| About Mars Hill Mars Hill was born in Arkansas and grew up in a church that his grandfather founded. At 15, he was spirited out of town to Chicago by his mother and older brother. He is the eigth of nine children. His father was a merchant who had inherited land from his family, and his mother was the daughter of a land owning family who had never been slaves. He earned a bachelor of Science degree in Architectural Engineering from the Univerisyt of Illinois, a Master of Arts in African-American Studies and a Doctors of Arts Degree in Humanistic Studies from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Albany. |
 GrandMa
Fannie Temple |
| Mars Hill has written and
produced a number of plays, mostly for his won
theatre company, The Black Experience Ensemble
Inc. (B.E.E.) founded in 1969. Many of these play
were produced acroos the country. During course
work for his doctor's degree in humnistic
studies, HIl wrote four plays"
Glop-Teee-Dom-Tock of Inconsistancy, Circle of
Judges, Ransom Kingdon, and Fool For a Client.
Ransom Kindgom was presented in April 1993 in
Albany, NY and Fool For a Client in Navy of a
1995. From 1994-1995, HIll taught a writing course in fiction at Marist College in Glenmount, NY. In 1987, he took a course in William Kennedy's New York State Wrtiers Work Shop at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY under the direction of Russell Banks, where HIll began writing his rite of passage novel Moarner's Bench. In 1996, he finished writing Book I (447 pages) of a two-part novel. In October of 1998, Harper Collins will publish Book I. They also have the first option to publish Book II. |
 GrandPa Tom Temple |
| He is the receipent of a
fellowship for the 1979 New York State Council on
the Arts Creative Service Award (CAPS) for
playwrights, and the 1989 fellowship for fiction
from the New York Foundation for the Arts. His
fiction, (Faith of a Fisherman: Capital Magazine;
July 1990) plays and poems habe been published in
local, regional and national magazines. New York
State's University press has published a chapter
from his novel Moarner's Bench. Recently,
"Paradise", an anthology (Four Volumes
of Prize-Winning Writing in One Collection)
published his short story, A Fisherman Believes. Since leaving Arkansa, Mars Hill has lived in Chicago, where he finished high school ans started college. After finishing college in Champaign0Urbana, Illinois, he worked for two years as a structural engineer in Chicago, then got married and moved to Seattle, Washington, After two years, he and his wife moved to Albany, NY where he worked as an engineer for the State of New York, and his onlychild, as son, was born. After retiring, he became a partner in a short line railroad, a foreign imports shop owner, and running a construction business, until he was a fellowship to work on a doctorate. |
 Mars
Hill |
VITA
TELEPHONE NO.: 518-482-6683
EDUCATION:
| Institution | Year | Advanced Degree |
| State University of New York @ AlbanyAlbany, N.Y.(SUNYA) |
9/1991 to 9/1995 | D.A in Humanistic Studies (1997) |
| SUNYA | 9/1970 to 9/1974 | M.A. in Africana Studies |
| University of Illinois @ Champaign Urbana, IL. |
9/1950 to 2/1954 | B.A in Architectural Engineering |
| PROFESSIONAL COURSES | ||
| SUNYA 9/1977 to 9/1978 | ||
| Siena College | 9/1980 | Financial Management Certificate |
| SUNYA | 9/1974 | Scene Study |
| Afro-American Studio New York NY |
2/1972 to 1/1973. | Basic techniques Certificate in acting-movement |
| Russell Sage College Troy N.Y. | 9/1971 to 1/1972 | History of Theater |
MAJOR FIELDS:
D.A.degree in Humanistic Studies with disciplines in African & Afro-American Studies and English Literature. M.A.Program; African & Afro-American Studies with discipline in Theater. Undergraduate Major: Architectural Engineering, with a minor in Architecture. Electives in French, Spanish & Art.
