I will be doing an essay on African American theater history. I don't really know much about this topic, but when I am finished, I hope that I have learned a lot. I know that it has been around for hundreds of years and when you are done reading this essay, I hope you have learned a lot. It was kind of hard to find information of this topic, but I did the best I could.
African American Theater began as a source of community entertainment hundreds of years ago. It was a place where black actors, both men and women, could work, learn, and perfect their skills. The origination of African American theater began back in the 1830's and was America's most popular entertainment during that time. African American people that liked to perform could easily get into it. .
Working class white people were into it too. White people dressed up as plantation slaves and acted like black musical in the act of dance forms. Everyone was in depression because of the war, but this was used to cheer people up. When white people wanted to join, there was no prejudice and every one got along pretty good. African Americans were shown as innocent people who sang and danced all night long. By the time the Civil War came around, the minstrel shows were considered world famous and highly respectable.
In 1898, producer Bob Cole created the first all black musical comedy, which was created, directed, and managed by all black theater professionals. "A Trip to Coontown" was the name of the play and it was a good starting block for black women. It opened at the Third Avenue Theatre in New York City and was the first true show. New York was very excited to be the founding place of this big up and coming thing. Bob Cole later teamed up with composer and lyricist John Rosamond Johnson to write the first two black operettas. The names of these two operettas were The Shoo-fly Regiment in 1906 and The Red Moon in 1908.