Black theater, city life : African American art institutions and urban cultural ecologies

Macelle Mahala’s rich study of contemporary African American theater institutions reveals how they reflect and shape the histories and cultural realities of their cities. Arguing that the community in which a play is staged is as important to the work’s meaning as the script or set, Mahala focuses on four cities’ “arts ecologies” to shed new light on the unique relationship between performance and place: Cleveland, home to the oldest continuously operating Black theater in the country; Pittsburgh, birthplace of the legendary playwright August Wilson; San Francisco, a metropolis currently experiencing displacement of its Black population; and Atlanta, a city with forty years of progressive Black leadership and reverse migration. Black Theater, City Life looks at Karamu House Theatre, the August Wilson African American Cultural Center, Pittsburgh Playwrights’ Theatre Company, the Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, the African American Shakespeare Company, the Atlanta Black Theatre Festival, and Kenny Leon’s True Colors Theatre Company to demonstrate how each organization articulates the cultural specificities, sociopolitical realities, and histories of African Americans. These companies have faced challenges that mirror the larger racial and economic disparities in arts funding and social practice in America, while their achievements exemplify such institutions’ vital role in enacting an artistic practice that reflects the cultural backgrounds of their local communities. Timely, significant, and deeply researched, this book spotlights the artistic and civic import of Black theaters in American cities. Contents Acknowledgments Introduction Chapter 1. Karamu: A Hundred Years of Joyful Gathering in Cleveland Chapter 2. The Legacy of August Wilson: Black Theater in Pittsburgh Chapter 3. Displacement and Resilience: Bay Area Black Theaters Chapter 4. In the Mecca: Atlanta-Based Black Theater Production Chapter 5. Finding Joy, Creating Justice Notes Bibliography Index "Black Theater, City Life examines how contemporary African American theater institutions reflect and shape the histories and cultural realities of their cities, with a focus on the arts ecologies in four American cities: Cleveland, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, and Atlanta"-- Provided by publisher