When did blacks begin to participate in American theater?
They participated from the very beginning.
The first play to be written In America by a black playwright is believed to be The Drama of King Shotaway, by William Henry Brown, in the early 1800’s. Brown also founded the first black theater company, the African Grove, in New York. The story centers around facts taken from the Insurrection of the Caravs on the Island of St. Vincent, written from an experience by Mr. Brown.
Like Hamilton?
I think I prefer the way play titles are done these days, with one name and an exclamation point, like Hamilton!
Similar to Hamilton!, King Shotaway is about a revolution against British tyranny. In 1795, Chatoyer, a chief of the indigenous people on the island of St Vincent, rebelled against British colonialism.
Unlike Hamilton!, this rebellion was unsuccessful.
The Seldom-Told Story
I decided to make this play the subject of this week’s blog, not only because if fits this month’s focus on black theater history, but also because it connects with one of the primary concerns that motivate Rhymes Over Beats.
No copies of the play are known to exist. This makes it a seldom-told story – the kind we were created to tell.
Anyone want to help us tell it?