An Essay: 200 Years of Black Professional Theater in the United States by Michael D. Dinwiddie

Actor James Hewlett as Richard III 

African Grove Theatre

In 1821, a retired ship steward named William Brown saved enough capital to found the African Grove Theatre.  Located in New York City, Brown’s aim was to provide a place for African Americans to enjoy theatrical entertainments.  From the very beginning, black theatrical productions served as a forum for positive—and revolutionary—images depicting black life in America.  The African Grove produced not only works by William Shakespeare, but plays and skits that dealt with slavery and activism as well.  King Shotaway; or the Insurrection of the Caribs of St. Domingo a theatrical enactment of a rebellion by Black Caribbeans.  In 1823, the African Grove was ransacked by a white mob which, aided by the police, was responsible for the theatre’s closure. In the ensuing years, George Walker and Bert Williams continued the tradition of black productions, starring in and touring seven shows that went to Broadway and toured internationally. Brothers James Weldon and J. Rosamund Johnson produced musicals The Red Moon and The Shoo-Fly Regiment, both love stories that depicted heroic leading characters, a repudiation of the blackface minstrelsy that was pervasive in American culture at the time. In 1921, Shuffle Along broke box office records showcasing the comedic talents of Flournoy Miller and Aubrey Lyles with music by Noble Sissle and Eubie Blake.  The show revolutionized the American musical, and in 2016 George C. Wolfe paid homage to the show with a Broadway reboot.  As 2021 dawns, Black Theater Online proudly commemorates 200 years of African American theatrical innovation, excellence and achievement. 

Michael D. Dinwiddie is Associate Professor of Dramatic Writing Gallatin School of Individualized Study, New York University and an American Theatre Fellow. He is also a playwright, composer, musician, actor and director.