About this Book

This is the first definitive history of African-American theatre. The text embraces a wide geography, investigating companies from coast to coast as well as the anglophone Caribbean and African American companies touring Europe, Australia and Africa. This history represents a catholicity of styles--from African ritual to European forms, from amateur to professional, and from political nationalism to integration. The volume covers all aspects of performance, including minstrel, vaudeville, and cabaret acts, as well as shows written by Whites that used black casts.