Charles Fuller was born on March 5, 1939, and grew up in Philadelphia. As a high school student, he loved to read, and he and a friend, Larry Neal, competed to be the first to read all the books in their school library. However, the two boys soon noticed that their school’s library had no books written by Black authors, so both Fuller and Neal decided to become writers and write the Black-authored books themselves.

Fuller attended Villanova University for two years before leaving to join the army in 1958. For four years, Fuller was stationed in Japan and South Korea. The influence of his military experience is apparent in A Soldier’s Play. In 1962, Fuller returned to Philadelphia and Villanova as a civilian to finish his education. In the 1960s, Fuller shifted his attention from writing poems, essays, and short stories to writing plays. Fuller began his career as a playwright during the rise of the Black Arts movement, which was led by playwright Amiri Baraka, developing in conjunction with the Black Power movement and emphasizing Black-centered art and culture. His first critically recognized play, The Village: A Party (1968), debuted at Princeton University’s McCarter Theatre before transferring off-Broadway in 1969 as The Perfect Party.