| Horacena J. Taylor | |
| Birth Date: | 21 November 1940 |
| Birth Place: | Columbia, South Carolina |
| Occupation: | Theatre director, stage manager |
| Yearsactive: | 1970s - 1980s |
Horacena J. Taylor (born November 21, 1940)[1] is an American director and stage manager. She is best known for staging the original off-Broadway production of Steve Carter's critically acclaimed play Nevis Mountain Dew.
Taylor was born in Columbia, South Carolina and is a graduate of Hampton Institute. She also attended Howard University where she was a business manager for the Howard Players. Relocating to New York City, she gained the reputation as "one of best stage managers in New York."[2]
Starting in the early 1970s, Taylor has worked extensively as a stage manager on numerous productions for the Negro Ensemble Company (NEC) including The Sty of the Blind Pig, The First Breeze of Summer and The Brownsville Raid.
In 1978, she made her off-Broadway debut as a director with the play Nevis Mountain Dew by Steve Carter. The critically acclaimed production was selected by the Burns Mantle Yearbook as one of the ten best plays of the 1978–1979 season.[3] For her work as a director, Taylor received a Drama Desk Award nomination.[4] [5]
| Year | Production | Theatre(s) | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Home[6] | Arena Stage | ||
| Colored People's Time[7] [8] | Cherry Lane Theatre | Did not play at Theatre Four due to the extended run of Charles Fuller's A Soldier's Play | ||
| 1980 | The Sixteenth Round[9] | Theatre Four | ||
| Big City Blues[10] | St. Mark's Playhouse | |||
| 1979 | Nevis Mountain Dew[11] | Arena Stage | ||
| Old Phantoms[12] | St. Mark's Playhouse | |||
| 1978 | Nevis Mountain Dew[13] | St. Mark's Playhouse | Drama Desk Award nomination, Outstanding Director of a Play |