Bullins, Ed

Bullins, Ed (1935–  ) writer, playwright; born in Philadelphia. He began writing fiction but turned to the theater to reach a wider public. A leader of the 1960s "black arts" movement, he cofounded Black Arts West in San Francisco. He wrote his first play, Clara's Ole Man, in 1965, and won three Obie Awards in the 1970s. Although not publishing much after the 1980s, he worked on a 20-play historical cycle about African-Americans. He was associated with several theaters in New York City, including the New Lafayette Theater (1968–73), American Place Theater (1973), and the Surviving Theater (1974) and he taught at, among other institutions, City College of San Francisco (1984).