L. Peter Callender

L. Peter Callender is an American director and actor. Since 2009, he has been the Artistic Director of the African-American Shakespeare Company. He was trained at The Juilliard School.

Education and influences

Callender was born in Trinidad, West Indies. He grew up in England and New York.

Callender was trained at The Juilliard School, Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in England, and Tadashi Suzuki Company of Toga in Japan.^[1]

Career

Callender has directed and acted on numerous major stages in the United States. In 2018, he was among American Theatre’s “Theatre Workers You Should Know”.^[2]

Acting

Callender performed on Broadway and off-Broadway. He played Curio in Twelfth Night at Shakespeare in the Park (New York City), directed by Harold Guskin.^[3] He was in The Caucasian Chalk Circle at The Public Theater, directed by George C. Wolfe.^[4] He played Roscoe in the original cast of Black Eagles by Leslie Lee (1991) at the Manhattan Theatre Club.^[5] He was in 'Prelude to a Kiss at Helen Hayes Theater.^[6]

He was Associate Artist at California Shakespeare Theater for over twenty years. During that time acted in numerous Shakespearean plays, and he received awards for his roles as Polixenes, Orsino, Laertes, and Caesar.^[7] He was in numerous shows directed by Jonathan Moscone^[8][9][10] and Lisa Peterson.^[11][12][13]

At American Conservatory Theater, he was in several shows. He played Cleante in Tartuffe, directed by Charles Randolph-Wright. At Berkeley Repertory Theater, he was in several shows, including both The Oresteia^[14] and Major Barbara. He worked with Tony Taccone and George C. Wolfe. At Marin Theatre Company, he was in numerous shows including playing Walter in Swimmers^[15] and James in Circle Mirror Transformation.

Callender has numerous regional acting credits, including work at San Jose Stage Company, Aurora Theater, Arena Stage, Thick Description, and Portland Stage. He received Helen Hayes Award nominations for his roles in Oak and Ivy^[16] and Playboy of the West Indies at Arena Stage.^[17] In 1998, at Williamstown Theatre Festival he played Agamemnon in Hecuba with Olympia Dukakis in the title role, directed by Carey Perloff.^[18] In 1986, he played Caliban in The Tempest at Classic Stage Company, directed by Julie Taymor,^[19] and in 2022, played Prospero at Elm Shakespeare Company in New Haven.^[20]

In 2023, he was lauded for playing all three roles in the play, including Louis Armstrong, in Satchmo at the Waldorf, directed by Terry Teachout at San Jose Stage Company.^[21]

Directing

He directed Word for Word’s French tour of The Guilded Six Bits, a stage version of the Zora Neale Hurston short story. He has directed shows at San Jose Stage Company and Aurora Theater Company in Berkeley.

At American Stage Company in St. Petersburg, Florida, he has directed mostly contemporary work, including August Wilson’s Jitney (2016), Joe Turner’s Come and Gone (2017), Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun (2018), and Dominique Morisseau’s Pipeline (2019),^[22] and Skeleton Crew (2020). In 2021, he directed Romeo & Juliet in America.

African-American Shakespeare Company

At AASC, Callender has directed numerous shows. In 2013, he directed AASC's annual production of Cinderella.^[23]

He has directed modern and contemporary plays such as A Raisin in the Sun (2012), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (2013),^[24] Jitney (2017), A Streetcar Named Desire (2018), and Black Eagles (2019).^[25]

Callender has directed a number of Shakespeare plays, including Twelfth Night (2011), Much Ado About Nothing (2014), The Winter’s Tale (2017),^[26] Macbeth (2019) in the modern-verse translation by Migdalia Cruz.^[27] and Richard II (2022).^[28]

At AASC, he has acted as well. He played the lead in Othello in a modern dress production (2019),^[29] Richard III, Antony in Antony and Cleopatra, and Becker in Jitney. In 2023, he was slated to play Willy Loman in the all-Black production of Death of a Salesman (directed by Ted Lange), but the production was canceled on the day of its first performance when actor Richard D. May (who was playing Uncle Ben) was killed.^[30]

Playwriting

In 2020, he debuted his first play, Strange Courtesies, at a reading in the New Play Festival at American Stage in Florida.^[31] It had its first bull production in 2023 at San Jose Stage, directed by Greg Homann.^[32]

Teaching

Callender is also a Visiting Instructor at Stanford University teaching Acting Shakespeare and Fundamentals of Directing.^[33] He has also taught a Master Class at Emory University. At San Francisco School of the Arts, he directed Dinner at Eight and Glengarry Glen Ross.

