Theatre Blog of Darryl Maximilian Robinson

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,...

ON THE WEST COAST, theatregoers have seen veteran and award-winning Chicago-born and stage-trained actor Darryl Maximilian Robinson appear in numerous roles onstage during his 14 years as a City of Angels thespian. He has garnered critical praise for his performances as Major-General Stanley in "The Pirates of Penzance," District Attorney Flint in "Night of January 16th," Booker T. Washington in "Ragtime," Butler John Lawless in "The Happiest Millionaire" and Henry Albertson in "The Fantasticks." But usually he has performed his work in small and intimate venues. However, this past summer, he shared his talents in a somewhat larger forum. Darryl Maximilian Robinson, who received both a 1997 Chicago Joseph Jefferson Citation Award for Outstanding Actor In A Principal Role In A Play and a 1997 Chicago Black Theatre Alliance / Ira Aldridge Award nomination for Best Leading Actor In A Play for his critically-praised performance as ...