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Jeff Stetson See play(s) Mr. Stetson’s first play, THE MEETING, was the recipient of the Louis B. Mayer Award, eight 1987 N.A.A.C.P. Theater Image Awards, including Best Play and Best Writer, and six New York AUDELCO nominations. The play has had independent productions in more than two hundred theatres throughout the country. Internationally, it has been produced in Johannesburg, South Africa; Nigeria; Kenya; Canada; London; and had a four-month tour throughout the Dutch Netherlands. Mr. Stetson adapted the play to critical acclaim for an American Playhouse production televised nationally on PBS in May of 1989. Mr. Stetson’s play FRATERNITY was a winner of the 1988 Multi-Cultural Playwrights Festival sponsored by Seattle’s Group Theater Company. It had its world premiere at Olympia Dukakis’ Whole Theater in Montclair, New Jersey, in March 1989 and has had independent productions in Oakland, Atlanta, Chicago, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Seattle, Louisville, Phoenix, and Indianapolis. AND THE MEN SHALL ALSO GATHER was one of twelve stage plays selected from among over 1,500 submissions as part of the prestigious National Playwrights Conference Eugene O’Neill Theater Center. The play was developed at its July 1988 Conference and received its world premiere at the Bushfire Theater in Philadelphia in October 1989. It was produced in Atlanta and was one of four of Mr. Stetson’s plays produced in Chicago during the 1990 season. Mr. Stetson adapted it as a one-hour pilot for Lorimar TV and FOX Television entitled "One & Together." TO FIND A MAN, starring Hal Williams and Roxie Roker, received critical acclaim during its extended production at the Estelle Harmon Theater in Los Angeles in June 1988. It was nominated for four N.A.A.C.P. Theater Image Awards including best play and best writer. Mr. Stetson’s third world premiere in 1989, FATHERS…AND OTHER STRANGERS, was the recipient of the Third Annual Theodore Ward Playwrights’ Award sponsored by Columbia College of Chicago. It has received numerous productions throughout the country. Mr. Stetson was the former Dean of Faculty and Staff Affairs, and Director of Public Affairs and University Relations, for the twenty-campus California State University system. He received his undergraduate degree in Psychology from Framingham State College, where he was also awarded an honorary degree, Doctor of Letters, in June of 1993. He received his master’s degree at Boston University in Public Policy Analysis and Social Change Theory. Mr. Stetson also conducted his doctoral course work at Boston University as a Whitney Young Jr. Fellow. His academic discipline is Systems Analysis and Educational/Organizational Development with a cognate specialization in Humanistic and Behavioral Studies. He has written Tributes to Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, and Ethel Waters, produced by Marla Gibbs for the CHOICE foundation at the Coconut Grove; a Tribute to Don Cornelius, featuring Patti LaBelle and Natalie Cole, produced by the Brotherhood Crusade at the Shrine Auditorium; and a Tribute to Nat King Cole produced at the Hollywood Palladium. His poetry was featured in a production of ROMANCE: AN EVENING OF POETRY AND JAZZ at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles. His first screenplay assignment, "Civil Wars," was written for two-time Academy Award-winner Sally Field for Columbia pictures in association with Larry Gordon and Fogwood Films. He has written a one-hour pilot, "That's What Friends Are For" for New World Productions in association with Zev Braun Productions for CBS and also wrote and co-executive produced the half-hour pilot "Sunday in Paris," which starred Debbie Allen and Diahann Carroll, broadcast on NBC in association with Columbia Television. Mr. Stetson has written several screenplays including "Out of Ashes," a feature film for Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Productions in association with Touchstone Pictures; "Divided Soul: The Marvin Gaye Story" for Gordy/DePasse; "Keep the Faith: The Story of Adam Clayton Powell, Jr.," for Warner Brothers, Chuck Roven producer; and "The Buffalo Soldiers" for United Image Productions. Mr. Stetson also wrote "Witness to an Assassination: The Gene Roberts Story" for HBO feature films, which focused on the former New York detective’s undercover assignment as the bodyguard to Malcolm X. Mr. Stetson did the production rewrite of "Passenger 57," starring Wesley Snipes and directed by Kevin Hooks, for Warner Bros. He adapted Alice Childress’ stage play WEDDING BAND for an NBC movie of the week, Debbie Allen producer. He wrote and co-executive produced two television pilots for CBS during the 1994 season: "Justice Prevails," with Diahann Carroll and Richard Roundtree, and "The Education of Miles D. Walker." Mr. Stetson wrote "For the Love of Christopher" for Lifetime Television; THE LEGEND, a musical adaptation of Ibsen’s PEER GYNT with Debbie Allen and James Ingram; THE APOLOGY, a stage play about black fathers commissioned by Bill Cosby; and received a Pew/TCG National