience.
(NAACP) which featured young poets, actors and dancers. His unique and standout performances gained the attention of members of then President Jimmy Carter
's administration. Subsequently, Duren and his fellow performers were invited to the White House in 1978.
Later Duren would be a regular guest on NBC
's Emmy Award
Winning children's television program Stuff, where he would develop further as a television personality. In the years following Duren would win the regional talent contest (The Metro Talent Search), sell out his own show at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and produce an international tour that would eventually take him to Tokyo, Japan. In 1988, Duren announced the end of his short career to deal with personal family business.
of The Eddie Bauer
Corporation which resulted in a multi-million dollar legal suit. In the early 2000s, his significant fundraising efforts led to the opening of The City Museum of Washington, D.C.
He also worked on the campaigns of John Kerry
and Mark Shriver, nephew of President John F. Kennedy
. In 2000, Tommy ran a vigorous but unsuccessful campaign for a seat on the District of Columbia Board of Education.
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
child entertainer and puppeteer
Puppeteer
A puppeteer is a person who manipulates an inanimate object, such as a puppet, in real time to create the illusion of life. The puppeteer may be visible to or hidden from the audience. A puppeteer can operate a puppet indirectly by the use of strings, rods, wires, electronics or directly by his or...
from Washington, DC who developed a form of puppetry also known as Poppetry. Poppetry, which uses forms of dance, theatrics, and magic to tell stories that feature puppets and live actors often with an ethnic or urban twist. Most notably Duren's plays Illusions and Images were featured plays during the late 1980s and spawned an international tour that introduced his form of performance art to an international audience.
Early life
Tommy Duren was born to a socially prominent African American family in Washington, DC (the Douglas family). He is the only child of Jean Douglas Duren, a college professor and Harold Duren Sr., a small business owner. Duren spent many of his early years in various gifted child programs and first gained attention after a performance in his hometown for The National Association for the Advancement of Colored PeopleNational Association for the Advancement of Colored People
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, usually abbreviated as NAACP, is an African-American civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909. Its mission is "to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to...
(NAACP) which featured young poets, actors and dancers. His unique and standout performances gained the attention of members of then President Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
's administration. Subsequently, Duren and his fellow performers were invited to the White House in 1978.
Later Duren would be a regular guest on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
Winning children's television program Stuff, where he would develop further as a television personality. In the years following Duren would win the regional talent contest (The Metro Talent Search), sell out his own show at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and produce an international tour that would eventually take him to Tokyo, Japan. In 1988, Duren announced the end of his short career to deal with personal family business.
Social Issues
In recent years Duren has focused primarily on social issues. He started the movement for the 1996 national boycottBoycott
A boycott is an act of voluntarily abstaining from using, buying, or dealing with a person, organization, or country as an expression of protest, usually for political reasons...
of The Eddie Bauer
Eddie Bauer
Eddie Bauer Holdings Inc. is a holding company that operates the Eddie Bauer clothing store chain, headquartered in Bellevue, Washington, United States. EBH was formed after Eddie Bauer's former parent company, Spiegel, Inc., went bankrupt in 2003...
Corporation which resulted in a multi-million dollar legal suit. In the early 2000s, his significant fundraising efforts led to the opening of The City Museum of Washington, D.C.
City Museum of Washington, D.C.
The Historical Society of Washington, D.C., is an educational foundation and museum dedicated to preserving and displaying the history of Washington, D.C. The society provides lectures, exhibits, classes, community events, and other educational programs as part of its mission...
He also worked on the campaigns of John Kerry
John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...
and Mark Shriver, nephew of President John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
. In 2000, Tommy ran a vigorous but unsuccessful campaign for a seat on the District of Columbia Board of Education.