Crumbs From the Table of Joy

Born in New York City in 1964 and raised in Brooklyn, Lynn Nottage grew up in the same world as her protagonist, Ernestine Crump, but the similarities largely end there. Her parents were educated, and her mother, Ruby Nottage, worked as a teacher and principal. Her father, Wally Nottage, was a psychologist. The Nottages were also highly involved with the Civil Rights movement, and Nottage’s mother used her expertise as an educator to create and teach at a school where students were taught about Black American and African culture and history. Nottage was educated in the performing arts and artistic expression through exposure to cultural events, and the family’s theater attendance had the most significant effect on her life and career. She began writing plays at the age of eight, and she was selected along with only three other high schoolers to attend a workshop taught by legendary musical theater composer Stephen Sondheim. Although she was undeniably talented at writing for the theater, when she was awarded a scholarship to Brown University, she enrolled in the pre-med program, considering playwriting as more of a hobby. However, her talent and passion pulled her away from her plan to become a physician, and she ultimately graduated from Brown with a dual degree in English and African American studies.