I will never forget the conversations I had with Charles Weldon when I came to see works he was directed at the Negro Ensemble Company. I recently had the privilege to experience his direction of “A Soldier’s Play” by Charles Fuller, which was presented by the Negro Ensemble Company to commemorate its 50th Anniversary. It was shown at Theatre 80 St. Marks, at 80 St. Marks Place, in September and October 2017, and then mounted again at the Gene Frankel Theatre, at 24 Bond St., in February and March 2018. After I had seen the production in 2017 and heard that it was being mounted again with the same cast and once again directed by Weldon, I knew I had to go back. I remember going to the opening night performance and speaking with Weldon afterward. His handsome face, his humble, quiet demeanor were so charming. This man was an amazing director and an amazing actor. He had done it all—theater, television, movies. I remember telling him that this play was such a powerful piece of theater, and his direction was so precise and so stunning that the story just moved me so. He smiled a gentle, graceful smile and said, “Thank you. That means a lot.”
He was so approachable, so down-to-earth and someone who just loved and dedicated himself to the arts, especially theater and for the past 13 years, the survival and maintenance of the Negro Ensemble Company, which he took the helm of after the passing of Douglas Turner Ward in 2005. Sadly, Weldon died Friday, Dec. 7, 2018, at Mt. Sinai Hospital in Manhattan. He was 78 years old.
Actor Peter Jay Fernandez, talking of his friend of 25 years said, “I don’t know of anybody who was more supportive of the work and the theatrical community at large. Particularly the African-American community. I don’t know of anybody who was more supportive of young people trying to make their way. He was a good man and he deposited a lot of love and goodwill in my life.”
Considering how he wants Weldon remembered, Fernandez shared, “as a positive force for art, particularly the theatre arts as a unifying currency.”
He added, “We’re in a time when we’re so separated for a number of reasons. Charlie was really the epitome of someone who believed art is what connects us—it’s the connective tissue of all people. And as a source of empowerment for people of color for sure. I hope he’s remembered for his love of the arts and his love for the people involved in the arts, and as someone who is concerned with passing legacy to those who are coming behind us. Not just giving them what we already created but empowering them to go further and do better. The family that one has to make when we create theater, he was the epitome of that. He was a father or brother figure. Whenever I was in a show, Charlie would come to see it and he’d be there waiting with a big hug, a big laugh and with positive stuff to say about it. He knew how to lift other people up. He was always a positive and uplifting force for me and other people in the theater and we need that. Charlie was light. He tried to spread the light and he exemplified it. He didn’t bring the darkness or bitterness. He had to struggle keeping that theater alive. He always turned a positive face forward. I found him a great encouragement and he encouraged everyone, especially young people. You can do it, if I can give you an opportunity I will. If you spent time around Charlie and heard him laugh or saw him smile you felt better because it was from the heart. Anything that we can do to celebrate his legacy is important and we should celebrate him!”
Tony Award-winning director Kenny Leon, who currently has “American Son” on Broadway, shared his thoughts about his friend. “Charles Weldon was amazing actor, director and warrior,” he said. “I was impressed with his tenacity and passion to keep one of our great institutions alive. Douglas Turner Ward gave us pride and direction when he began NEC, and Charles was an amazing actor and leader who understood the importance of extending that legacy. His humor, strength and talent will be missed. … Another tall tree has fallen but is not forgotten.”
Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Broadway and off-Broadway director, recently talked about his friend of over 30 years. “We worked together,” said Santiago-Hudson. “He did the world premiere of my play ‘Your Blues Ain’t Sweet Like Mine.’ He’s done readings for me> I directed him in ‘Seven Guitars’ at the Signature. He played Headley for me. We were both very good friends of Adolph Caesar. If I had to say one thing about Charles—he made every room he walked in a better place, because of his nature, his heart, his smile, his generosity. I never saw a mean bone in his body. What I will miss is his friendship. He was extremely dependable. When he answered the phone, he’d say, ‘Hey buddy,’ and before I could say what I needed him for, he would say, ‘When I need to be there?’ And he would be there. I’ll miss that primarily and second his extraordinary talent. The women loved him, and the men admired him and wanted to emulate him. He was strongly courageous as an artist, there wasn’t anything he was afraid to do onstage and try. He was a great team player and worked his butt off. …For ‘Your Blues Ain’t Sweet Like Mine’ he had a six-page monologue and he was always the first one at the theater and the last one to leave. Those are the things you would expect and would like to teach other actors coming up. He will be sorely missed, and I will continue to teach about him the way I teach about Moses Gunn and Adolph Caesar.”
His theatrical career dates back more than 50 years. He started in 1960, when he performed as lead singer with The Paradons, a doo-wop group from Bakersfield, Calif., and co-wrote and recorded the smash hit “Diamonds and Pearls.” His films included “Stir Crazy,” “Serpico,” “The River Niger,” “Malcolm X” and Showtime’s “The Wishing Tree.” He has won a Henry Award (Excellence in Regional Theater) for Best Supporting Actor in “Gem of the Ocean” by August Wilson and an Audelco Award for Best Supporting Actor in “Seven Guitars” by August Wilson at Signature Theater. His TV credits included “Roots: The Next Generation” and many NYC-based police dramas. He co-founded the Alumni of the Negro Ensemble Company. He appeared in the original San Francisco production of “Hair” and the Broadway musical “Buck Time Buck White” with Mohammed Ali.
He joined the Negro Ensemble Company in 1970 and acted in many of its classic plays, including “A Soldier’s Play,” “The Great McDaddy,” “The Offering,” “The Brownsville Raid,” “Ododo” and the Company’s Broadway production of “The River Niger.” Weldon reprised his role in “The River Niger” in the play’s 1976 film version starring James Earl Jones and Cecily Tyson. Weldon’s last stage appearance was in the central character of the mayor in the company’s 50th anniversary revival of “Day of Absence” (1966) by Douglas Turner Ward, a play that jokes wildly about a Southern town on a day when all its Negroes mysteriously vanish. The piece was presented for an eight-performance run in December 2016 at Theatre 80 St. Marks.
As artistic director of the Negro Ensemble Company, Weldon directed the company’s productions of “Colored People Time” by Leslie Lee, “The Waiting Room” by Samm-Art Williams, “Savanna Black and Blue” by Raymond Jones, “Ceremonies in Dark Old Men” by Lonnie Elder, “Hercules Didn’t Wade in the Water” by Michael A. Jones and the company’s 50th Anniversary revival of “A Soldier’s Play” by Charles Fuller. He also directed and acted prolifically in regional theaters, including Denver Theater Center, where he appeared in 12 productions.
Weldon was born June 1, 1940, in Wetumka, Okla. His parents, Beatrice Jennings and Roosevelt Weldon, moved to Bakersfield Calif., where Weldon attended local schools and graduated from Bakersfield High School in 1959. As a teen he worked in the cotton fields surrounding Bakersfield. At 17, he joined with three other local youths to form the Paradons. After the group dispersed, Weldon joined a soul group, Blues for Sale, as its only Black singer. From there, he drifted into theater.
It’s wonderful that Weldon got to receive acknowledgement for the Negro Ensemble Company while he was still here. In 201,7 the National Black Theatre Festival in Winston-Salem, N.C. honored the company on its 50th anniversary and Weldon received this prestigious accolade.
Weldon had three children with his first wife, Barbara Sotello. He subsequently married Debbie Morgan. He had 10 grandchildren. A life celebration will be planned for January 2019.