Founders

Ben Guillory

Ben Guillory is a theatre veteran who believes in the power and purpose of theatre. Guillory studied at the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco and, for more than forty years, has worked extensively in theatre, film, and television as an actor, director, and producer.

While at the American Conservatory Theatre, Mr. Guillory appeared in Julius Caesar, The Taming of the Shrew, Peer Gynt, Desire Under the Elms, Misanthrope, The Cherry Orchard, and Othello. His extensive stage career also includes Athol Fugard’s Sizwe Banzi is Dead for the Arizona Theater Company, The Los Angeles Theatre Center’s production of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Sacramento Theatre Company’s production of Fences, the Mark Taper Forum’s production of Miss Evers’ Boys, and the Robey/Greenway co-production of Permanent Collection at the Kirk Douglas Theatre.

Additionally, Mr. Guillory is co-founder, along with Danny Glover, of The Robey Theatre Company, one of Los Angeles’s longest-operating and most award-winning African-American-led theatre companies. Founded in 1994 in honor of Paul Robeson, The Robey Theatre Company has become a nationally respected institution dedicated to developing and producing plays that explore the global Black experience.

Mr. Guillory serves as the CEO and Producing Artistic Director, coordinating Robey’s Playwrights Program and serving as an instructor for its Advanced Scene Workshop, while overseeing the organization’s day-to-day operations and artistic vision.

In his capacity as Producing Artistic Director, he has developed and produced many celebrated productions, including Bee-Luther-Hatchee with Elephant Industries; Yohen (1999 & 2017) with East West Players; For The Love of Freedom Part I: Toussaint and Part II: Dessalines with the Greenway Arts Alliance; Part III: Christophe with the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs; The Last Season with Legacy Productions; A Medley of One-Act Plays at The Los Angeles Theatre Center with the Against Type Theatre Company; The Piano Lesson; Bronzeville; The River Niger; The Emperor’s Last Performance; The Reckoning; Pity the Proud Ones; Camp Logan; Anna Lucasta; Knock Me a Kiss; and the Paul Robeson Theatre Festival. He also directed the world premiere of The Magnificent Dunbar Hotel.

In 2017, he co-starred in and directed Dr. DuBois and Miss Ovington, produced the 2017 Paul Robeson Theatre Festival, and co-produced and directed Yohen with East West Players. Most recently, Robey’s production of Man’s Favor Devil’s Plan garnered 14 nominations and 6 wins at the NAACP Theatre Awards. Continuing his legacy of acclaimed producing, Mr. Guillory is currently nominated for NAACP Theatre Awards for Best Producer for both The Great Lover and A Rose Called Candace, further affirming his enduring impact on the Los Angeles theatre community and his continued commitment to producing bold and culturally significant work.

His recent production of The Great Lover, a celebrated revival of Alexandre Dumas’ classic comedy, received critical acclaim for its restoration of overlooked Black theatrical history and for its innovative all-Black staging under Guillory’s direction and producing leadership.

For his portrayal of Paul Robeson, Mr. Guillory received the San Francisco Critics Circle Award in the Illustrated Stage’s production of Are You Now or Have You Ever Been. For his Los Angeles performances of Phillip Hayes Dean’s Paul Robeson, Mr. Guillory received the Drama-Logue Award and a Special NAACP Theatre Award. For his directing efforts on For the Love of Freedom: Part I, he was presented with an NAACP Theatre Award.

In 2010, he received honors from Playwrights Arena for Outstanding Contributions to the Los Angeles Theatre Community, along with a Beverly Hills/Hollywood NAACP Best Producer Award for The River Niger. He later received additional NAACP producing honors for The Reckoning (2011), Camp Logan (2013), and another directing award in 2018 for Charles Gordone’s Pulitzer Prize-winning No Place to Be Somebody. In 2013, Mr. Guillory was presented with the National Black Theatre Festival’s Larry Leon Hamlin Producer Award. In 2022, he again received the Beverly Hills/Hollywood NAACP Best Producer Award.

Most recently, Mr. Guillory was honored with the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award from the Stage Raw Theater Awards in recognition of his decades of artistic leadership, mentorship, and service to the theatre community. His work continues to shape the landscape of Black theatre in Los Angeles and beyond through artistic excellence, cultural advocacy, and mentorship of emerging artists.

His television acting credits include Mad Love, Eli Stone, My Name is Earl, The West Wing, Threat Matrix, Still Standing, Charmed, The Guardian, Dynasty, The District, Judging Amy, Linc’s, L.A. Law, JAG, NCIS, Jack and Bobby, General Hospital, The Young and the Restless, and Masters of Sex.

Film acting credits include The Color Purple, Our Father, The Tuskegee Airmen, Star Wars: Jedi Knight – Dark Forces II, Maid to Order, The Kindred, 3 Strikes, Crawlers, America’s Dream, and The Harimaya Bridge.

As a recognized leader in theatre arts, Mr. Guillory was invited to forge ongoing partnerships with CBS and ABC. These efforts resulted in the development of a nationwide Industry Diversity Showcase for actors of color, helping to create pathways for greater representation in television and film.