Theater Grant to write KEEP THE FAITH, a musical based on the life of Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., which received its world premiere in January 1998 in Atlanta. It was directed and choreographed by Tony Award-winner George Faison. Mr. Stetson wrote a one-hour drama at NBC for Bill Cosby productions. And he developed a one-hour drama for Douglas Cramer in association with Whitney Houston’s production company. His spec screenplay "Freedom Summer" was optioned in 1998 by King World Productions. He wrote the one-hour drama "First Time," broadcast nationally in October of 1997 on Nickelodeon’s Sports Theater, hosted by Shaquille O’Neill. It was a finalist for the prestigious 1998 Humanitas Prize and was nominated for a Writers Guild Award. It received a Directors Guild Award for director Brian Robbins. Mr. Stetson also wrote and produced a half-hour special, "One Day," produced by the Children’s Television Network in association with the Disney Channel and directed by Debbie Allen featuring Kirk Franklin and God’s Property and James Ingram. It was broadcast February 1998 on the Disney Channel. Both "One Day" and "First Time" continue to be rebroadcast nationally on the Disney Channel and Nickelodeon. Mr. Stetson has served as a writing advisor and mentor at Robert Redford’s Sundance Institute and Professor at the Theater Arts and Dance Department at California State University, Los Angeles, where he has taught creative writing for stage, film, and television. He also taught the first Professional Workshop for African-American Screenwriters, established by Bill and Camille Cosby in 1994 at the USC School of Cinema-Television. He wrote a two-hour movie for Showtime, "Another Death: The Charlotte Austin Story," which starred Lela Rochon, and "Christmas Menorah," a feature film for Seattle-based Shadow Catcher Productions. Mr. Stetson rewrote "East Texas Hot Links" for Tribeca Productions in association with Showtime Entertainment and Paramount Pictures; and "Trojan Wars" for dePasse Entertainment and Showtime Entertainment. His screenplay "Hoosiers, Too" was written for NB III ADVISORS, Napoleon Brandford, producer. His first novel, "Blood on the Leaves," was published in July 2004 by Warner Books. He received a commission by the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to write LOVE YOU BETTER, a play starring Debbie Allen and Phylicia Rashad, produced in the fall of 2005. His play FATHERS…AND OTHER STRANGERS was published by Northwestern University in September 2004 as part of an anthology of Theodore Ward Award-winning best plays.

Jeff Stetson See play(s)

Mr. Stetson’s first play, THE MEETING, was the recipient of the Louis B. Mayer Award, eight 1987 N.A.A.C.P. Theater Image Awards, including Best Play and Best Writer, and six New York AUDELCO nominations. The play has had independent productions in more than two hundred theatres throughout the country. Internationally, it has been produced in Johannesburg, South Africa; Nigeria; Kenya; Canada; London; and had a four-month tour throughout the Dutch Netherlands. Mr. Stetson adapted the play to critical acclaim for an American Playhouse production televised nationally on PBS in May of 1989. Mr. Stetson’s play FRATERNITY was a winner of the 1988 Multi-Cultural Playwrights Festival sponsored by Seattle’s Group Theater Company. It had its world premiere at Olympia Dukakis’ Whole Theater in Montclair, New Jersey, in March 1989 and has had independent productions in Oakland, Atlanta, Chicago, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Seattle, Louisville, Phoenix, and Indianapolis. AND THE MEN SHALL ALSO GATHER was one of twelve stage plays selected from among over 1,500 submissions as part of the prestigious National Playwrights Conference Eugene O’Neill Theater Center. The play was developed at its July 1988 Conference and received its world premiere at the Bushfire Theater in Philadelphia in October 1989. It was produced in Atlanta and was one of four of Mr. Stetson’s plays produced in Chicago during the 1990 season. Mr. Stetson adapted it as a one-hour pilot for Lorimar TV and FOX Television entitled "One & Together." TO FIND A MAN, starring Hal Williams and Roxie Roker, received critical acclaim during its extended production at the Estelle Harmon Theater in Los Angeles in June 1988. It was nominated for four N.A.A.C.P. Theater Image Awards including best play and best writer. Mr. Stetson’s third world premiere in 1989, FATHERS…AND OTHER STRANGERS, was the recipient of the Third Annual Theodore Ward Playwrights’ Award sponsored by Columbia College of Chicago. It has received numerous productions throughout the country. Mr. Stetson was the former Dean of Faculty and Staff Affairs, and Director of Public Affairs and University Relations, for the twenty-campus California State University system. He received his undergraduate degree in Psychology from Framingham State College, where he was also awarded an honorary degree, Doctor of Letters, in June of 1993. He received his master’s degree at Boston University in Public Policy Analysis and Social Change Theory. Mr. Stetson also conducted