Reyno

 

REYNO

by Dale Ricardo Shields

 

REYNO CRAYTON

 His early death has left a hole in the New York’s Black Theatre community heart.

“I miss you, Ole Friend.”

Born 8/26/52 (Cleveland, Ohio)
Death 6/27/90 (Cleveland, Ohio)

An alumnus of Karamu House and Cleveland, Ohio native, Reyno Crayton was the founding member and Artistic Director of The Unit Production Company with actors Dale Shields, Robyn Trussel, and Wayne Elbert. Together they produced Ted Shine’s Contributions and Shoe/String featuring Lawrence Fishburne, Arthur French, Barbara Montgomery, Sara Allen, Dale Shields, and Phillip Lindsey at the St. Marks Theatre in New York City. 

“

The First Breeze of Summer

By Clive Barnes
March 3, 1975

“

His New York City theatre credits include Mother Courage and Her Children (Smoked Cheese/Soldier/Kinsmen) Joseph Papp Public Theater/Newman Theater, Spell # 7 (Player #8) Joseph Papp Public Theater/Anspacher Theater, Julius Caesar (Lucius) Joseph Papp Public Theater/Anspacher Theater, The Great MacDaddy (Performer/Ensemble) Lucille Lortel Theatre – The Negro Ensemble Company, The Brownsville Raid (Dorsey Willis) Lucille Lortel Theatre – Hymie Finklestein’s Used Lumber Company – The Negro Ensemble Company, Shoes/Contributions (Smokey) St. Marks Place, Aid to Dependent Children (Ensemble) Brooklyn Academy of Music, Waiting for Mongo (Virgil) St. Mark’s Playhouse, The First Breeze of Summer (Lou Edwards) St. Mark’s Playhouse – the Negro Ensemble Company.

Education

John Hay High School

Cuyahoga Community College

Case Western Reserve University

 

Film and Television

Fort Apache the Bronx (1981),
Watch Your Mouth (1978),
The First Breeze of Summer (1976)
Cooley High (1975).

AWARDS

In 1975, Reyno won the ‘Clarence Derwent Award’ and the 1975 ‘OBIE Award’, performing as Lou Edwards in (The First Breeze of Summer). The cast included Ethel Ayler, Charles Brown, Frances Foster, Moses Gunn, Petronia, and Douglas Turner Ward. The production was transferred to Broadway in June of that year and played forty-eight performances at the Palace Theatre. The play with its original cast was produced for television in 1976 for Great Performances – Theater in America (Thirteen/Wnet).  – Biography  by Dale Ricardo Shields

 

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iforcolor

ARCHIVIST, EDUCATOR, HISTORIAN, and ARTiST
Dale Ricardo Shields is a 2017 winner of The Kennedy Center/Stephen Sondheim Inspirational Teacher Award®, 2017 and 2015 Tony® award nominee for the Excellence in Theatre Education Award, the 2017 AUDELCO/"VIV" Special Achievement Award, 2020, 2021, and 2022 ENCORE AWARD / The Actors Fund and winner of the 2022.

Recently, he won the 2022 Legend Award from his alma mater Ohio University.

He is the 2021 winner of the Paul Robeson Award, presented (jointly) by the Actors Equity Association and the Actors Equity Foundation.

Research Accomplishments:
His extensive professional credits as a Director, Stage manager, and Actor (Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway, and Regional) As an actor he has appeared on Saturday Night Live, Another World, Guiding Light, The Cosby Show, and the ITV television series "Special Needs" and commercials and film.

Professor Shields is a member of the Actors Equity Association, Screen Actors Guild, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, and the American Guild of Musical Artists performance unions and an associate member of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers.

He began his artistic academic career in New York City at Playwrights Horizon, The South Bronx Action Theatre, and Mind Builders, and then was invited to join the teaching staff at the Joseph Papp Public Theatre (New York Shakespeare Festival). He represented the United States for Theatre Young Audiences at the ASSITEJ Theatre Festival in London, England.

He has been a Professor and Visiting Artist at Ohio University, The College of Wooster, Denison University, Macalester College, Randolph- Macon College, Susquehanna University, and SUNY Potsdam.

He holds B.F.A and M.F.A, Degrees from Ohio University.

Website(s)

Iforcolor.org [Research]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dale_Ricardo_Shields [Career]