Acting up & getting down : plays by African American Texans / edited and with introductions by Sandra M. Mayo and Elvin Holt.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Mayo, Sandra Marie, 1947- editor.

Holt, Elvin, 1945- editor.

Series:

Southwestern Writers Collection series

Southwestern writers collection series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

American drama--African American authors.

American drama.

American drama--Texas.

American drama--20th century.

American drama--21st century.

African Americans--Drama.

African Americans.

Texas.

Genre:

Drama.

Physical Description:

viii, 352 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm.

Edition:

First edition.

Other Title:

Acting up and getting down

Place of Publication:

Austin : University of Texas Press, 2014.

Summary:

One of the few books of its kind, Acting Up and Getting Down brings together seven African American literary voices that all have a connection to the Lone Star State. Covering Texas themes and universal ones, this collection showcases often-overlooked literary talents to bring to life inspiring facets of black theatre history. Capturing the intensity of racial violence in Texas, from the Battle of San Jacinto to a World War I-era riot at a Houston training ground, Celeste Bedford Walker's Camp Logan and Ted Shine's Ancestors provide fascinating narratives through the lens of history. Thomas Meloncon's Johnny B. Goode and George Hawkins's Br'er Rabbit explore the cultural legacies of blues music and folk-tales. Three unflinching dramas (Sterling Houston's Driving Wheel, Eugene Lee's Killingsworth, and Elizabeth Brown-Guillory's When the Ancestors Call) examine homosexuality, a death in the family, and child abuse, bringing to light the private tensions of intersections between the individual and the community. Supplemented by a chronology of black literary milestones as well as a playwrights' canon, Acting Up and Getting Down puts the spotlight on creative achievements that have for too long been excluded from Texas letters. The resulting anthology not only provides new insight into a regional experience but also completes the American story as told onstage. Book jacket.

Contents:

Introduction: definition of black theatre

Camp Logan / Celeste Bedford Walker

Johnny B. Goode / Thomas Meloncon

Killingsworth / Eugene Lee

Driving wheel / Sterling Houston

Br'er rabbit / adapted by George Hawkins

When the ancestors call / Elizabeth Brown-Guillory

Ancestors / Ted Shine.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN:

9780292754799

0292754795

9780292754805

0292754809

OCLC:

858975449