Question: Where was the playwright who wrote Black Nativity from?
Context: Jerico-Jim Crow is a critically acclaimed 1964 musical, with a book written by Langston Hughes and William Hairston.  It was a pioneering work in the urban contemporary gospel musical style, based on the themes of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States.  According to Hughes scholar and biographer Arnold Rampersad, Hughes "virtually pioneered" the black gospel musical, first with "Black Nativity" (1961) and then with "Jericho-Jim Crow" Black Nativity is a 2013 American musical drama film directed by Kasi Lemmons.  The script, written by Lemmons, is based on Langston Hughes' play of the same name and released on November 27, 2013.  The film stars an African American ensemble cast featuring Forest Whitaker, Angela Bassett, Tyrese Gibson, Jennifer Hudson, Mary J. Blige, Jacob Latimore, Vondie Curtis-Hall, and Nas. C. Kelly Wright is an actress, singer, and dancer.  She has performed in Off-Broadway musicals and plays in New York City and in television and film in the U.S. and internationally.  She is known for the development of new works in theater.  She appeared in the world premieres of "A Little Princess" and "Memphis".  She has worked with new works from Marcus Gardley, Katori Hall, Imani Harrington, Mike Jones, Victor Lodato, Nina Mercer, Robert O'Hara, and Venus Opal Reese.  She was an AUDELCO Award nominee for Best Supporting Actress.  In film she is known for her performance in "Black Nativity", "Angel Wishes: Journey of a Spiritual Healer", and "Everyday Black Man".  "Angel Wishes: Journey of a Spiritual Healer" is based on the life of Lana Bettencourt, who survived childhood abuse and two abusive marriages. James Mercer Langston Hughes (February 1, 1902 – May 22, 1967) was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist from Joplin, Missouri. Madeline Bell (born July 23, 1942) is an American-born soul singer, who became famous as a performer in the UK during the 1960s, having arrived from the US in the gospel show "Black Nativity" in 1962, with the vocal group Bradford Singers. Aaron Robinson is an American composer, conductor, and musicologist.  He is the author of "Does God Sing?  – A Musical Journey".  He created the musical work "Black Nativity – In Concert: A Gospel Celebration".  He also served as conductor and musical director in the PBS documentary "On This Island".  In 2013, he was nominated for an Emmy Award for composing Maine Public Broadcasting Network's "Maine Arts" series theme music. Godspeed is an American metal band formed in 1992.  Following the release of their debut album Ride on Atlantic Records, produced by Rachel Bolan of Skid Row, the band embarked on two high-profile tours as the opening act for Black Sabbath and Dio.  Godspeed gained attention with an appearance on the 1994 Black Sabbath tribute album "Nativity in Black", on which they teamed up with guest vocalist Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden to record a cover of the Black Sabbath song, "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath." Glenna Smith Tinnin (February 27, 1877 – March 24, 1945) was the first chairman of the District of Columbia Equal Franchise League.  The Equal Franchise League was founded in 1914 as The Woman Suffrage Council.  Early in her career Tinnin was an instructor in oratory at various institutes in the upper Midwest.  She was a theater director and playwright, and served as chairman of the pageant committee of the American Federation of Arts.  She wrote several plays for children (with Katharine S. Brown) including "One Night in Bethlehem: A Play of the Nativity" (1925) and "Arthur Wins the Sword" (1928) In December 1931 Tinnin and Brown staged a production of Paul Kester's Tom Sawyer on Broadway at the Alvin Theatre, which closed after 6 performances. Nativity: A Life Story is an African American Christmas-themed musical based on the "Black Nativity" written by Langston Hughes, that was intended to become a holiday tradition, appearing annually in various venues in New York City since its inception in the mid-1990s.  The performances have been sponsored by the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.  Bruce Weber of "The New York Times" called it "a quirky combination of spiritual fervor, showbiz glamour, African-American pride and a celebration of women". Black Nativity is a retelling of the classic Nativity story with an entirely black cast.  Traditional Christmas carols are sung in gospel style, with a few songs created specifically for the show.  Originally written by Langston Hughes, the show was first performed Off-Broadway on December 11, 1961, and was one of the first plays written by an African American to be staged there.  The show had a successful tour of Europe in 1962, one of its appearances being at the Spoleto Festival of Two Worlds in Italy.  "Black Nativity" has been performed annually in Boston, Massachusetts at various locations, such as: the Elma Lewis School of Fine Arts, Boston Opera House, Tremont Temple, Roxbury Community College, Northeastern's Blackman Auditorium, and presently at Emerson College's Paramount Theater since 1969 & is considered the longest-running production of Langston Hughes' "Black Nativity."  The original 160 singers were arranged by age group and vocal range, with an assortment of soloists, along with the narrator, and Mary and Joseph, who are both mute, as well as musicians & ASL interpreters.
Answer: Joplin, Missouri