The Black Theatrical Voice in Western, American theater is often drowned out. Though misunderstood, appropriated, or altogether abandoned, the notion that Black theater is inherently different than Western theater is still relevant and important.

Class Description: The Black Theatrical Voice in Western, American theater is often drowned out. Though misunderstood, appropriated, or altogether abandoned, the notion that Black theater is inherently different than Western theater is still true. Many may not be aware of Wilson’s work.

This class is for those inside and out of the theater community who seek to educate themselves by diving deep into the themes of August Wilson, including acting approach, play history and performance, and – perhaps most importantly – understanding the integration that occurs between Wilson’s theatrical world and Black life and the importance of the integrity of Black culture within theatrical spaces. It will also explore the ways in which white supremacy and its antecedents have and still do shape the Black perspective and therefore the Black aesthetic.

Course Reading Material
“The Devil Finds Work” by James Baldwin
“Sexism: An American Disease in Blackface” by Audre Lorde, Sister Outsider
“Love as a Practice of Freedom” by Bell Hooks

The Plays to Read

A Song for Coretta by Pearl Cleage

Intimate Apparel by Lynn Nottage

Wedding Band by Alice Childress

The Colored Museum by George C. Wolfe

The African Company Presents Richard III by Carlyle Brown

Funnyhouse of A Negro by Adrienne Kennedy

Sunset Baby by Dominique Morisseau

The Brothers Size by Tarrell Alvin McCraney                     

Ruined by Lynn Nottage

Topdog / Underdog by Suzan-Lori Parks

Fences by August Wilson