The impact of race : theatre and culture / Woodie King, Jr.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

King, Woodie, Jr., 1937-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

African American theater.

Black theater.

American drama--African American authors--History and criticism.

American drama.

American drama--African American authors.

Drama--Black authors--History and criticism.

Drama.

Drama--Black authors.

Physical Description:

272 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

New York : Applause Theatre & Cinema Books, [2003]

Summary:

Here is a major work by a contemporary American artist at the top of his game. Woodie King, Jr.'s new book is an impassioned stand against racism, sexism and classism in theatre and culture. King has been an active producer and director in the trenches for social justice through Black theatre for 35 years. As he says, "I am a witness, I was there." The retelling of his history serves a purpose, as King calls on young Black artists to start their own theatre, and provides the inspiration and advice for them to do so.King explores the politics of art, the funding for Black organizations, the critics' reviews of Black theatre, and the way in which awards are handed out, among many other pertinent topics. The Impact of Race provides readers with a mosaic of current thinking in Black culture. Specific entries range from producing James Brown in concert in Liberia, an essay on jazz, the Japanese engagement of the musical Shades of Harlem, and August Wilson's notorious 1996 keynote address at the national Theatre Communications Group conference. This is a powerful reference for those who want to know more about those who wish to be heard, but who have had to struggle just to speak.

Contents:

The Impact of Race on Theatre 11

Ghetto Art and Energy 13

Searching for Brothers Kindred

Rhythm & Blues of the Fifties 41

Jazz 57

Breaking the Rules

Educational Ethics and Ethnicity 67

On Producing James Brown in Liberia 73

On Tour in Africa: Zora Neale Hurston 81

At the Berlin Wall 91

The African American Theatre of Tomorrow 95

Beyond New York

Touring and the LORT 101

Celebrating Black Women 105

Playwrights

The Restructuring of Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun 117

Lorraine Hansberry's Children

Black Artists and A Raisin in the Sun 125

Baraka at the Millenium 129

Come By Bullins 133

Remembering Langston Hughes 137

For Shauneille Perry 145

Gwendolyn Brooks 147

Miss P. J. Gibson 149

Laurence Holder 151

The Plays of Ron Milner 155

Festivals

National Black Theatre Festival

African Heritage and Kinship 163

The Impact of Race on Two Cultural Festivals in Atlanta 171

The Eleventh Biennial Theatre Communications Group Conference 183

Woza Afrika! Festival, Sarafina! and the Plays of Soyinka 193

Letters

Women's Wear Daily Critiques Black Theatre 205

What Are Black Artists and Dramatists to Do? 207

Casting Miss Saigon in a Bad Light 209

In Response to John Simon's "Black and Blue" 211

Left Out in London 213

Shades of Harlem in Japan 217

A Black Henry VIII at the Public Theatre 225

Directing at the Crossroads 237

Management 243

Thirty-Three Years of Production 249.

Notes:

Includes index.

ISBN:

1557835799

OCLC:

51837668