Category: Drama Club

When does your Audition really begin?

February 23, 2021

I teach high school theatre, so my actors are constantly auditioning, they walk in freshmen year and don’t stop auditioning until they graduate.  I’ve had Milwaukee based directors ask about my graduated seniors and I’m honest about how well they work with others.  You are not only constantly auditioning in High School, but in the … More When does your Audition really begin?

THE LAFAYETTE PLAYERS (1915-1932)

February 21, 2021

POSTED ONMARCH 2, 2014BY CONTRIBUTED BY: MICHAEL KISSINGER The Lafayette Players were a dramatic stock company composed entirely of African American actors.  Originally from Harlem, this first of its kind group introduced audiences to the idea that black actors were capable of taking on a variety of roles and displaying a much greater range than previously considered possible. … More THE LAFAYETTE PLAYERS (1915-1932)

ANITA BUSH PLAYERS

February 19, 2021

POSTED ONJANUARY 23, 2008 BY CONTRIBUTED BY: ANTHONY DUANE HILL The Anita Bush Players, also known as the Anita Bush All-Colored Dramatic Stock Company was organized by Actor Anita Bush in New York City in 1915. An actor, dancer, and producer, Anita Bush turned to drama after a back injury ended her dancing career in musical theatre … More ANITA BUSH PLAYERS

The 19th-Century African-American Actor Who Conquered Europe

February 17, 2021

And why you might never have heard of Ira Aldridge. BY NATASHA FROST AUGUST 7, 2017   In 1824, a young, black New Yorker named Ira Aldridge set sail for England. Within 10 years, he was performing Shakespeare in London’s Covent Garden. By the time 20 more had passed, he had performed for royalty across Europe, made audiences laugh … More The 19th-Century African-American Actor Who Conquered Europe

AFRICAN COMPANY / AFRICAN GROVE THEATRE

February 13, 2021

POSTED ON FEBRUARY 11, 2007 BY CONTRIBUTED BY: ANTHONY DUANE HILL The African Company was the first known black theatre troupe. In 1816, William Henry Brown (1815-1884), a retired West Indian steamship steward, acquired a house on Thomas Street in lower Manhattan, New York. He offered a variety of instrumental and vocal entertainments on Sunday afternoons in his tea garden, … More AFRICAN COMPANY / AFRICAN GROVE THEATRE

THE BLACK PRESENCE IN THEATER THROUGH THE CENTURIES IN THE HISTORICAL DICTIONARY OF AFRICAN AMERICAN THEATER

February 10, 2021

In the following account the authors Anthony D. Hill, associate professor of drama at The Ohio State University, and Douglas Q. Barnett, director, producer, and founder of Black Arts/West in Seattle, discuss why they created the Historical Dictionary of African American Theater, the first comprehensive compendium of two centuries of blacks on stage. African American Theatre … More THE BLACK PRESENCE IN THEATER THROUGH THE CENTURIES IN THE HISTORICAL DICTIONARY OF AFRICAN AMERICAN THEATER