By Dee Jae Cox
Theatre holds a mirror up to society. It is a reflection of who we are as Americans, revealing our diverse cultures, our dark underbellies and our greatest asperations. In celebrating Black History month, it’s imperative to recognize the accomplishments and incredible history of African Americans on the Stage.
Though rich in history, tradition, mythology, music, song and dance, following the Civil War, the work of black performance artists was originally reduced to the traveling minstrel shows of the 19th century, (then called “Ethiopian minstrelsy.”) These shows were written by white male minstrels (Traveling musicians,) and based strongly on racial stereotypes.
The first noted success of a black dramatist was Angelina Weld Grimke’s, ‘Rachel.’ Grimke, was the daughter of a prominent bi-racial family of abolitionists and civil-rights activists. The play was produced in 1916 and published in 1920. ‘Rachel,’ is about a young woman who is so horrified by racism, that she vows never to bring children into the world. (A radical notion at the time.)
Black theatre seriously began to take root during the Harlem Renaissance, (1920’s and 30’s,) when black culture, particularly in the creative arts, flourished and is remembered as one of the most influential movements in African American literary history.
As the twentieth century progressed, experimental groups and black theatre companies emerged in Chicago, New York City and Washington, D.C. It was during this time that the Ethiopian Art Theatre, established Paul Robeson, as America’s foremost black actor. Robeson, was the son of a former slave. He obtained a law degree at Columbia University, but due to blatant racism and lack of opportunity in the field of law, he moved into an acting career with great success.
The Federal Theatre Project, was also founded in 1935, providing a training ground for black actors. In the late 1930s, black community theatres began to appear, revealing talents, such as those of Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee. By 1940 black theatre was becoming more established and organized in America.
After WWII black theatre artists grew more progressive in their efforts to establish an identity outside of the predominant white theatre culture. Councils were organized to abolish the use of racial stereotypes in theatre and to integrate black playwrights into the mainstream of American theatre.
Lorraine Hansberry’s drama, ‘A Raisin in the Sun,’ staged in 1959, was the first show written by a black woman to ever be produced on Broadway. It portrayed the difficulty of African Americans maintaining an identity in an oppressive society.
Hansberry’s title was taken from Langston Hughes poem;
‘Harlem,’
What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
At the age of 29, Hansberry, won the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award, making her the first African American dramatist, the fifth woman, and the youngest playwright to do so.
The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window was the second and last staged play by Hansberry. The play opened on Broadway on October 15, 1964 and played its final performance Sunday, January 10, 1965, two days before Hansberry passed away at the young age of 34 from cancer.
In the contemporary era of modern theatre, playwrights such as August Wilson, Suzan-Lori Parks, Lynn Nottage, all Pulitzer Prize winning playwrights, have become strong symbols of achievement in American theatre. (Parks, was the first African American woman to win the prize, Nottage, was the first African American woman to win it twice,)
Black theatre has grown immeasurably. African American artists have created dramas, comedies, musicals and every conceivable form of creative expression. Their contributions in the performing arts are vital to the growth, history and evolution of American theatre. Though statistics still reveal that a radical racial (and gender) disparity exists on American stages, progress continues as we recognize that diversity is critical to telling the truth of the American story.
“All which I feel I must write has become obsessive. So many truths seem to be rushing at me as the result of things felt and seen and lived through. Oh, what I think I must tell this world.”—Lorraine Hansberry
