Please read entire description.

1887 Mercantile has the honor of liquidating the personal collections of the late David J. Harris (September 28, 1958 - January 23, 2023).

1887 Mercantile did not have the honor of knowing Mr. Harris personally, so we will let those close to him tell you more about him.

In the words of Darryl Maximilian Robinson:

This commentary is in regards to the talented actor, singer, producer and playwright David J. Harris, who passed away in January of 2023. I had the great pleasure of working with Mr. Harris in the Theatre during our youth, when we performed as Student Guest Actors for The Drama Dept. Of Chicago's Josephinum High School for Girls during the 1970s in productions of "Fiddler On The Roof" and "My Fair Lady". He was a talented young actor, whom I would also had the pleasure of working with in shows presented by The Windy City's multiracial youth ensemble, The Chicagoland High School Theatrical Troupe, also during the 1970s, with whom he appeared in such roles as Lt. Brannigan in "Guys And Dolls", Howard Benedict in "Applause" and J. B. Biggley in in "How ToSucceed In Business Without Really Trying" . By the 1980s, Mr. Harris was performing under a non-union professional summer stock contract at The Enchanted Hills Playhouse of Syracuse, Indiana, and impressed theatregoers with his portrayals of Marcellus Washburn in "The Music Man" and Max Detweiler in "The Sound of Music" amongst other roles. To my recollection, Mr. Harris during the 1980s also worked on productions with respected Chicago Theatre artists Director Gerald H. Bailey and Playwright Jeffrey Wayne Helgeson on dramatic projects. Mr. Harris also performed featured roles with The Indianapolis Shakespeare Festival at The Garfield Park Amphitheatre and developed his own solo singing act. David Harris worked as a play director in Chicago and St. Louis, a theatre reviewer in St. Louis, and during his extended time in The Gateway City ( from the 1990s through the 2010s ), as a playwright, a director, a producer and as Founder of The Monarch Theatre Company in St. Louis. A versatile and gifted creator, lover, and supporter of The Performing Arts, David J. Harris will be missed by his fellow artists who loved his work and loved working with him.

- Darryl Maximilian Robinson, Founder of Excaliber Productions Ltd, St. Louis, The Excaliber Shakespeare Company of Chicago and The Excaliber Shakespeare Company Los Angeles Archival Project.

In the words of Tamitra Williford:

David J. Harris was the artistic director of the Monarch Theatre Project (MTP) - which operated from 1999 to 2014. In 1999, Harris wrote and produced "A Horse of a Different Color". This controversial piece showed the increasing depiction of "black" on "black" racism and its consequences.

Harris also wrote "Breakfast in Bed" which was produced in October, 2009. Harris gave voice to the courageous and haunting collection of personal human stories. The central themes of domestic violence and battered women abounded as a diverse group of characters shared their struggles, outrage and bravery in intimate conversations with the audience. Loosely based on interviews with abuse survivors, this original play provided awareness to the existing issues with domestic abuse.

The item in this listing was the personal property of the late David J. Harris. No warranties are expressed or implied. Authenticity is not guaranteed. Please do your own due diligence prior to bidding or purchasing. All sales are final and returns are not accepted.