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
