The Pekin : The Rise and Fall of Chicago's First Black-Owned Theater / Thomas Bauman.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Bauman, Thomas, 1948-

Series:

New Black studies.

The new black studies series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

African Americans in the performing arts--Illinois--Chicago--History--20th century..

African Americans in the performing arts.

Theater--Illinois--Chicago--History--20th century.

Theater.

African American theater--Illinois--Chicago--History--20th century.

African American theater.

Pekin (Organization : Chicago, Ill.)--History.

Pekin (Organization : Chicago, Ill.).

Genre:

Electronic books.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (265 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Urbana, [Illinois] : University of Illinois Press, 2014.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

In 1904, political operator and gambling boss Robert T. Motts opened the Pekin Theater in Chicago. Dubbed the 'Temple of Music,' the Pekin became one of the country's most prestigious African American cultural institutions, renowned for its all-black stock company and school for actors, an orchestra able to play ragtime and opera with equal brilliance, and a repertoire of original musical comedies. A missing chapter in the history of African American theater, this work presents how Motts used his entrepreneurial acumen to create a successful black-owned enterprise. Concentrating on institutional history, the text explores the Pekin's philosophy of hiring only African American staff, its embrace of multi-racial upper class audiences, and its ready assumption of roles as diverse as community center, social club, and fundraising instrument.

Contents:

Introduction

The temple of music

The New Pekin

Tacking to the wind

Holding the stroll

Motts's last years

From pillar to post

Epilogue: diaspora.

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9780252096242

025209624X

OCLC:

877977273