Honoring Those Who Nurtured Howard Players Contribution to Black Theatre
Drama/Theatre formally becomes a department in Septembere 1950 under Anne Cooke.
Prior to September 1950 Drama is housed in the Department of English and produced under the moniker of The Howard Players.
Faculty Members 1950 - 2019
Ofosuwa Abiola (H)
Paul Allen
Earl Anthon
Kim James Bey (A)
Colin Bills
Iyona Blake
Taquiena V. Boston
Sandra Bowie
Douglas Bowles
Nicole Brewer (A)
William Brown (A)
Nefertiti Burton
Tim Burrow
James Butcher (H)
Raymond Caldwell
Clinton Carbon (A)
St. Clair Christmas (H)
Susan Cohen
Kelsey Collie
Anne Cook Reid
Theodore G. Cooper (A)
Charles Coward (H)
Stanley Coy
Daniel Crane
Bert Cross
Sally C. Crowell
William Davis
Judy Dearing
Glenda Joy Dickerson (A)
Joseph C. D'Mello
Owen Dodson
Dominique Douglas
Desire Dubose (A)
Danielle Drakes
Henriette G. Edmonds
George Epting
Pauline Fisher
Al Freeman Jr.
Thomas Freeman
Anthony Gomes
Clayton Goss
Sandra Fortune-Green
e'Marcus Harper (H)
Robin Harris (A)
Paul Carter Harrison
Denise J. Hart (A)
Richard R. Hawkshawe
Judith L. Howell
Celestine Ranney-Howes
Jocelyn Isaac
Tamera Izlar
Adrian V. James (A)
Timmy Ray James
Kevin Jeff
Anne H. Jenkins
Brittany Johnson
Jerome Johnson
Louis Johnson
Sherrill Berryman Johnson
Martin "Mark" Jolin
William E. Jones
Vera J. Katz
Assane Konte
Akua Kouyate
Karamu Kush
Marty Lamar
Georgia Langhorne
Nicole Leonard (A)
Toni Lombre
John Lovell
Alvan "Mike" Malone
Joyce Mattison
Marvin McAllister
Kevin McCallister
Calvin McClinton
Ray Mercer
Victor R. McMahan
Princess Mhoon (A)
Dawn Naser
Walter Nicks
Geoffrey W. Newman (A)
Patricia L. Page
John O. Perpener
Harold Pierson
Andrea Porter
Tiffany Quinn (A)
Kendra Rai
Ricky Ramon
Phylicia Rashad (A)
Reggie Ray (H)
Nicholas C. Read
LaVerne H. Reed
Napoleon J. Reed
Sybil Roberts
Timothy Roseborough
Eric Ruffin (A)
James L. Rynning Jr.
Nubia Saalam (H)
E. Dawn Samuel
Denise D. Saunders (A)
Joe W. Selmon
Renee Simmons
Carole Singleton
Darius Smith (H)
Katherine Smith
Deidra Starnes
Ina Thomas
Pat Thomas
Eleanor Traylor
Quay Truitt
Ronald E. Truitt
Michelle A. Murray
Joseph A. Walker (H)
Craig Wallace (A)
Charmaine Warren
Lynda Gravatt Washington (A)
Jonathan Watkins
Alberta Wheeler
Roz White (A)
Cheryl Whitney
Eva Wilhelm
Lela Sewell-Williams
Royce Zackery
Peter Zakutansky
Otis Ramsey-Zoe
Key: A = alumni of the Howard University Department of Drama/Theatre Arts. H = Howard University alumni.
Department Chair/Head 1950 - 2019
Anne Cooke Reid – 1950-1958
Owen Dodson - 1958-1967
James W. Butcher – 1967-1969
William Brown – 1969-1970 (Acting Chair)
Sam Wright - 1970-1971 (Dept. Coordinator)
James W. Butcher – 1971-1972
Theodore G. Cooper – 1972-1978
Henriette G. Edmonds – 1978-1982
Geoffrey W. Newman – 1982-1985
Carole W. Singleton – 1985-1992
Al Freeman Jr. – 1992-1998
Henriette G. Edmonds – 1998-2003
Joe W. Selmon – 2003-2011
Kim James Bey – 2011-fall 2017
Nefertiti Burton – spring 2018-2020
8 Different Drama/Theatre Identities on Howard's Campus (1909 – 2019)
College Dramatic Club (1909-1919)
College Comedy Club (1911-1915)
Ira Aldridge Dramatic Club (1916-1920)
Howard Players/Howard University Players (1920-current)
The Department of Dramatic Art & Speech (In the Department of English)
Division of Dramatics (In the Department of English)
Department of Drama (Began in the Department of English. The Department of Drama established by the Board of Trustees in May 1950)
Department of Theatre Arts (recommended by faculty and approved by Board of Trustees. Active starting fall 1992)
Department of Theatre and Dance (recommended by faculty in 2018)
Howard Players Faculty Leadership 1909-1950
Drama/Theatre formally becomes a department in 1950 under Anne Cooke.
Prior to September 1950 Drama is housed in the Department of English
and produced under the moniker of The Howard Players
Ernest Everett Just - 1909 (College Dramatic Club)
Thomas Montgomery 1920-1925 (Howard Players begins)
Alain Locke 1919-1925
Marie Moore-Forrest - 1919-1925
Sterling Brown & Leona B. Dudley - 1925-30
George D. Lipscomb - 1931-1932
John Lovell Jr. - 1932-1933
Sterling Brown - 1933-1937
James W. Butcher Jr. - 1938-1942
Ella Haith Weaver - 1942-1944
Elizabeth Walker Reeves - 1944-1945
Elizabeth Walker Reeves, James W. Butcher Jr, Anne M. Cooke - 1944-1945
Anne M. Cooke - 1946-1950