his doctoral course work at Boston University as a Whitney Young Jr. Fellow. His academic discipline is Systems Analysis and Educational/Organizational Development with a cognate specialization in Humanistic and Behavioral Studies. He has written Tributes to Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, and Ethel Waters, produced by Marla Gibbs for the CHOICE foundation at the Coconut Grove; a Tribute to Don Cornelius, featuring Patti LaBelle and Natalie Cole, produced by the Brotherhood Crusade at the Shrine Auditorium; and a Tribute to Nat King Cole produced at the Hollywood Palladium. His poetry was featured in a production of ROMANCE: AN EVENING OF POETRY AND JAZZ at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles. His first screenplay assignment, "Civil Wars," was written for two-time Academy Award-winner Sally Field for Columbia pictures in association with Larry Gordon and Fogwood Films. He has written a one-hour pilot, "That's What Friends Are For" for New World Productions in association with Zev Braun Productions for CBS and also wrote and co-executive produced the half-hour pilot "Sunday in Paris," which starred Debbie Allen and Diahann Carroll, broadcast on NBC in association with Columbia Television. Mr. Stetson has written several screenplays including "Out of Ashes," a feature film for Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Productions in association with Touchstone Pictures; "Divided Soul: The Marvin Gaye Story" for Gordy/DePasse; "Keep the Faith: The Story of Adam Clayton Powell, Jr.," for Warner Brothers, Chuck Roven producer; and "The Buffalo Soldiers" for United Image Productions. Mr. Stetson also wrote "Witness to an Assassination: The Gene Roberts Story" for HBO feature films, which focused on the former New York detective’s undercover assignment as the bodyguard to Malcolm X. Mr. Stetson did the production rewrite of "Passenger 57," starring Wesley Snipes and directed by Kevin Hooks, for Warner Bros. He adapted Alice Childress’ stage play WEDDING BAND for an NBC movie of the week, Debbie Allen producer. He wrote and co-executive produced two television pilots for CBS during the 1994 season: "Justice Prevails," with Diahann Carroll and Richard Roundtree, and "The Education of Miles D. Walker." Mr. Stetson wrote "For the Love of Christopher" for Lifetime Television; THE LEGEND, a musical adaptation of Ibsen’s PEER GYNT with Debbie Allen and James Ingram; THE APOLOGY, a stage play about black fathers commissioned by Bill Cosby; and received a Pew/TCG National Theater Grant to write KEEP THE FAITH, a musical based on the life of Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., which received its world premiere in January 1998 in Atlanta. It was directed and choreographed by Tony Award-winner George Faison. Mr. Stetson wrote a one-hour drama at NBC for Bill Cosby productions. And he developed a one-hour drama for Douglas Cramer in association with Whitney Houston’s production company. His spec screenplay "Freedom Summer" was optioned in 1998 by King World Productions. He wrote the one-hour drama "First Time," broadcast nationally in October of 1997 on Nickelodeon’s Sports Theater, hosted by Shaquille O’Neill. It was a finalist for the prestigious 1998 Humanitas Prize and was nominated for a Writers Guild Award. It received a Directors Guild Award for director Brian Robbins. Mr. Stetson also wrote and produced a half-hour special, "One Day," produced by the Children’s Television Network in association with the Disney Channel and directed by Debbie Allen featuring Kirk Franklin and God’s Property and James Ingram. It was broadcast February 1998 on the Disney Channel. Both "One Day" and "First Time" continue to be rebroadcast nationally on the Disney Channel and Nickelodeon. Mr. Stetson has served as a writing advisor and mentor at Robert Redford’s Sundance Institute and Professor at the Theater Arts and Dance Department at California State University, Los Angeles, where he has taught creative writing for stage, film, and television. He also taught the first Professional Workshop for African-American Screenwriters, established by Bill and Camille Cosby in 1994 at the USC School of Cinema-Television. He wrote a two-hour movie for Showtime, "Another Death: The Charlotte Austin Story," which starred Lela Rochon, and "Christmas Menorah," a feature film for Seattle-based Shadow Catcher Productions. Mr. Stetson rewrote "East Texas Hot Links" for Tribeca Productions in association with Showtime Entertainment and Paramount Pictures; and "Trojan Wars" for dePasse Entertainment and Showtime Entertainment. His screenplay "Hoosiers, Too" was written for NB III ADVISORS, Napoleon Brandford, producer. His first novel, "Blood on the Leaves," was published in July 2004 by Warner Books. He received a commission by the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to write LOVE YOU BETTER, a play starring Debbie Allen and Phylicia Rashad, produced in the fall of 2005. His play FATHERS…AND OTHER STRANGERS was published by Northwestern University in September 2004 as part of an anthology of Theodore Ward Award-winning best plays.