Discipline: Literature

Ridgely Torrence

Discipline: Literature
MacDowell Fellowships: 1914, 1917, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950
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Frederic Ridgely Torrence (1874-1950) was a U.S. poet and playwright who wrote realistic portrayals of black life. Torrence first became known as a poet with publication of The House of a Hundred Lights (1900). He sought to refresh American theatre with verse dramas, such as El Dorado: A Tragedy (1903), but although they were published as books, they never made it to the stage. The performance of his one-act prose play Granny Maumee (1914) was, however, instrumental in opening up American theatre to black actors. The play was originally performed with a white cast, but for the 1917 performance a black cast was formed, providing one of the first opportunities for serious black actors. Though Torrence did not write enough to be very influential, his work is notable for blending strength and compassion. His poetry, including Poems (1941), is written in a well-crafted, musical idiom. Torrence was poetry editor of New Republic (1920–33). He also organized the National Survey of the Negro Theater (1939).