{"product_id":"macbeth-in-harlem-black-theater-in-america-from-the-beginning-to-raisin-in-the-sun-hardback-9781978809994","title":"Macbeth in Harlem; Black Theater in America from the Beginning to Raisin in the Sun (Hardback) 9781978809994","description":"\u003cfont face=\"Georgia\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"6\"\u003eMacbeth in Harlem\u003c\/font\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\r\n\u003cfont size=\"5\"\u003eBlack Theater in America from the Beginning to Raisin in the Sun\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"4\"\u003eClifford Mason (Author)\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e9781978809994\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003eHardback, published 12 June 2020\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e246 pages, 35 b\u0026amp;w images\u003cbr\u003e23.5 x 15.6 x 2.3 cm, 0.513 kg\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\"Clifford Mason's '\u003ci\u003eMacbeth' in Harlem\u003c\/i\u003e is a fascinating, comprehensive, and personalized account of the history of African American theater. The book guides us through the early musicals, plays, and performers who, despite enormous obstacles, created theatrical successes. Mason offers a richly detailed and broadly conceived study of this exciting period before the landmark \u003ci\u003eA \u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003eRaisin in the Sun\u003c\/i\u003e.\"\u003c\/div\u003e— David Krasner, author of A Beautiful Pageant: African American Theatre, Drama, and Performance during the Harlem Re\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\"In '\u003ci\u003eMacbeth' in Harlem\u003c\/i\u003e, Clifford Mason compellingly recounts the triumphs, struggles, and perseverance of early black theater practitioners. Performing Shakespeare as well as other dramatists became a vehicle for these daring, resilient, and, as Mason notes, heroic black artists to resist racism and share their genius. Moving from Ira Aldridge to Paul Robeson, from the early 1800s all the way up and through the 1950s, Mason's lively chronicle is both revealing in its historic detail and relevant to the position of black theater arts today.\"\u003cbr\u003e  \u003c\/div\u003e— Harry J. Elam, Jr., co-editor Afro-American Theatre and Performance History\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003ca href='\"https:\/\/www.blogtalkradio.com\/rootandroots\/2020\/11\/21\/macbeth-in-harlem\"'\u003eMacbeth in Harlem interview with Clifford Mason on the Root and Roots Show\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e— The Root and Roots Show\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\"Clifford Mason's \u003ci\u003eMacbeth in Harlem\u003c\/i\u003e astutely combines cultural studies, memoir, and personal recollection into a must-read narrative history of African American theatre from its beginnings to \u003ci\u003eA Raisin in the Sun\u003c\/i\u003e. Using a rather informal yet compelling mode of storytelling, Mason illuminates the underlying complexity, fraught tensions, and tribulations that define this history. More than thirty years in the making, this study is a rewarding act of textual recovery, one that profitably retraces and reinterprets our extant knowledge of Black theatre.\"\u003cbr\u003e  \u003c\/div\u003e— John Edgar Tidwell, co-author of My Dear Boy: Carrie Hughes's Letters to Langston to Hughes, 1926-1938\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\"Mason's voice shines bright and clear throughout, especially as he discusses the indignities that Black actors endured just to perform live theater… Mason also offers the provocative assertion that 'the true romance of America was the romance of the fugitive slave.' He contrasts the slave narrative with other sentimental US tales, including the displacement of Indigenous people, the 'New England character' of Emerson and Hawthorne, or the 'Virginia plantocracy' of Thackeray.\"\u003c\/div\u003e— The Gotham Center for the History of New York\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href='\"https:\/\/newbooksnetwork.com\/clifford-mason-macbeth-in-harlem-black-theater-in-america-from-the-beginning-to-raisin-in-the-sun-rutgers-up-2020\/\"'\u003e\"New Books Network - New Books in Intellectual History\" interview with Clifford Mason\u003cbr\u003e https:\/\/newbooksnetwork.com\/clifford-mason-macbeth-in-harlem-black-theater-in-america-from-the-beginning-to-raisin-in-the-sun-rutgers-up-2020\/\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003c\/div\u003e— New Books Network - New Books in Intellectual History\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\"Mason's book is one part history, one part memoir, and one part cultural history study. As a gifted playwright, Mason writes in a narrative style that is engaging and stirring. Highly recommended.