Vernel Bagneris

Vernel Martin Bagneris, born on July 31, 1949 in New Orleans, Louisiana, emerged from a storied Creole lineage that traced its roots back to the city’s free people of color of 1750. The third child of Gloria Diaz Bagneris, a devout Catholic housewife, and Lawrence Bagneris Sr., a World War II veteran and postal clerk, Vernel was immersed in music and dance from an early age, absorbing the vibrant rhythms of his neighborhood’s cultural tapestry. After graduating from St. Augustine High School in 1967, he briefly entered a seminary before realizing his true calling lay on the stage, prompting him to enroll at Xavier University of Louisiana where a sophomore audition as Gremio in The Taming of the Shrew ignited his lifelong devotion to theatrical arts. While still an undergraduate, he wrote, directed, and produced works that caught the attention of the Free Southern Theater, leading to performances in under‑privileged Southern communities. Following his 1972 graduation, Bagneris traveled to Amsterdam to study avant‑garde theater with the Bread and Love group, later returning to New Orleans to stage experimental productions, including a double‑bill of Beckett’s Endgame and Ionesco’s The Lesson, earning two Best Actor awards that year. His breakthrough arrived with One Mo' Time, a tribute to Black vaudeville that debuted in a one‑night show before expanding to a three‑year run at New York’s Village Gate, garnering a Grammy nomination and international acclaim, even performing for Queen Elizabeth II. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s he created acclaimed works such as Staggerlee, Further Mo' and Jelly Roll!, receiving a Lucille Lortel Award, a Drama Desk Award, and an Obie. Bagneris also contributed to film, appearing in titles like Down by Law and Ray, where he served as choreographer and portrayed Dancin' Al, and later held a recurring role as Judge Bernard Williams on HBO’s Treme. After Hurricane Katrina he returned permanently to the French Quarter, continuing to celebrate New Orleans’ cultural legacy through performance, direction, and teaching, solidifying his reputation as a master of the American vernacular.