Roger Furman

Roger Furman was an African American actor, director, playwright, and producer. He is known for founding the New Heritage Repertory Theater, the oldest active theater company in Harlem, New York City, and taught drama at several universities.

Early life

Roger Furman was born on March 22, 1924. His mother was Mary Furman.

Career

Furman's career began in Harlem in the 1940s, when he worked as an actor with the American Negro Theater.
He was the founder and former owner of New Heritage Repertory Theater, the oldest active theater company in Harlem, which was financed by the federal government as part of the Harlem anti-poverty program. The group produced over 35 plays under Furman's leadership.
He was also a founder of the Black Theatre Alliance, which was an organization of theatre groups.
Some of his plays were staged at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.
He worked in various roles on movies, including set designer for The Cool World, actor in Maya Angelou's Georgia, Georgia, casting assistant for Come Back, Charleston Blue, and assistant director in Cotton Comes to Harlem.
In 1972, Furman directed the WPA Theater Company's production of The Threepenny Opera, starring Geraldine Fitzgerald.
He taught courses of black drama at New York University, Rutgers, and Hartford University.

Publications

Furman co-authored The Black Book, "an encyclopedic look at the black experience in America from 1619 through the 1940s", which has been published in several editions.

Death and legacy

Furman died on November 27, 1983, at his home in Upper Manhattan, aged 59.
The Roger Furman Theatre is named for him.