Kirsten Childs

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Kirsten Childs
BornLos Angeles, California, U.S.
OccupationPlaywright, librettist
NationalityAmerican
Notable worksThe Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin;
Bella: An American Tall Tale

Kirsten J. Childs is an American playwright, librettist, and former actress.[1]

Early life and performing career[]

Childs was born in Los Angeles, California.[2] Her parents were schoolteachers.[3] Her younger brother is the jazz musician Billy Childs.[4][5] She began her theatrical career in the late 1970s as a Broadway performer, when Bob Fosse cast her in a production of Chicago. She went on to appear in productions of Dancin', Jerry's Girls, and Sweet Charity in the 1980s. Primarily a stage actress, her one major film role was the 1989 comedy See No Evil, Hear No Evil, in which she played the long-suffering sister of Richard Pryor's character.[3][6]

Later writing career[]

Childs subsequently turned to writing her own theatrical productions, beginning with the semi-autobiographical work The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin (2000),[7][8] an off-Broadway musical which received an Obie Award.[9] Her other musicals include Miracle Brothers (2005),[10] Funked Up Fairy Tales (2007),[11] and Bella: An American Tall Tale (2016), a winner of the Weston Playhouse New Musical Award.[12][13]

Childs has also served as an assistant professor in New York University Tisch School of the Arts' Graduate Musical Theatre Writing program.[14]

References[]

  1. ^ "Artist Interview: Kirsten Childs". Playwrights Horizons. Archived from the original on 18 June 2017. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
  2. ^ Aaron Dobbs; Lily Oei (11 August 2005). "Kirsten Childs, Musical Theater Writer". Gothamist. Archived from the original on 21 October 2016.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b Mandell, Jonathan (18 June 2000). "Theater: Beyond Black, Just Herself". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 29 December 2016.
  4. ^ Nesti, Robert (16 November 2006). "Kirsten Childs on "Bubbly Black Girl"". EDGE Media Network. Archived from the original on 31 August 2017.
  5. ^ Luppi, Kathleen (17 October 2014). "Tapping the 'Treasure' of singer-songwriter Laura Nyro". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 31 August 2017.
  6. ^ Klein, Alvin (15 July 1979). "When 'Chicago' Is in Trouble, It Goes Into a Dance". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 18 June 2017.
  7. ^ Brantley, Ben (21 June 2000). "Theater Review: Wearing Perkiness That's Cut on the Bias". The New York Times.
  8. ^ Billington, Michael (8 February 2017). "The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin review – witty, vivacious musical". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 18 June 2017.
  9. ^ "2001 Obie Awards". Obie Awards. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
  10. ^ Brantley, Ben (19 September 2005). "Dolphins Turn Human and Trouble Ensues". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 29 May 2015.
  11. ^ Rizzo, Frank (10 August 2007). "Funked Up Fairy Tales". Variety. Archived from the original on 28 January 2018.
  12. ^ Murray, Larry (29 January 2016). "Kirsten Childs' "Bella: An American Tall Tale" wins Weston Playhouse New Musical Award". Berkshire on Stage. Archived from the original on 18 August 2016.
  13. ^ Brantley, Ben (12 June 2017). "Review: In 'Bella,' an Indomitable Heroine Goes West". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 17 June 2017.
  14. ^ "Kirsten J. Childs - Adjunct Assistant Professor". NYU Tisch School of the Arts. Retrieved 18 June 2017.

External links[]

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