A History of African American Theatre

The first definitive account of African-American performance and theatre from slavery to the present.

Errol G. Hill (Author), James V. Hatch (Author)

9780521624725, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 8 December 2005

634 pages, 43 b/w illus.
22.7 x 15.5 x 3.7 cm, 0.98 kg

'… they have done a fantastic job of documenting the information in an accessible study that offers insights into contributors to black theatre movements from slavery to the thirdmillennium … I could really do no justice by listing what is included here, the coverage is so vast … a worthy contribution to academic knowledge and an invaluable resource.' Journal of New Theatre Quarterly

This is the first definitive history of African-American theatre. The text embraces a wide geography investigating companies from coast to coast as well as the anglophone Caribbean and African-American companies touring Europe, Australia, and Africa. This history represents a catholicity of styles - from African ritual born out of slavery to European forms, from amateur to professional. It covers nearly two and a half centuries of black performance and production with issues of gender, class, and race ever in attendance. The volume encompasses aspects of performance such as minstrel, vaudeville, cabaret acts, musicals and opera. Shows by white playwrights that used black casts, particularly in music and dance, are included, as are productions of western classics and a host of Shakespeare plays. The breadth and vitality of black theatre history, from the individual performance to large-scale company productions, from political nationalism to integration, is conveyed in this volume.

List of illustrations
Foreword Lloyd G. Richards
Preface James V. Hatch
Acknowledgments
List of abbreviations
Introduction Errol G. Hill
1. Slavery and conquest: background to black theatre Errol G. Hill
2. The African Theatre to Uncle Tom's Cabin Erroll G. Hill
3. The Civil War to The Creole Show Errol G. Hill
4. The American minstrelsy in black and white James V. Hatch
5. New vistas: plays, spectacles, musicals, and opera Errol G. Hill
6. The struggle continues Errol G. Hill and James V. Hatch
7. The Harlem Renaissance James V. Hatch
8. Educational theatre James V. Hatch and Errol G. Hill
9. The Caribbean connection Errol G. Hill
10. The Great Depression and Federal Theatre James V. Hatch
11. Creeping toward integration James V. Hatch
12. From Hansberry to Shange James V. Hatch
13. The Millennium James V. Hatch
Appendix: Theatre scholarship at the year 2002
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: Human geography [RGC], Opera [AVGC9], Street theatre [ASZD], Mime [ASZC]