In the tradition of Paul Robeson, Mr. Guillory continues to use art to impact the community and spark social action. His guiding principle is his profound desire to mentor the next generation of artists through theatre arts, best demonstrated through his hands-on work as an acting coach, producer, and director. Furthermore, his commitment to supporting the development of original plays written by local playwrights provides a platform for emerging voices whose impact will be felt for generations to come.

Sources

  • Los Angeles Sentinel — 31st NAACP Theatre Awards Official Nominees:

  • Stage Raw Theater Awards / Lifetime Achievement Recognition:

  • Los Angeles Sentinel — The Great Lover:

  • BroadwayWorld — The Great Lover:

  • The Robey Theatre Company Official Website:

  • Ben Guillory Biography / Filmography:

Danny Glover

Danny Glover is an internationally acclaimed actor, producer, activist, and humanitarian whose extraordinary career has spanned more than four decades across film, television, theatre, and global advocacy. A native of San Francisco, Glover trained at the Black Actors’ Workshop of the American Conservatory Theater and later studied with Jean Shelton at the Shelton Actors Lab. Before beginning his acting career, he was deeply involved in community organizing and played a role in the historic student movement at San Francisco State University that helped establish the nation’s first College of Ethnic Studies.

It was his Broadway debut in Athol Fugard’s Master Harold…and the Boys that brought him national recognition and led director Robert Benton to cast him in his breakthrough leading role in the Academy Award-nominated Places in the Heart (1984). The following year, Glover starred in two additional Academy Award-nominated Best Picture films: Peter Weir’s Witness and Steven Spielberg’s The Color Purple. In 1987, Glover partnered with Mel Gibson in the blockbuster Lethal Weapon, launching one of Hollywood’s most successful action franchises and reprising the role in three highly successful sequels.

Throughout his celebrated film career, Glover has appeared in a remarkable range of critically acclaimed and commercially successful films including To Sleep With Anger, which he executive produced and for which he won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Actor; The Royal Tenenbaums; Grand Canyon; Beloved; Predator 2; Bopha!; Dreamgirls; Sorry to Bother You; The Last Black Man in San Francisco; Proud Mary; Come Sunday; The Old Man & The Gun; and Almost Christmas. His first film appearance was in Escape from Alcatraz in 1979.

On television, Glover won an NAACP Image Award and CableACE Award and earned an Emmy nomination for his powerful performance in the title role of HBO’s Mandela. He also received Emmy nominations for the acclaimed miniseries Lonesome Dove, the telefilm Freedom Song, and Showtime’s Fallen Angels. As a director, he earned a Daytime Emmy nomination for Showtime’s Just a Dream. Additional television appearances include Muhammad Ali’s Greatest Fight and numerous documentary, narration, and voice-over projects.

Glover has also lent his iconic voice to animated and documentary works including The Prince of Egypt, Antz, and Our Friend, Martin, while narrating numerous social justice and labor-centered projects that reflect his commitment to advocacy and education.

In 1994, Glover joined forces with longtime friend and colleague Ben Guillory to co-found The Robey Theatre Company, one of Los Angeles’ longest-operating and most award-winning African American-led theatre companies. Named in honor of Paul Robeson, The Robey Theatre Company was established to develop and produce plays exploring the global Black experience while creating meaningful opportunities for Black theatre artists.

As co-founder of The Robey Theatre Company, Glover has helped champion socially conscious theatre and nurture generations of playwrights, actors, and directors. In 1999, Glover starred in Robey and East West Players’ acclaimed production of Yohen, reprising his role in the celebrated 2017 revival. Under the leadership of Glover and Guillory, The Robey Theatre Company has become a respected cultural institution known for producing bold, provocative, and award-winning work centered on Black storytelling, social justice, and community engagement.

In 2005, Glover co-founded Louverture Films, a production company dedicated to developing socially relevant films and amplifying stories from communities often overlooked by mainstream cinema.

Beyond entertainment, Glover is internationally recognized for his humanitarian work and political activism. He has spent decades advocating for economic justice, labor rights, healthcare access, education, climate justice, and human rights throughout the United States, Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean. He previously served as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), focusing on poverty, disease, and economic development. He has also served as a UNICEF Ambassador and Ambassador for the United Nations International Decade for People of African Descent.

Glover has long been associated with global social justice movements and organizations, including TransAfrica Forum, the Black AIDS Institute, the Jazz Foundation of America, and the Algebra Project. His activism began during the Civil Rights era and has remained central to his life’s work, making him one of the entertainment industry’s most respected artist-activists.

In recognition of his extraordinary humanitarian contributions, Glover received the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ prestigious Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award — an honorary Oscar presented by the Academy — at the 2022 Governors Awards. He has also received the NAACP President’s Award, France’s Médaille des Arts et des Lettres, and numerous international honors recognizing his artistic achievement, cultural leadership, and humanitarian advocacy. In 2023, he was inducted into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame.

Through his artistry, activism, and enduring commitment to social change, Danny Glover continues to inspire generations around the world. Whether on stage, on screen, or in communities fighting for justice and equity, his work reflects a lifelong dedication to using art as a vehicle for truth, empowerment, and transformation.

Sources