FIRST PERFORMANCE
April 21, 1960, Berlin, Germany.
Schlosspark Theater
The first American performance of The Death of Bessie Smith was presented at the York Playhouse in New York City on January 24, 1961.
THE PLAYERS
BERNIE
A Negro, about forty, thin.
JACK
A dark-skinned Negro, forty-five, bulky, with a deep voice and a mustache.
THE FATHER
A thin, balding white man, about fifty-five.
THE NURSE
A Southern white girl, full blown, dark or red-haired, pretty, with a wild laugh. Twenty-six.
THE ORDERLY
A light-skinned Negro, twenty-eight, clean-shaven, trim, prim.
SECOND NURSE
A Southern white girl, blond, not too pretty, about thirty.
THE INTERN
A Southern white man, blond, well put-together, with an amiable face; thirty.