This Companion provides a comprehensive overview of African American theatre, from the early nineteenth century to the present day. Along the way, it chronicles the evolution of African American theatre and its engagement with the wider community, including discussions of slave rebellions on the national stage, African Americans on Broadway, the Harlem Renaissance, African American women dramatists, and the 'New Negro' and 'Black Arts' movements. Leading scholars spotlight the producers, directors, playwrights and actors whose efforts helped to fashion a more accurate appearance of black life on stage, and reveal the impact of African American theatre both within the United States and further afield. Chapters also address recent theatre productions in the context of political and cultural change and ask where African American theatre is heading in the twenty-first century.
• Brings together the leading scholars in the area of African American theatre studies • Offers a concise overview of the development of African American theatre, from 1800 to the present day • Accessibly written for university and general reading audiences
Contents
Introduction Harvey Young; 1. Slavery, performance, and the design of African American theatre Douglas Jones; 2. Slave rebellions on the national stage Heather Nathans; 3. Early Black Americans on Broadway Monica White Ndounou; 4. Drama in the Harlem Renaissance Soyica Diggs Colbert; 5. The Negro little theatre movement Jonathan Shandell; 6. African American women dramatists, 1930–1960 Adrienne Macki Braconi; 7. Amiri Baraka and the Black arts movement Aimee Zygmonski; 8. Fragmented musicals and 1970s soul aesthetic Samuel O'Connell; 9. Spectacles of whiteness from Adrienne Kennedy to Suzan-Lori Parks Faedra Chatard Carpenter; 10. African American performance and community engagement Nadine George-Graves; 11. Women playwrights who cross cultural borders Sandra Shannon; 12. African diaspora drama Sandra L. Richards; 13. Black theatre in the age of Obama Harry J. Elam, Jr.
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