African American Theatre An Historical and Critical Analysis [Paperback]

This book traces the history of African American theatre from its beginnings to the present.Originating in 19th century social protest, Black theater has faced persistent conflicts of identity. A profile of dramatic expression shaped and scarred by repression, self-affirmation and subversion emerges from this first comprehensive history of an often neglected major cultural phenomenon.Originating in 19th century social protest, Black theater has faced persistent conflicts of identity. A profile of dramatic expression shaped and scarred by repression, self-affirmation and subversion emerges from this first comprehensive history of an often neglected major cultural phenomenon.A landmark work in the study of Black theater and drama, African American Theatre offers the first comprehensive history of a major cultural phenomenon until now too often neglected. In this fast-paced investigation, Hay seeks out the origins of Black theater in social protest, as envisioned by W.E.B. Dubois, and as a formal branch of arts theater. Divided between these opposing forces--the activist and the artistic--Black theater, Hay argues, faced conflicts of identity whose traces still haunt the medium today. African American Theatre thus offers a means of locating Black theater in the larger context of American theater and in the continuum of African American history from the nineteenth century to the present--and in doing so offers a profile of dramatic expression shaped and scarred by the forces of repression, of self-affirmation, and of subversion. Sweeping in scope, original in approach and provocatively written, this important book mines the origins and influences directing Black theater, while charting a course for its future survival.Acknowledgments; Introduction; The black experience school of drama; The black arts school of drama; Theatre people: some splendid examples; The governance of theatre organisations; Development; Conclusion; Appendices. ...Hay's book is a significantlC”