EMPLOYMENT IN AND RELATED TO THEATRE
| Institution | Year(s) | Type of Work |
| Marist College Glenmount, N.Y. | 1994-1995 | (Taught Introduction to College Writing) |
| SUNYA | 10/1993-5/1994 | Black Theatre in America |
| SUNYA | 9/1987-12/1987 | Black Playwrights. |
| SUNYA | 1/1970-5/1970) | Black Theatre (Designed and taught first course) |
RELATED PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
| Title | Acting | Institution | Location |
| Fool For A Client | Bailiff | BEE | Albany, NY |
| Cavorting w/the Whartons | John F.Fester | BEE | Albany, NY |
| The Emperor Jones | The Emperor | Contem. Players | Seattle,WA |
| Antigony | Tyresis | Comm.Players | Seattle,WA |
| Street Car Named Desire | Mitch | Comm. Players | Albany,NY |
| Othello (Excerpts) | Othello | Comm. Players | Albany,NY |
| The Emperor Jones Ol' | Lim | SUNY | Albany,NY |
| The Huzzy Sis. | Carry | BEE | Albany, NY |
| Family Meeting | Father Love | SUNY | Albany, NY |
| The Militant Preacher | The Preacher | BEE | Albany, NY |
| The Militant Preacher | The Preacher | NBT | NY,NY |
| House and Field | House/Field | BEE | Albany, NY |
| Street Walkers | Conscience | SUNYA | Albany, NY |
| One Last Look | Ustis Bailor | SUNY | Albany, NY |
| What's Your Thing | White Liberal | SUNY | Albany, NY |
| Great Goodness of Life | John Breck | AAS | NY,NY |
| Slaveship | White Man | East | Brooklyn,NY |
| The Visitors | Father | BEE | Albany, NY |
| Improvisations | The Pimp | BEE | Albany, NY |
| Eclipse | Grover C.Bell | BEE | Albany, NY |
PLAYS WRITTEN AND PRODUCED
Monkey Motions, Fool For A Client, Ransom Kingdom, The Sellout**, Glop-Tedum-Tock-Of Inconstancy*, Circle Of Judges*, Huzzy, Two Ten*, The Cage*, Eclipse, Cavorting With the Whartons, The Man In The Family, Occupation, The Trader*,A Very Special Occasion*, Celebration, House & Field, First in War, Malice In Wonderland, Peck*, To Have And To Have Not*, Street Walkers, Hide And Go Seek*, Give Unto Caesar*,Ghost Writer's Legacy*, Sodalbany & Machinemora*.
OTHER PLAYS PRODUCED
The Militant Preacher, Slaveship, The Visitors, Sugar Mouth Sam, Sezwe Bansi, Home, Job Security.
* Un-produced ** Un-produced, but published.
MOVIES & T.V.
Ironweed (movie) Extra
Odds Against Tomorrow (movie) Extra
Occupation (T.V. Channel 17, PBS, excerpts from play)
Street Walkers (Channels 17, 10, 13, CBS affiliate)
First In War (Channels 17, 10, 6, CBS affiliate)
SPEECHES
The History Of The Theatre Of Black Americans Is Not Necessarily The History Of Black Theatre (1995 National Black Theatre Network, Winstom-Salem, N.C.)
Hands On Art Of Fund-raising, (Banquet Speaker 1993, Univ. Of Arkansas @ Pine Bluff)
Black Drama (1968 Sacred Heart Academy, Albany, N.Y.)
Black Drama and Poetry (1969 Albany Academy for Girls, Albany, N.Y.)
The Black Man In History, (1985 Israel AME Church,Albany, N.Y.)
Cultural Awareness And Marcus Garvey's Legacy To African Independence...(1979 Southern University, New Orleans, LA)
Seminar On Playwriting (1980 Coxsackie Prison, Coxsackie,N.Y.).
Numerous other colleges, high schools, churches and civic organizations has engaged Hill as a speaker.
POEMS PUBLISHED
Black Art Is..., Purgation, Writin’ is Fightin’, Nature’s Way,Wedding, Clear Waters Genre, Justice, Quite Reflections, Matter of Values, Keepers of the Embers, and others.
MEMBERSHIP IN PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
Albany League of Arts; Poets and Writers; Black Theatre Network, Writer's Digest.
AWARDS
| Award | Institution | Date |
| Fellowship for Fiction Writing | The New York Foundation for the Arts | 4/1989 |
| Professional Excellence in Theatre Arts | Empire State Federation of Colored Women's Clubs | 7/1988. |
| Kuumba | New York State Blk. Arts Festival | 8/1984 |
| Creative Artist Public Service | New York State Council on the Arts . | 4/1979 |
| Survival | New Heritage Theatre | 8/1979 |
| Appreciation Blk. | Capital District Business and Professional Assn. | 7/1975 |
| Appreciation | Capital District Business & Professional Assn., Inc | 8/1973 |
| Community | Neighborhood Achievement Neighborhood House | 8/1972 |
REFERENCES
Dr. Alan Asermely; 156 W. 44 St. New York, N.Y. 10036; 212/ 921-8126
Dr..Allen Ballard; SUNYA, History Dpt.;.Albany, NY 12222; 518/ 442-47784.
Dr. Nancy Dawson (a colleague and Assist. Prof of Black American Studies) Faner Hall 4028; Malicode 4529; Southern IL Univ at Carbondale; Carbondale, IL 62901-4529
Dr. Leonard A. Slade Jr. (on Doctoral pannel, Africana Studies) SUNYA , Albany, NY 12222, 518/442-4726
Dr. Eugene Garber 13 Empire Cir.; Rensselaer, NY12144; 518/434-3294
Dr. Sarah B. Cohen; SUNY, 1400 Washington Ave.Albany, N.Y. 12222