THET110 Notes November 12 2012 What is African American Theater History of African American Theater Two types African American representation written by whites for white audiences The Minstrel Show o Blacking up white men covering their face in black o Perform stereotypical ideas of blacks Minstrel Show from Babes in Arms Minstrel shows o Popular in the north o Popular primarily but not only with working class audience o By 1850 there were at least 10 theaters in NY just for minstrelsy Minstrelsy was white imagining of blacks Uncle Tom s Cabin Eliza The tragic mulatta a character for the whites to sympathize The Harlem Renaissance 1920 1930 W E B Dubois Langston Hughes Zora Neale Hurston o Shaped what we believe about African American Theater Autobiography and Issues in A Raisin in the Sun Restrictive Covenants Feminism Assimilation vs Black Pride First play written by an African American woman produced on Broadway First play with an African American director produced on Broadway Less than a play about race more of a play about family A Raisin in the Sun Comparable to Death of a Salesman Willy Walter Black revolutionary arts movement and black power movement
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