Origins Black Theater in America- William Brown
Mr. Brown has spared neither time nor expense in rendering this entertainment agreeable to the Ladies and Gentlemen of Color, being the third attempt of this kind in this city, by persons of Color.
In its early history, New York was just beginning to develop into a center for commerce, trade, and culture. Everything was new, and the foundations were being laid for the city as we know it today. This is the story of a foundation that was thwarted, but had it been allowed to develop would have changed the course of modern theater in America.
For hundreds of years "New York" had been the home of "The Lenape', a community of Native American people living along the Hudson river. After it was "discovered" by European "explorers", the island of Manhattan became a part of the British Government.
Land along the coast of the Atlantic ocean was now called 'The thirteen colonies". The coast became a destination for English citizens, European immigrants from Germany, Italy, and enslaved Africans. Many of the enslaved Africans arrived in New York at the South Street Seaport, now a major shopping and retail marketplace in downtown Manhattan.
Among the ten thousand residents in New York City, a thousand of those people identified themselves as Free Blacks.
William Brown
Born free in the West Indies, William Brown traveled the world as a steward on ships. William Brown had a dream to cultivate an appreciation for Shakespeare, Opera and Ballet among Africans in New York City. When Brown finally settled in New York, he had life experience, cultural appreciation, and financial resources. His dream began in 1821, six years before slavery was abolished in New York, and forty years before it was abolished in the rest of the country.
William Brown was a manager, producer- an innovator. He was not an actor, and had no desire to be onstage himself. But he did have a vision to bring performing artists of color to the stage. Actors even when talented, are a dime a dozen. But true visionaries who push art forward are not always artists. They are a rare combination of genius, imagination, and vision. Sergei Diaghilev is probably the most well known visionary. He brought Russian ballet to the New World, and changed the course of Western dance.
William Brown began literally, in his own backyard.
In 1821, he created a tea garden in his backyard, located at 38 Thompson Street. These live performances were short, low production song and dance numbers, but it was the foundation of things to come. New York did not have a theater community, entertainment happened in brothels, saloons, and beer gardens. The most famous theater in New York was the Park Theater, which invited British actors to perform Shakespeare among other playwrights. There was no theater for Ladies and Gentleman of Color, or any establishment where the races could intermingle.
At this time it is not clear if William Brown named his tea garden the African Grove, or if this name came from a theater critic. Mordecai Noah was one of a few critics invited to view the performances at the tea garden. He supposedly called the tea garden the African Grove, because the patrons and actors were of African descent.
William Brown was not trying to marginalize his actors by calling them an African company. His goal was to bring theater to integrated audiences for American performers who happened to be 'colored'. Yet his company is remembered as The African Grove, and The African Theater Company. William Brown called his company several names, The American Theater, and the Minor Theater. Some one hundred and fifty years later, Alvin Ailey would start his modern dance company for Negro dancers, which he called the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Many times Ailey would emphasize that his company was an American dance company, and that being Negro did not separate him from mainstream American culture. This is a constant through line in the lives of Black artists, and goes back to Dr. W.E.B. DuBois social theory of 'double-conciousness' and the American Negro.
The African Grove became the African Theater Company, with
the hope of becoming the first permanent repertory company for ‘Ladies and
Gentlemen of Color’. The first African Theater Company was located on Mercer
and Houston, what is now the border of Soho. Brown bought a building with a 300
seat indoor theater. The company had immediate success with performances of
Shakespeare plays, especially Othello,
Hamlet, and Richard III. The talent of the company included James Hewlett and
Ira Aldridge, two thespians who attacked the heightened language of
Shakespeare. The company also performed original plays that were inspired by
classical plays, like King Shotaway.
William Brown was a manager, producer- an innovator. He was not an actor, and had no desire to be onstage himself. But he did have a vision to bring performing artists of color to the stage. Actors even when talented, are a dime a dozen. But true visionaries who push art forward are not always artists. They are a rare combination of genius, imagination, and vision. Sergei Diaghilev is probably the most well known visionary. He brought Russian ballet to the New World, and changed the course of Western dance.
William Brown began literally, in his own backyard.
In 1821, he created a tea garden in his backyard, located at 38 Thompson Street. These live performances were short, low production song and dance numbers, but it was the foundation of things to come. New York did not have a theater community, entertainment happened in brothels, saloons, and beer gardens. The most famous theater in New York was the Park Theater, which invited British actors to perform Shakespeare among other playwrights. There was no theater for Ladies and Gentleman of Color, or any establishment where the races could intermingle.
At this time it is not clear if William Brown named his tea garden the African Grove, or if this name came from a theater critic. Mordecai Noah was one of a few critics invited to view the performances at the tea garden. He supposedly called the tea garden the African Grove, because the patrons and actors were of African descent.
