Darryl Maximilian Robinson Honors Windy City Theatre Artist And 2024 Timeless Gifts Lifetime Achievement Award Winner Runako Jahi

Theatre Lovers and Supporters,

From time to time, as one journeys on through a theatre and performing arts career that now spans five decades, one hears or receives words of recognition and encouragement from one's colleagues and fellow artists in the professional entertainment industry.

To be clear, it is not always easy for this classically trained, African-American Shakespearean actor and musical theatre performer, now in his sixties, to recall all the work he did in his twenties, especially during the 1980s, in mulitiple provocative, class and racial dramas of the developmental period of his early professional acting career. An actor may not always remember a fellow actor, or director, or even theatre group he worked with. But when one works with a truly fine talent and artist, even over decades, the memory resonates.

In 1980, this stage performer played The Old Man ( opposite the truly talented and gifted and dynamic young African-American actor, director, playwright and future Artistic Director of Chicago's ETA Creative Arts Foundation Theatre as Eman ) in a highly-effective revival staging of acclaimed West African playwright Wole Soyinka's "The Strong Breed" performed at the west side of Chicago's historic Austin Town Hall Cultural Center and Park.

In 1988, under the direction of the late and skilled actor and playwright Charles Michael Moore, and produced by the late and revered ETA Creative Arts Foundation Founder and President Abena Joan Brown, your humble servant in The Theatre, Darryl Maximilian Robinson, made his ETA Creative Arts Center stage debut in the dual roles of Clyde and Rueben in the midwest premiere of the late and talented playwright Ray Aranha's "Sons And Fathers of Sons," playing onstage opposite the very same talented future 24-season-long ETA Artistic Director in the role of The Professor in a staging that also featured the late and gifted, multiple Jeff Award-winning actor Ellis Foster.

And since that time, this same artist has given decades of his life and career to creating Theatre In Chicago.

On December 8, 2024, at the noted DuSable Museum of African-American History, this same dear friend and longtime respected award-winning fellow artist, actor, playwright, play director and theatre instructor, Mr. Runako Jahi of Chicago ( who appeared as Eman in the 1980 revival of Soyinka's "The Strong Breed" and The Professor in the 1988 midwest premiere of Aranha's "Sons and Fathers of Sons" and who wrote, directed and appeared in numerous plays at ETA Creative Arts Foundation as well as serving nearly a quarter of a century as its Artistic Director ), received a 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award for his work in the performing arts from Timeless Gifts, a local Windy City organization that recognizes the work of true achievers.

Upon becoming aware of this, your humble servant in The Theatre, Darryl Maximilian Robinson, posted a message of congratulations to the well-deserving Mr. Jahi at his Facebook page. In response, and quite unexpectedly, the skilled and talented Runako Jahi posted this:

"Darryl Maximilian Robinson, you know exactly what is required to EXIST in the world of the theater and related performing arts venues. To those young ones who watch television and motion pictures that are either full of escapism or coon shows the journey may look simple and easy to grasp. However, when things get serious, and folks REALIZE that having SKILL is imperative to the acting, directing, or the screenplay or playwriting craft, the knowledge of structure, character development, the nuances of authentic behavior are a great NECESSITY in the power of good storytelling where strong performances have the potential to evolve. I believe that many people ARE interested in training and developing their craft, but it requires drive, stamina, willpower and psychological STRENGTH to endure the rejection without being easily discouraged. You have always been a great example of TALENT and PERSERVERANCE. Thank you, Mr. Robinson, continue on your journey successfully, with the same dedication to your craft that has entertained audiences throughout the years!!"

This was a lovely and touching message from the gifted Mr. Jahi that this theatre artist will cherish.

Many congratulations to Runako Jahi on his 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award from Timeless Gifts.

And many more blessings and continued success to him in his career.

Born in Chicago in 1960, Darryl Maximilian Robinson is a 50-year-long American Stage Performer and Play Director who is The Founder, Artistic Director and Producer of both The Excaliber Shakespeare Company of Chicago and The Excaliber Shakespeare Company Los Angeles Archival Project. A previous Chicago Joseph Jefferson Citation Award Winner, two-time WKKC Radio Chicago Critic's Corner Fine Arts Award Winner, BroadwayworldChicago Award Nominee and four-time Chicago Black Theatre Alliance / Ira Aldridge Award Nominee for his work in numerous Windy City stage productions, Darryl Maximilian Robinson recently won a 2024 Broadwayworld Los Angeles Award nomination for Best Supporting Performer In A Play for his performance as Chicago Tribune Newspaper Reporter Roy V. Bensinger in The Culver City Public Theatre revival production of Ben Hecht's and Charles MacArthur's "The Front Page."