Charles Weldon
Charles Weldon is the Artistic Director of The Negro Ensemble Company, Inc. (NEC) and a veteran director and actor of stage, film, and television. Directing credits include: the NEC productions of Futurology the Musical, Cabaret, and The Picture Box. He directed Colored People’s Time for the New York Public Schools, The Offering at Rip Rap Studio Theater in Los Angeles, Waiting to End Hell, at the Shadow Theatre in Denver. His career began as the lead singer with the group The Pardons in 1961, writing and recording the number one smash hit, Diamonds and Pearls. He performed in the original San Francisco cast of Hair. Charles came to New York with the Broadway musical Big Time Buck White with Mohammed Ali, and in 1970 he joined the legendary Negro Ensemble Company as an actor. He was seen in NEC’s The Great MacDaddy, The Offering, The Brownsville Raid, A Soldier’s Play, and NEC’s Broadway production of The River Niger. Other productions include: Second Stage Theatre’s award-winning play Birdie Blue with S. Epatha Merkerson; Thunder Knocking at the Door at The Guthrie Theater; Fences and King Lear at the Asolo Theatre; It Ain’t Nothing But the Blues at The Kennedy Center; Piano Lesson, at Center Stage; Touch the Names: Letters to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial (original cast recording); Much Ado About Nothing, Taming of the Shrew, and Driving Miss Daisy at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival; The Madwoman, A Selfish Sacrifice, A Streetcar Named Desire, King Hedley II, Jitney, Coming of the Hurricane and Two Trains Running at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. Film credits include: Stir Crazy, Serpico, A Woman Called Moses, The River Niger and, more recently, Malcolm X and Showtime’s The Wishing Tree with Alfre Woodard and Blair Underwood. Television credits include: Roots: The Next Generation, and appearances on Law & Order: Trial by Jury, Police Story, New York Undercover and Law & Order. He has won several awards including: the “HENRY” (Excellence in Regional Theater) for Best Supporting Actor in Gem of the Ocean by August Wilson, and Best Supporting Actor by Audelco for his role in Seven Guitars at Signature Theatre. In addition to his role as Artistic Director, Charles is proud to be the co-founder of The Negro Ensemble Company, Inc. Alumni Organization