Awards

• Theatre Tampa Bay Award, Outstanding Director, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone (2017)^[34]
• Theatre Tampa Bay Award, Outstanding Director, Jitney (2016)^[35]
• Theatre Tampa Bay Award, Outstanding Director, Skeleton Crew (2020)^[36]
• Dean Goodman Award, Outstanding Lead Actor, The Winter's Tale, Twelfth Night, Julius Caesar^[37]
• San Francisco Bay Guardian GOLDIE Award, Best Actor, Joe Louis Blues (2000)^[38]
• Bay Area Critics Circle Award, Best Actor, Driving Miss Daisy (2011),^[39] World Music
• Theatre Bay Area (TBA) Award, Outstanding Principal Actor, Master Harold and the Boys(2016)^[40]
• Theatre Bay Area (TBA) Award, Outstanding Featured Actor, Swimmers (2016)^[41]
• Helen Hayes Award (nomination), Outstanding Actor, Oak and Ivy,^[42] Playboy of the West Indies^[43]

References

1. "About". L Peter Callender. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
2. "6 Theatre Workers You Should Know". American Theatre. February 2018. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
3. Rich, Frank (1989-07-10). "REview/Theater; Night of Stars, and Also Shakespeare". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-02-28.
4. Rich, Frank (1990-12-03). "Review/Theater; A Brecht Parable, Transplanted to the Tropics". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-02-28.
5. "Black Eagles". Internet Off-Broadway Database. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
6. Rich, Frank (1990-03-15). "Review/Theater; 'Prelude to a Kiss,' a Fairy Tale Of Souls in Love and in Flight". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-02-28.
7. "L. Peter Callender". African-American Shakespeare Company. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
8. Kruger, Charles (9 August 2014). "Review: Pygmalion at California Shakespeare Theater". Theatre Storm. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
9. Veltman, Chloe. "A Trump-Tinged 'Julius Caesar': What Now?". KQED. Retrieved 12 June 2017.
10. Hurwitt, Robert. "What mortals these fools be". Sfgate. Retrieved 26 May 2002.
11. Hurwitt, Robert. "Bohemia a nonstop rave in 'Winter's Tale' / Cal Shakespeare version is moving". Sfgate. Retrieved 16 September 2002.
12. Jones, Chad (21 September 2004). "Odd 'All's Well' ends Cal Shakes season well". East Bay Times. Retrieved 21 September 2004.
13. Hurwitt, Sam. "Jeffrey DeMunn finally ready to play Lear". Sfgate. Retrieved 13 September 2007.
14. Hurwitt, Robert. "Ambitious, Stark 'Agamemnon' / First part of ancient trilogy opens new Berkeley Rep theater". Sfgate. Retrieved 15 March 2001.
15. "Swimmers". Marin Theatre Company. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
16. Horwitz, Jane. "The Audience is All Ears". The Washington Post. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
17. Brown, Joe (May 22, 1989). "Arena Top Hayes Nominee;Local Theater Awards Contenders Announced". The Washington Post. pp. D01.
18. "Hecuba". Williamstown Theatre Festival. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
19. Bruckner, DJR (27 March 1986). "Stage: 'The Tempest' At New Audience". The New York Times. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
20. Goldberg, Bonnie (24 August 2022). "Theater Review: Elm Shakespeare Co.'s 'Tempest' Weaves Web of Enchantment in New Haven". The Middletown Press. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
21. Chávez, David John (8 February 2023). "L. Peter Callender Delivers Tour de Force in 'Satchmo'". The Mercury News. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
22. Rife, Susan L. "WBTT's 'Pipeline' Hits Timely Message on Equality". Herald-Tribune. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
23. Sabir, Wanda (18 December 2013). "African American Shakespeare Company's 'Cinderella' through Dec. 22 at AAACC in San Francisco". SF Bay View. Retrieved 18 December 2013.
24. Trevenon, Stacy (27 January 2013). "A Sobering and Substantial Cat". Stage and Cinema. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
25. Elinson, Elaine. "Review: Tuskegee Airmen Take Flight Again in 'Black Eagles'". 48 Hills. Retrieved 20 March 2019.
26. "A Shakespeare Tale for Winter, Told in Summer". Folger Shakespeare Library. 6 June 2017. Retrieved 6 June 2017.
27. Sokol, Robert (17 July 2019). "African-American Shakespeare Co. Sharpens Macbeth's Dagger". San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
28. Hurwitt, Sam (13 April 2022). "African-American Shakes Hits Stage with Revamped 'Richard II'". The Mercury News. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
29. Schiffman, Jean (14 October 2019). "Lead Actors Light Up African-American Shakes' 'Othello'". San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
30. Janiak, Lily. "Bay Area Theater Company Cancels 'Death of a Salesman' After Key Actor Was Killed in S.F." San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
31. DeYoung, Bill (18 February 2020). "American Stage's New Play Festival: A Portal into the Creative Process". Catalyst. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
32. Rosky, Nicole (16 February 2022). "San Jose Stage Company Reschedules Strange Courtesies for Spring 2023". The Stage. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
33. "L. Peter Callender". Alter Theater. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
34. "Theatre Tampa Bay". Facebook. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
35. Warner, David. "Theatre Tampa Bay Gala honors local pros and a bunch of talented kids". Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
36. DeYoung, Bill (12 October 2020). "Theatre Tampa Bay honors 2019-2020 season". St. Pete Catalyst. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
37. "Resume". L Peter Callender. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
38. "Proof" (PDF). Encore Spotlight. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
39. "L. Peter Callender". About the Arts. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
40. "TBA Awards Celebrate 2016 Bay Area Theatre". American Theatre. 7 December 2016. Retrieved 7 December 2016.
41. "TBA Awards Celebrate 2016 Bay Area Theatre". American Theatre. 7 December 2016. Retrieved 7 December 2016.
42. "Indian Ink, Cabaret Lead 2000 Helen Hayes Award Winners". Playbill. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
43. Brown, Joe. "Arena Top Hayes Nominee". The Washington Post. Retrieved 29 February 2024.