“You know, I remember going to an industry party with
Freda Payne,” Los Angeles-based playwright Don B. Welch recalls. “She was introducing me to people and an actress came over and Freda said, ‘Oh, this is my friend, Don Welch. He’s a writer.’ And the actress said, ‘Oh, television or film?’, and I said, ‘None of those, theater’. And she laughed and said, ‘Well, good luck on that because this is a film and television town.’ and walked away with her drink. I remember standing there, looking at her, and Freda looked a little embarrassed, like, ‘Oh my God’, and didn’t know what to say. And I remember thinking to myself as she walked away, ‘I’m going to make you respect theater and you’re going to work for me.’ and she did. I never said anything to her. You know why? Because it wasn’t necessary.” Don B. Welch is the first name that is spoken in Los Angeles when you bring up theater. His sold-out plays are flooded in attendance with the who’s who of Hollywood. His casts have included Loretta Devine, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Tatyana Ali, Essence Atkins, Kenny Lattimore, Ginuwine, Kelly Price, Marla Gibbs, Flex Alexander, Shanice, Ernest L. Thomas, the late Mary Wilson, Ledisi, Malinda Williams, Darius McCrary, Eva Marcille, Dawnn Lewis, Dorien Wilson, and Jackée Harry to name a few. Nonetheless, it’s the early years that we want to reminisce about. When our zoom call connects, Don is sitting on his sofa with all kinds of memorabilia hanging on the walls behind him. The autographed ‘Waiting To Exhale’ movie poster may just be my favorite. He spends the first 10 minutes checking on me and asking how I am, how my transition from Los Angeles to Atlanta is going, how my mother is, and what’s new in my life. Then he wraps up by telling me to stop playing and start auditioning for acting roles. That’s the Don that I have known for the last 15 years. For myself, like a small circle of actors in the Hollywood scene, Don is like a big brother; not afraid to tell you like it is and always pushing to see you succeed in whatever you do. It’s a quality that he says comes from his parents. Don was a charismatic kid who grew up in the Wynnefield community of West Philadelphia. He was the one who was summoned to stand on the stairs and perform when family or friends would come over. In his mind, he was on the road to becoming the next Michael Jackson and have penpals write to him in Right On! Magazine, like Michael. No really, that was his aspiration. He loved to sing, dance, and make people smile. He didn’t know what he was doing was called entertainment, he knew that it was what he wanted from his life. Those staircase performances would lead him to sing “Softly and Tenderly Jesus is Calling” at his church’s Easter Service. The applause and cheers of the congregation led to church members greeting a young Donald and his family after service. As they poured out their praises of his talent, his ambition to repeat that reaction grew. Don would go on to enter and win singing competitions all around the city. At 15 years of age, he would win a Philadelphia singing competition, the Pennsylvania state competition, and was flown to New Orleans where he ranked in the top 3 for the National Vocal Scholarship Contest. With the victories still fresh in his atmosphere, 5 record deals were on the table as well. However, none of these allowed his authenticity to exist as an artist. He turned them all down. He knew at
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