Dumas receives ‘Living Legend Award’

Charles Dumas, professor emeritus in the School of Theatre at Penn State, received the 2022 National Black Theatre Festival Living Legend Award. Presented on Monday in Winston-Salem, North Carolina at the festival’s Opening Night Gala Awards Banquet, the award recognizes Dumas for his “significant contributions to American theatre and to the entertainment industry.” Dumas, who came to Penn State in 1995, has acted in, directed or written more than 300 plays, films and commercials. He received an Emmy Award for his ensemble work in "Separate but Equal" with Sidney Poitier. He received a fellowship for playwriting from the Pennsylvania Council of the Arts. He was honored as best actor by the Hollywood/Beverly Hills NAACP for his work in "B.C. Historia." As a writer, Dumas produces a weekly column, “Under the Baobab,” which appears in the Centre Daily Times. He has published three books: "Nontraditional Casting," "Under the Baobab" and "I, too, am an African." He and his wife of 50 years, Jo Dumas, worked on a memoir about their life together in the movement. The festival, which runs until Aug. 6 in Winston- Salem, is organized and hosted by the North Carolina Black Repertory Company. NCBRC is the first professional Black theatre company in North Carolina and is “committed to exposing diverse audiences to Black classics, the development and production of new works, improving artistic quality and sustaining Black theatre internationally.” Founded by Larry Leon Hamlin, the festival aims to “illuminate the powerful theatrical spirit and extraordinary talent of performers, designers, directors, producers and technicians from across the country and abroad.” For more information about the festival and the NCBRC, visit the organization’s website.