Ronald Allen (September 13, 1947 â€" August 10, 2010) was an
African-American poet and playwright who described his work as a
"concert of language." The Detroit native employed intuitive
configurations of language (i.e., image, trope, and metaphor) to
invent new meaning and structures for the exploration and expression
of language arts, including poetry and theater.Like fellow Detroit
playwright Ron Milner, Allen's ear for the use of Afro-American
language, particularly in Detroit, was keen. Known for his experiments
with poetic verse, character, theme and structure, Allen created
centers of language experiences and rhythm through his writing.In a
2009 interview, Ron Allen described his artistic philosophy:He began
his theatrical career in Detroit in 1997, when he formed his acting
company “Thick Knot Rhythm Ensemble†. This company became the
medium for the production of 13 plays he wrote and produced, including
Last Church of the Twentieth Century, Aborigional Treatment Center ,
Twenty Plays in Twenty Minutes, Dreaming the Reality Room Yellow,
WHAM!, The Tibetan Book of the Dead, Relative Energy Sack Theory
Museum, and The Heidelberg Project: Squatting in the Circle of the
Elder Mind, a play loosely based on the life of Tyree Guyton and the
struggle to create his Heidelberg Project.
African-American poet and playwright who described his work as a
"concert of language." The Detroit native employed intuitive
configurations of language (i.e., image, trope, and metaphor) to
invent new meaning and structures for the exploration and expression
of language arts, including poetry and theater.Like fellow Detroit
playwright Ron Milner, Allen's ear for the use of Afro-American
language, particularly in Detroit, was keen. Known for his experiments
with poetic verse, character, theme and structure, Allen created
centers of language experiences and rhythm through his writing.In a
2009 interview, Ron Allen described his artistic philosophy:He began
his theatrical career in Detroit in 1997, when he formed his acting
company “Thick Knot Rhythm Ensemble†. This company became the
medium for the production of 13 plays he wrote and produced, including
Last Church of the Twentieth Century, Aborigional Treatment Center ,
Twenty Plays in Twenty Minutes, Dreaming the Reality Room Yellow,
WHAM!, The Tibetan Book of the Dead, Relative Energy Sack Theory
Museum, and The Heidelberg Project: Squatting in the Circle of the
Elder Mind, a play loosely based on the life of Tyree Guyton and the
struggle to create his Heidelberg Project.
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