Franklin L. West was born of African American, American Indian, and Irish American parentage. Native to the Midwest, he relocated to New York at 19 years old to study dance and pursue a career in theater craft and production. Frank studied with Henry Yu Hao Yen of The Martha Graham and Eleo Pomare dance companies as well as the
Alvin Ailey American Dance center, The Dance Theater of Harlem and Opera Ebony.
Mr. West's early influences and mentors were Alvin Ailey, Geoffrey Holder and Benjamin Matthews. All three would later prove to be strong industry contacts and great friends.
Among many achievements, FLW wrote, directed and produced A Salute to Black Broadway, an original production to chronicle and document the participation of African Americans in the continual development of American Theater, and In The Presence of Greatness, a production memorializing the life and contributions of Judd Jones. Both productions are archived in The Shomburg Museum for Studies In Black Culture at The New York City Public Library.
Frank is currently developing a cycle of plays designed to connect the world through its greatest resource: LOVE.