William Brown was not trying to marginalize his actors by calling them an African company. His goal was to bring theater to integrated audiences for American performers who happened to be 'colored'. Yet his company is remembered as The African Grove, and The African Theater Company. William Brown called his company several names, The American Theater, and the Minor Theater. Some one hundred and fifty years later, Alvin Ailey would start his modern dance company for Negro dancers, which he called the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Many times Ailey would emphasize that his company was an American dance company, and that being Negro did not separate him from mainstream American culture. This is a constant through line in the lives of Black artists, and goes back to Dr. W.E.B. DuBois social theory of 'double-conciousness' and the American Negro.
The performances at the African theater were for racially
mixed audiences. While very successful, the theater attracted the attention of
“educated individuals” who did not know how to act in the presence of African
actors performing Shakespeare. Furthermore the American judicial system
legalized and protected these individuals who harassed, terrorized, and
sometimes murdered people of African descent, especially business owners like
Brown.
A Tale of Two Richard III’s
| James Hewlett (1778-1836) Richard III |
The African Theater Company was actually shut down for
‘disturbing the peace’ in 1823. During a performance of Richard III, the
theater was infiltrated by audience members from the rival theater across the
street, The Park Theater. The Park Theater was one of the most well known
theaters in New York City, and they also happened to be performing Richard III
also. After the company was closed, the two starring actors, James Hewlett and
Ira Aldridge, went on to pursue solo careers. Aldridge the more successful of
the two went on to have a legendary career in Classical Theater, mostly in
Europe. He was the only American actor to be immortalized on a bronze plaque at
the Shakespeare Memorial Theater in Avon-Stratford, in England.
Except for the purposes of academic research, The African
Theater Company has largely been forgotten. The next theater company to
flourish with Actors of color was the Lafayette Stock Players, nearly sixty
years later. The notion of Free Blacks establishing a venue for African Actors
to perform classical Shakespeare for African and White Audiences (before the
abolition of slavery) is a pivotal moment in American theater. Yet it makes me
think of the saying, if a tree falls in the forest, does anybody hear it?
 |
| Ira Aldridge as Othello |
William Brown had too much power for the “educated” white Americans. The smear campaign against him was not led by the spectators (everyday people), who were interested in seeing African actors perform Shakespeare, but other critics, and directors of White theater establishments.
We can only speculate how the success of a Classical Repertory company for African actors would have impacted the future development of American theater. Surely the dance world changed forever when Alvin Ailey created the first repertory company for Negro dancers in America.
There are few “known” Black success stories before abolition that are not linked to the slave narrative. I think this story is largely hidden because there were no slaves in the company, and Americans largely identify with African artists before abolition in a slavery context.
We can only speculate how the success of a Classical Repertory company for African actors would have impacted the future development of American theater. Surely the dance world changed forever when Alvin Ailey created the first repertory company for Negro dancers in America.
There are few “known” Black success stories before abolition that are not linked to the slave narrative. I think this story is largely hidden because there were no slaves in the company, and Americans largely identify with African artists before abolition in a slavery context.
Throughout history marginalized African American expressions
have been dragged from the periphery (sometimes unwillingly) and into
mainstream American culture, thus transforming the genre forever. The narrative
of the African American experience, whether slave or free person, has always
been deeply American. While early White Americans artists were looking back to
the Old World for ideas, African Americans used their present experience in
America as a source of material. When one artist speaks their truth, the rest
of America becomes liberated to connect their own personal narrative.
Diversity. Expression.
Ponya
Documentary on Ira Aldridge, The Unpainted Moor
Documentary on Ira Aldridge, The Unpainted Moor
Who was Mordecai Noah?
Mordecai Noah was once called the most influential Jewish person in America. Referred to as a 'Jacksonian Jew' he was a playwright, critic, and also the sheriff of New York City. He was the editor of the National Advocate Newspaper, and a pro slavery advocate. He collaborated with Stephen Price to have the African Theater company shut down.
Who was Stephen Price?
The owner of the Park Theater, the only major theater in lower Manhattan (at the time). He collaborated with Mordecai Noah to shut down the African Grove Theater. He paid white audience members to disrupt performances at the African theater Company.
What was Shakespeare like in The New World?
Prior to 1750, Shakespeare was mostly experienced as literature by well-educated Americans. The first performance of Shakespeare in the New World arrived before the war. During the American Revolution, theaters in the thirteen colonies were closed. When the theaters reopened, Shakespeare emerged as the most popular playwright. His work became a dominant force in theater, with productions from the Northeast to the Southeast. He was no longer just for the elite and well educated, Shakespeare was enjoyed in households both rural and urban.
References for this article:
http://creatingdigitalhistory.wikidot.com/african-grove-theatre
http://www.igranick.com/archives/african_theatre/unit2.html
http://www.shakespeareinamericanlife.org/
Books about William Brown:
http://uncpress.unc.edu/books/T-5761.html
References for this article:
http://creatingdigitalhistory.wikidot.com/african-grove-theatre
http://www.igranick.com/archives/african_theatre/unit2.html
http://www.shakespeareinamericanlife.org/
Books about William Brown:
http://uncpress.unc.edu/books/T-5761.html
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