In 1821, forty years before Lincoln ended slavery, and fifty years before black Americans earned the right to vote, the first black theatrical group in the country, the African Company of New York, was putting on plays in a downtown Manhattan theatre to which both black and white audiences flocked. Yet the drama of this progressive group reached further than their stage. Shakespeare is the chosen cultural battleground in this inventive retelling of a little known, yet pivotal event in the African Company’s history. This is a possible collaboration with The Heart of America Shakespeare Festival.
In 1821, forty years before Lincoln ended slavery, and fifty years before black Americans earned the right to vote, the first black theatrical group in the country, the African Company of New York, was putting on plays in a downtown Manhattan theatre to which both black and white audiences flocked. Yet the drama of this progressive group reached further than their stage. Shakespeare is the chosen cultural battleground in this inventive retelling of a little known, yet pivotal event in the African Company’s history. This is a possible collaboration with The Heart of America Shakespeare Festival.
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