Joseph Bradford (playwright)

Joseph Bradford (1843–1886)^[1] was an American playwright who most famously helped write a landmark production, Out of Bondage, the first African American musical comedy.^[2] The show's cast included Pauline Hopkins and the Hyers Sisters, debuting in 1876.^[3] The production featured Sam Lucas, a famous minstrel performer of the era.^[4]

Joseph Bradford
Born	William Randolph Hunter October 24, 1843 Nashville, Tennessee
Died	April 13, 1886 Boston, Massachusetts
Pen name	Jay Bee
Notable works	Out of Bondage

A White Bostonian, Bradford was also an actor, poet and journalist.^[1] He wrote for the Boston Courier as "Jay Bee".^[1]

Works

• New German (1872)
• Law in New York (1873)
• 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1874) Libretto
• The Conditional Pardon (1875)
• Fritz's Brother (1875)
• Out of Bondage (1876)
• In and Out of Bondage (1877)
• Our Bachelors (1877)^[5] OCLC 44017470
• A.A. 1900 (1879)
• John Mishler (1882)
• One of the Finest (1883)
• A Wonderful Woman (1883)
• Cherubs (1885)
• Rose and Coe (1886)