\"\u003c\/div\u003e— Choice\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\"Engaging, analytical, and a refreshing historical account of the development of black theater in the United States from slavery and Reconstruction to the 1950s, Clifford Mason's important book brilliantly analyzes challenges, setbacks, and persistent creative modes of black expression that gave rise to black careers on and off stage. Walking readers through different historical episodes and moments in chronological order, from early to mid-twentieth century U.S. history, including the creation of the African Grove Theatre, Ira Aldridge's fame as a Shakespearean legend, and the successful undertakings of playwright Eugene O'Neil and actors Charles Gilpin and Paul Robeson all the way up to \u003ci\u003eA Raisin in the Sun\u003c\/i\u003e, Mason unapologetically documents social forces, inspiring events, and circumstances that were driven by the artistic inspirations, achievements, and show business successes of major black entertainment professionals.\"\u003c\/div\u003e— Ronald J. Stephens, author of Idlewild: The Rise, Decline, and Rebirth of a Unique African American Resort Town\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\"A timely book...His commentary is important; some observations spot-on.\"\u003c\/div\u003e— New York Theater\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e2020 George Freedley Memorial Award Special Jury Prize from the Theatre Library Association\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cb\u003e2021 PROSE Awards Finalist, Music \u0026amp; the Performing Arts\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  In 1936 Orson Welles directed a celebrated all-black production of \u003ci\u003eMacbeth\u003c\/i\u003e that was hailed as a breakthrough for African Americans in the theater. For over a century, black performers had fought for the right to perform on the American stage, going all the way back to an 1820s Shakespearean troupe that performed \u003ci\u003eRichard III\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eOthello\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eMacbeth\u003c\/i\u003e, without relying on white patronage.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003ci\u003e\"Macbeth\" in Harlem\u003c\/i\u003e tells the story of these actors and their fellow black theatrical artists, from the early nineteenth century to the dawn of the civil rights era. For the first time we see how African American performers fought to carve out a space for authentic black voices onstage, at a time when blockbuster plays like \u003ci\u003eUncle Tom's Cabin\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Octoroon\u003c\/i\u003e trafficked in cheap stereotypes. Though the Harlem Renaissance brought an influx of talented black writers and directors to the forefront of the American stage, they still struggled to gain recognition from an indifferent critical press.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  Above all, \"\u003ci\u003eMacbeth\" in Harlem\u003c\/i\u003e is a testament to black artistry thriving in the face of adversity. It chronicles how even as the endemic racism in American society and its theatrical establishment forced black performers to abase themselves for white audiences' amusement, African Americans overcame those obstacles to enrich the nation's theater in countless ways.\u003c\/div\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\u003cdiv\u003eIntroduction\u003cbr\u003e 1 \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e The Beginning\u003cbr\u003e 2 \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e The Long night of the 19th Century\u003cbr\u003e 3 \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e New Beginnings for a New Century – 1890-1920\u003cbr\u003e 4 \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e The Twenties – Roaring: A Precursor\u003cbr\u003e 5 \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e The Voodoo Macbeth and the Famished Dawn\u003cbr\u003e 6 \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Paul Robeson and the Fifties\u003cbr\u003e Acknowledgements\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003c\/font\u003e","brand":"Rutgers University Press","offers":[{"title":"Brand New","offer_id":52701995008280,"sku":"9781978809994","price":25.29,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/products\/macbeth-in-harlem-black-theater-in-america-from-the-beginning-to-raisin-in-the-sun-hardback-9781978809994","provider":"Freshly Printed Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}