Rome Neal

For well over 30 years, Neal held down the title of the Artistic Theatre Director of the Nuyorican Poets Café theatre program. Mr. Neal received an Obie Grant with Café founder Miguel Algarin for excellence in theatre. Over those years he has received five Audelco Awards for his direction of Pepe Carril’s “SHANGO de IMA” and Samuel Harp’s “DON”T EXPLAIN” Mr. Neal also received two Audelcos for his acting: one for Lead Actor in Gabrielle N. Lane’s “SIGNS,” at Theater For The New City and one for Solo Performance in his critically acclaimed “MONK,” by Laurence Holder.
Neal also received the National Black Theatre Festival’s coveted Lloyd Richards Director’s Award.

His fifth Audelco Award was a technical award for his light design of “SHANGO de IMA.” Mr. Neal received a Triumph Award for his acting in Alex Mc Donald’s “PRISM” and a Monarch Merit Award for his outstanding contributions in New York Theatre. His directorial credits includes his adaptation of William Shakespeare’s “JULIUS CAESAR SET IN AFRICA,” Sekou Sundiata’s “THE CIRCLE UNBROKEN IS A HARD BOP” Amiri Baraka’s “MEETING LILLIE,” “SHANGO de IMA,” “Prism,” Ishmael Reed’s “THE C ABOVE C ABOVE HIGH C” and Amiri Baraka’s “PRIMITIVE WORLD: AN ANTI- NUCLEAR JAZZ MUSICAL,” all performed at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe and National Black Theatre Festival in Winston Salem North Carolina.

Rome directed Wesley Brown’s “LIFE DURING WARTIME” at the Cafe and The National Black Arts Festival in Atlanta Georgia. His production of Alex McDonald’s “PRISM” was performed at the Ex-Ponto Festival in Slovenia, Eastern Europe.

His acting credits include Dan Owen’s “FOREVER MY DARLIN’,” directed by Daune Jones at the Richard Allen Center, and later by John Amos, and Judi Ann Mason’s “A STAR AIN’T NOTHIN BUT A HOLE IN HEAVEN” directed by Mikel Pickney.

Rome’s film acting credits include Michael Almereyda’s “HAMLET” Spike Lee’s “SUMMER OF SAM” and Leon Ichaso’s “PINERO.”

As a Jazz vocalist/producer, Rome has performed at Town Hall on Broadway, The Metropolitan Room, The Museum of the City of New York, Lenox Lounge, Joe’s Pub, Saint Nick’s Pub, Minton’s Playhouse, Showman’s, 966Jazz, Baker’s Keyboard Lounge in Detroit, The Nuyorican Poets Cafe, The Jazz Spot, and has performed around town as the lead vocalist for the Bill Lee Mo’ Better Quintet (Spike’s father). As a producer Mr. Neal has a CD entitled: “A Brighter Crooner”, and his live concert “All in The Puddin'” released on DVD along with his “Rome Neal’s Banana Puddin’ Jazz Jam… A Night To Remember”. He has produced and directed two Jazz documentaries (966 Jazz: Forever Young and Patience Higgins and his Sugar Hill Quartet’s Last Night at St. Nick’s Pub.

He is also the recipient of the B-Free Award and two Fresh Fruit awards for producing shows about greats in Jazz who were in the LGBTQ community!

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