Vinie Burrows
Born
Vinie Veronica Burrows

(1924-11-15)November 15, 1924
New York City, U.S.
DiedDecember 25, 2023(2023-12-25) (aged 99)
New York City, U.S.
Alma materNew York University
Years active1950–2017
Spouse
Dean Harrison
​
(died 1997)​
Children2

Vinie Veronica Burrows (November 15, 1924 – December 25, 2023) was an American stage actress on Broadway.

Life and career

Burrows was born on November 15, 1924 in Harlem, New York City.[1][2] She graduated from Harlem High School at the age of 15, having already begun her career as a child actress on radio and on stage when she appeared in the Broadway play The Wisteria Trees.[3] Burrows graduated from Wadleigh High School and attended New York University.[1]

She later chose to create her own plays and one-woman shows because she felt that the roles available for black women were those of a “Mammie” or “lady of the evening.” Many of her productions were seen on Broadway and in over 6,000 theaters and other venues across four continents. She appeared in a show titled Sister! Sister! at the University of Delaware in Newark in November 1991.[4] She appeared in a reprise of the show titled Sister! Sister! at Brandeis University's Women's Studies Research Center in March 2001.[5] In 2003, she played the role of Barbara Scarlatti in Bel Canto on stage in Atlanta, Georgia.[6] At the University of Iowa in March 2007 she appeared in a show titled Black on the Great White Way: The Story of Rose McClendon.[7]

Burrows was to be a panelist in the 2000–2001 African Diaspora lecture series at the Center for Ideas and Society in Riverside, California.[8] The Black Theater Guild at Massachusetts Institute of Technology hosted Burrows for lunch in February 2003.[9]'

Marriage

Burrows was married to Dean Harrison, who died in 1997; they had a daughter and a son.[1] She died on December 25, 2023, at the age of 99 in New York City.[1][10]

Activism

Burows was active at the United Nations Economic and Social Council on the issues of the status of women and Southern Africa.[11] In 1980, she became an associate of the Women's Institute for Freedom of the Press (WIFP).[12]

Awards

Burrows won the Paul Robeson Award in 1986. In 2014, Burrows received an award from the International Communications Association and AUDELCO for her Outstanding Contribution to the Arts and the Community. In 2018, Burrows was named the honoree at Theater for the New City's 15th annual Love N' Courage gala, where she was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award.[13]

In 2020, she received an Obie Award for Lifetime Achievement.[14][15]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Williams, Alex (January 4, 2024). "Vinie Burrows, Acclaimed Actress Who Became an Activist, Dies at 99". The New York Times. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  2. ↑ Collins-Hughes, Laura (2019-12-18). "200 Years of Experience, and Still Learning Onstage". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-04-06.
  3. ↑ Jae Jones, "Vinie Burrows: Award-winning Broadway Actress", Black Then, August 17, 2018.
  4. ↑ "Up and coming", UpDate, Vol. 11, No. 9, p. 3 (October 31, 1991). Archived June 5, 2011, at the Wayback Machine,
  5. ↑ Brandeis University :: News Archived July 19, 2011, at the Wayback Machine,
  6. ↑ "Bel Canto", TheaterReview, October 13, 2003.
  7. ↑ "Events | College of Liberal Arts and Sciences". Archived from the original on 2020-02-29. Retrieved 2008-06-12.
  8. ↑ 2000–2001 Academic Year, Ford Grant 2000–
  9. ↑ "Black Students' Union". web.mit.edu. Archived from the original on February 11, 2005. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  10. ↑ Gordon, David. "Vinie Burrows, New York Stage Stalwart, Dies at 99". TheaterMania. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  11. ↑ Boston Social Forum, July 2004 (see External Links)
  12. ↑ "Associates | The Women's Institute for Freedom of the Press". wifp.org. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
  13. ↑ "Actress and Activist Vinie Burrows To Be Honored at Annual NYC Gala", Broadway World, January 10, 2018.
  14. ↑ Chang, Lia (July 20, 2020). "Vinie Burrows Receives 2020 Obie Award for Lifetime Achievement". Backstage Pass with Lia Chang. Retrieved October 5, 2022.
  15. ↑ "2020 Obie Awards". Obie Awards. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
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