Margaret Ford-Taylor is a two-time Emmy nominated playwright, director, author, actress, teacher and arts administrator .[1] Awards, commendations and honors include the Kennedy Center scriptwriting competition for "Don't Rock the Boat", and two Emmy nominations.[2] The first was for her performance in the public television production, "American Women: Echoes and Dreams", and her second Emmy nomination was as writer of the ABC television documentary, "The Second Reconstruction". Ms. Ford Taylor has been an instructor on the history of theater and acting at Cleveland State University, the University of Akron and Kent State University. She holds an MA from Kent State University.

In addition to industrials, radio voiceovers and television commercials, Ms. Ford Taylor portrayed Aunt Eda in the Denzel Washington directed movie, Antwone Fisher, and played Mother Taylor in the Cleveland Play House production, Forest City.[3][4] Commissions as a playwright include Ned’s Garden,[5] which was on the roster at Cleveland State University, the Paul Robeson Theatre in Buffalo, New York and the West Angeles Performing Arts Center in Los Angeles; Oh, Mary, Don’t You Weep, simultaneously performed at the West Angeles Performing Arts Center in Los Angeles and Cleveland State’s Factory Theatre; Just Beyond the Junkyard, which toured nationally by the Tales and Scales classical music company of Evansville, Indiana with venues including the Tribeca Performing Arts Center in New York City, the Philharmonic Center for the Arts in Naples, Florida and the Aspen Music School Festival in Aspen, Colorado.

Early directing credits for Ms. Ford-Taylor include "Five On the Black Hand Side", "What The Butler Saw", and "Livin Fat", with James Pickens, Jr., for which she received the OCTA Award of Excellence. Ford-Taylor's first two one-act plays, "Hotel Happiness" and "I Want to Fly", earned her a fellowship to study arts administration at Harvard University.

Her most recent writing/directing assignments include "A Raisin In the Sun" for the Beck Center, "A Song For Coretta" for the Ensemble Theatre, the musicals "Listen To The Children" for the Foluke Theatre, "Double Nickel Blues", which premiered at Cleveland State University’s Factory Theatre and a debut novel, "On Liberty Street".[improper synthesis?][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23]

References

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  1. ^ J.B. (May 9, 1979). "Sampling black creativity -- from slave era to present". The Christian Science Monitor.
  2. ^ J. Lynn Teeple (March 4, 2007). "Tell a tale, play a scale". poconorecord.com. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
  3. ^ "'Forest City' Fails to Hit Lofty Goals, Heavy Drama Crumbles Under Contrived Dialogue, Lack of Clear Purpose". Akron Beacon Journal. November 2, 2003. p. A2. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
  4. ^ "Actress Takes on Challenges of Aging, 'Dick van Dyke Show' Regular Says Recent Role Works Like Monologue". Akron Beacon Journal. March 1, 2002. p. B7. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
  5. ^ Richard Huntington (May 22, 2004). "Slow Growth in 'Ned's Garden'". nl.newsbank.com. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
  6. ^ "Beck Center's take on a theater classic is a dream realized". Plain Dealer. February 8, 2005. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
  7. ^ "Drama a soaring tribute to icon and poignant social statement". Plain Dealer. January 18, 2012. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
  8. ^ "Play will tell how children aided civil rights". Plain Dealer. February 21, 2013. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
  9. ^ Smith, Raymond (17 November 1988). "Renaissance underway as good things happen against Karamu". Call and Post. Cleveland. p. 15A. ProQuest 184734796.
  10. ^ "Karamu's Hispanic outreach kicks off". Call and Post. Cleveland. 2 November 1989. p. 3B. ProQuest 184622520.
  11. ^ "Karamu Hosts Two Plays: By Local Playwright". Call and Post. Cleveland. 8 July 1972. p. 11A. ProQuest 184451263.
  12. ^ "'Rainbow's End At Karamu This Week". Call and Post. Cleveland. 30 August 1980. p. 6B. ProQuest 184620360.
  13. ^ Paige, Nathan (26 October 1989). "A Long Time Since Yesterday". Call and Post. Cleveland. p. 8B. ProQuest 184563932.
  14. ^ "'C.P. Times' Opens At Tri-C". Call and Post. Cleveland. 5 November 1977. p. 3A. ProQuest 184608777.
  15. ^ "'Don't Rock The Boat' Opens Karamu Season". Call and Post. Cleveland. 20 October 1979. p. 10B. ProQuest 184579584.
  16. ^ "'Sing A Song Of Watergate'". Call and Post. Cleveland. 25 January 1975. p. 8B. ProQuest 184622728.
  17. ^ "'Livin' Fat' At Karamu". Call and Post. Cleveland. 9 July 1977. p. 3A. ProQuest 184485319.
  18. ^ "SUMMER THEATRE: Karamu Presents 'Don't You Want To Be Free'". Call and Post. Cleveland. 28 August 1976. p. 11B. ProQuest 184581655.
  19. ^ "Document: OPENING ACTS AFTER KARAMU FORD-TAYLOR TAKES TO STAGE IN 'OUR SAY' - America's News – Historical and Current". docs.newsbank.com. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
  20. ^ "'Emperor's New Clothes' Opens AT Karamu Theatre". Call and Post. Cleveland. 8 March 1980. p. 12A. ProQuest 184537337.
  21. ^ "Photo Standalone 13 -- No Title". Call and Post. Cleveland. 25 February 1978. p. 16A. ProQuest 184479255.
  22. ^ "Other 7 -- No Title". Call and Post. Cleveland. 27 October 1979. p. 7B. ProQuest 184496849.
  23. ^ "Karamu Theatre Celebrates 'Memories O Memories' With Champagne Reception". Call and Post. Cleveland. 2 May 1981. p. 7B. ProQuest 184638176.