THET110NotesNovember 12, 2012What is African American Theater?History of African American Theater- Two types- African American representation written by whites for white audiences- The Minstrel Showo “Blacking up” – white men covering their face in blacko Perform stereotypical ideas of blacks- Minstrel Show from Babes in Arms- Minstrel shows – o Popular in the northo Popular primarily (but not only with) working class audienceo By 1850 there were at least 10 theaters in NY just for minstrelsy- Minstrelsy was white “imagining” of blacksUncle Tom’s Cabin- Eliza – The “tragic mulatta” – a character for the whites to sympathizeThe Harlem Renaissance (1920-1930)- Langston Hughes- Zora Neale Hurston- W.E.B. Duboiso Shaped what we believe about African American TheaterAutobiography and Issues in “A Raisin in the Sun”- Restrictive- Covenants- Feminism- Assimilation vs. Black PrideA Raisin in the Sun - 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- Comparable to Death of a Salesman – Willy = Walter- Black revolutionary arts movement and black power
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